Editor's Note: Gather

​In medieval Europe, most people got their news—updates on wars, royal communiques—from official channels, usually through their priests. Although some village leaders received written communications, the people had to gather in churches or communal halls to hear the latest. 

Of course, kings had messengers to ensure that missions were translated into action. According to an article by Laura Crombie, a teaching fellow in Medieval History at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, Edward I decided to levy some new taxes in 1290. From his hunting lodge, the king dispatched a messenger to make it so. No fewer than five official bodies had to approve the measure and implement it. Despite the impediment, sheriffs began collecting the taxes in the farthest flung villages within a month.

Things didn’t markedly improve once newspapers were established. Recently, Harvard University traced the speed at which news spread of the Declaration of Independence by the British colonies in North America. The first account was published in early July in Philadelphia. But it wasn’t until early August that South Carolina papers reported on the issue, only a week before London printed the news.

Communication has often extended far beyond written or verbal forms. Visual communication has ranged from the color of a dress to a symbol in an official portrait. One of the earliest forms of business communication was the guild badge, which marked the wearer as an official purveyor of certain goods and services. (It also allowed for greater security, with guild members traveling in groups to protect their sanctioned goods.) According to Crombie, the badges would distinguish high-value suppliers from less reputable ones. Crombie writes that these “visual forms of identification showed belonging and communicated identity and status.” 

The belonging, identity, and status of the security community will be on full display this month as attendees gather in Chicago for GSX 2019. As technology advances, everything moves faster, and the exhibit hall at GSX is the ultimate proof. Leaders in the security space, companies displaying their wares specialize in communicating security solutions at speed.

Cutting-edge sessions on the X-Learning stage in the exhibit hall will introduce new members of the community. The D3 Xperience: Drones, Droids, Defense will display the latest from drones to robots. And, the Disruption District will offer the newest innovative and, perhaps, disruptive products.

Groundbreaking news travels fast. At GSX 2019, show your status and buy your official ASIS branded gear from the onsite store, pick your route through the exhibit hall, and begin your travels.

Communicate with experts, network with your peers, learn about the newest high-tech solutions. Be ahead of the curve, early to bring the latest technology to your security program. It’s how you translate your mission into action.