A Sneak Peek at the Highlight Reel: Best Practices Theater Preview

The Best Practices Theater at GSX 2021 will highlight intriguing and exemplary sessions for attendees, covering a wide range of topics from civil unrest to bombings to leadership during a pandemic. At the core of this theme, attendees will identify how different tactics and solutions impacted an organization’s degree of success in maneuvering through and emerging out of attacks and other incidents.

“The Highlight Reel: Best Practices Theater will provide sessions which emphasize leading methods and innovative strategies for the security management professional,” says Lisa Terry, CHPA, CPP, and vice president of vertical markets for Healthcare Allied Universal Security Services. Terry is one of the learning captains for the Best Practices Theater, along with ouglas S. Riggin, senior manager for Altria Corporate Security.

Monday

On Monday morning, in-person attendees can listen to moderator Daryle Hernandez, director of the Interagency Security Committee at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as he leads a panel with three other public sector experts to discuss if public facilities are equipped to handle threat environments generated by civil unrest. During “Protecting Public Buildings Against Violent Civil Unrest,” they’ll also delve into lessons learned from previous real-world incidents, with insight that can serve public and private-sector facilities.

And come Monday afternoon, attendees can sit in on “Large Venue Protection in 2021,” where protectors specializing in soft targets, including Will Bernhjelm, security director at Mall of America; Earl Biggett, CPP, security consultant at Orange County Convention Center; Michael Rozin, president at Rozin Security Consulting LLC; and Larry Thompson, director of security at Orlando Magic, will discuss effective security management protocols and navigating a post-COVID era.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, security professionals working in any industry can take a seat and listen to Michael Haggard, a managing partner at The Haggard Law Firm, explain the legal aftermath an organization can suffer from a mass shooting.

While mass shooting incidents can wreak immediate death and destruction during the attack, their increasing prevalence in the United States have resulted in a shift in courtrooms, allowing victims to win lawsuits against businesses. Stop by the theater for “Mass Shooting Liability: What Every American Business Has to be Concerned With” to learn how to further prepare your organization for the unthinkable.

During “A Survivor’s Story: The Nashville Christmas Day Bombing,” testimony from the public affairs officer of the Nashville Police Department will share recollections of the 2020 Christmas morning bombing. Attendees can also learn how law enforcement reacted to the attack to mitigate the impact of the bomb and save lives. The Tuesday afternoon session will also include insights into the intra-department communications and investigation into the incident.

Wednesday

On the last morning of GSX, consider attending “A Case Study of a Year in Crisis and Year of Opportunities” for a chance to reflect on how Fielder Church managed back-to-back-to-back historic crises. Matthew Antkowiak, CPP, PCI, PSP, director of facilities and security at Fielder Church, will discuss how he navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and a natural disaster, as well as their impacts on the global organization, along with how he used these incidents to gain leverage and establish value for his position.

“These sessions are intriguing and applicable to security practitioners at varying levels across the globe,” Terry adds.

For the full schedule of the Highlight Reel: The Best Practices Learning Theater, see below or look online at gsx21.mapyourshow.com. Along with the Highlight Reel Theater, there are five other theme theaters that will be offered throughout GSX 2021.

Monday, 27 September

• 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: “Protecting Public Buildings Against Violent Civil Unrest”
  
  
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: “Never Waste an Emergency: Resilient Recovery through After-Action Reporting”
  
  
• 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: “Large Venue Protection in 2021”

Tuesday, 28 September

• 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: “Mass Shooting Liability: What Every American Business Has to be Concerned With”
  
  
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: “Leading a Healthcare Organization Through a Pandemic: Security’s Agility, Resourcefulness and Lessons Learned”
  
  
• 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.: “Security as an Assumption: Case Studies in Safety and Security Complacency at Highly Respected Organizations”
  
  
• 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: “A Survivor’s Story: The Nashville Christmas Day Bombing”
  
  

Wednesday, 29 September

• 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: “Bomb Blast Facility Protection for Security, Risk, and Property Managers”
  
  
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: “A Case Study of a Year in Crisis and Year of Opportunities”
  
  
• 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.: “A Security Officer Industry Perspective: What Needs to Change to Improve?”

Sara Mosqueda is assistant editor at Security Management, the parent publication of The GSX Daily. Connect with her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @ximenawrites.