IFSEC is upon us once again ..

A few years ago the staff at Security Installer and SMT decided to do a daily newspaper produced at the show ... and despite it being a popular read, it meant we saw practically nothing of the show itself, spending the whole of the time slaving over our hot Macs in the back room of our stand. "What do you think of the show?" an exhibitor would ask me as I trudged back late to the hotel. "I don't know, I haven't seen any of it," I had to reply.

Well, those days are gone. Instead of a pen and notebook you might see us around the show with a camera. Instead of a daily newspaper we'll be putting out a daily video of show highlights. Just click on to our website www.security-installer.co.uk for a direct link. No slaving over a computer while the rest of the industry's out there networking and having fun. Sounds good to me. Hey, at this rate we could stop producing a magazine altogether and just produce a web video … I think I'd better shut up before I talk myself out of a job!

We love to hear readers' success stories - especially those that back up our own theories about how the installation sector is developing. So it was great to hear that one Midlands installer was doing fantastically well in the domestic sector. Just three months ago Defence Security Systems decided to target this uncracked nut and they've been so successful that they've had to take on seven new people and buy six new vans! It just goes to prove (exactly as we said in our in-depth feature on this, coincidentally, three months ago) that those installers who are willing to take on a new challenge in domestic security can really make good .

Those Gardiner Calendar Girls are in our pages again (ok boys, calm down, this time they are fully clothed) and presenting a cheque for nearly £11,000 towards Manchester Childrens' Hospitals . This is a fantastic achievement for a good cause - especially as the weather up in Rochdale is a bit chillier than down here in London. Our hearty congratulations go to all the girls who were brave enough to take part. I hear from Gardiners that one installation company is thinking of doing the same thing. I hesitated to enquire whether it was the girls or the guys? I'm not sure how well "Larry up a ladder" or "Darren with his drill" would appeal to most of our readers, no matter how good the cause!

What with all the press coverage about our World Cup song I suppose it was inevitable that our easily influenced columnist Orson Carte was trying to drum up support for an industry wide security 'band' . I suppose he must be thinking of something along the lines of Bobby Moore's 1970 side or even, God forbid, Keegan & Hoddle back in ‘82. So far all he's come up with are some suggestions for a band name. No doubt you can think of something better. Send your suggestions to ahyder@cmpinformation.com and we'll print the best. Alan Hyder, editor