Blog Posts

Electronic Security Expo

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April 26, 2023 ESX

The industry’s leading technical training outlet — training nearly 6,000 technicians and electronic security and life safety professionals each year, will offer complimentary training at the 2023 Electronic Security Expo, June 5-8 in Louisville, KY. 

ESA’s National Training School will bring its “Life Safety Systems – Inspection and Testing” course to ESX on Tuesday, June 6. Veteran instructor Larry Mann will bring 40+ years of experience to the interactive course.

“ESA’s Nartional Training School is excited to be part of ESX again this year, in bringing technical training to the ESX audience. Testing & inspection of fire alarm systems is a perfect topic to bring to ESX as not only is this a code required procedure for fire alarm systems, but it is also a lucrative offering for companies to offer their customers.” Michelle Yungblut, Chief Knowledge Officer at the Electronic Security Assocation 

All systems fail at some point, including properly installed fire alarm systems. Therefore, it’s vital to maintain a regular cycle of inspection and testing to ensure that all parts are working correctly during their operational life. Ensure your systems are working efficiently by training your technicians in the most-up-to-date methods.  

With an extensive background in fire alarm design and layout and fire alarm project management, Larry will teach attendees the correct steps to inspect and test different kinds of fire alarm systems and their relevant components in compliance with codes and standards.  

This ESX workshop will cover:  

  • Regulations 
  • Inspections 
  • Systems Testing 
  • Control Units 
  • Initiating Devices 
  • Supervisory Devices 
  • Interfaced Systems 
  • Notification Appliances 
  • Mass Notification Systems 
  • Household Fire Alarm Systems 

Anyone in the fire alarm business knows these services are a requirement to keep up safety measures and good customer relations. However, not everyone knows that it can also be a great business channel for electronic security providers. Offering top-notch services and consistent relevant communication can help  

All registered attendees are welcome to attend this session, including Executive, Deluxe, Expo Plus and Expo Only pass holders. Register and plan your hotel stay today as deadlines are approaching. 

About Larry Mann 

After 43 active years in the Alarm and Security Industry, including 25 years with Central Station Inc, he has retired, now providing ESA National Training School technical training for access control, CCTV and fire alarm professionals and security dealers. Larry serves the industry through membership on NFPA’s 72 Fire Alarm and Signaling Code and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., Standard Technical Panel 2572 Mass Notification and Emergency Communications, and NICET’s Ambassador program.


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April 26, 2023 ESX

Bring your team to ESX 2023 to access top RMR training led by the industry’s leading professionals. Learn to scale your RMR by leveraging your existing customer base and applying proven commercial sales strategies, uncovering the latest products and services to help you increase RMR. 

RMR is in many ways a structural component of the security and life safety industry. It is critical to understand how to build solid platforms to drive long-term relationships, quality referrals, solid growth, and opportunities to overlay additional complimentary RMR services.  

“Driving higher RMR delivers higher value and provides more solutions to you in your business. In the ever-competitive market, it is more important than ever to understand the basket of new products, technologies, and tips to help in this drive. Together with your active participation, we can have a great discussion about how to bring these topics together for your success.” says Jennifer Doctor, Senior Director of Product Management at Johnson Controls, and ESX RMR Session Speaker. 

Here is some information about this year’s RMR sessions: 

Driving Higher RMR on Every Sale 

Revenues are not all created equal. While having strong margins from installation revenues are vital to the overall health of a security company, RMR proves a more sustainable business practice and superchargers its enterprise value.  

Imagine making continual sales every single month without having to search for new customers every single time. This is the power of recurring revenues, and this is the RMR education that you and your team have been looking for. To create more RMR on every sale, however, requires a thoughtful approach that measures and holds your staff accountable for selling RMR on every sale. 

This RMR education session is specifically designed to help you establish best practices to promote RMR for sales and technical staff, as well as how to develop an overall culture of RMR and determine the right goals to set and measure. The ESA team is excited to see you at this session. 

 

Leveraging Your Existing Customer Base for Sales and RMR Growth 

The single best way to drive more sales and RMR is to leverage your current customer relationships. It seems easy to execute, but if you don’t have a strong sales process that cultivates and engages your existing customer base, it may not generate the desired result. This session has been specifically designed to help electronic security professionals gain the knowledge and strategies necessary to leverage this lucrative opportunity. The session will cover the importance of developing a purpose-driven communications strategy for keeping your customer engagement high, as well as ideas for existing customer compensation programs and sales promotion for people you’ve already done business with. You, your team, and your organization’s stakeholders can benefit from adding or increasing your recurring revenue streams, so don’t miss out.
 

Fear Not – How to Raise Your RMR and Labor Rates without Losing Customers 

Induced by the pandemic and inflation, the cost of running a business is rising as security professionals struggle with supply chain issues and labor shortages. Today, margins are crucial for companies to monitor, as economists debate whether inflation is transitory or more persistent. Hence, it is imperative to assess whether your RMR fees and labor rates are keeping up with the rising costs of doing business. 

In this session, you will learn that price increases are part of a successful business operation and what data you need to assess the true costs of running that business. You will also learn to recognize the right time for raising rates without incurring customer backlash and how to communicate price increases within your organization and customer base.  

“Rate increases can create a great deal of anxiety for dealers. However, with the proper planning, implementation, and a prepared response to potential customer questions, you can alleviate the stress and streamline the process. These are some of the topics I hope to explore more in my education session at ESX.” says Paul Verruto, Sales Manager at Wayne Alarm, and ESX RMR Session Speaker
 

Commercial Sales Strategies that Drive Higher RMR 

Led by a commercial sales veteran who understands the commercial electronic security industry and its specific needs and opportunities, this session will help you establish your brand to encourage prospects and customers to try new products and services. You will learn a collaborative sales approach that initiates a conversation with each end user to uncover their needs and desires. By developing a program that promotes upselling and cross selling, higher RMR will follow. 

It’s imperative for businesses to understand and keep up with the current commercial sales climate in order to continue growing. If you’re interested in improving your sales team and gaining more commercial clients, this session is for you.
 

The Business of Fire Alarms – Part 3: Recurring Revenue Rain Maker 

Significant recurring revenue streams are generated from monitoring, inspections, and maintenance service contracts. With newer codes, updated technology, and cellular signal transmission, RMR gains even more traction as these new opportunities are adopted. 

This session will cover the importance of designing and selling comprehensive post-installation programs; what people, processes, and procedures are necessary to service and maintain fire alarm installations; best practices in service delivery in the field and from the office; and the potential partnerships you should consider along the way to increase your RMR opportunity. 

 

“I am excited to share my insights of how to build a world class managed service program that will increase your RMR substantially. We will be discussing how to build a managed service playbook that includes, a menu of services, contracts, compensation and culture.” says John Nemerofsky, COO at SAGE Integration, and ESX RMR Session Speaker 

Register for an Executive Pass or Deluxe pass to gain access to all RMR courses at ESX this June.


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April 25, 2023 ESX

The ESX Pub Crawl is a great casual way to interact with other professionals in the electronic security and life safety industry. This is where work meets play and industry friendships are formed. The Pub Crawl is open to all pass holders.

The ESX Community is a group of passionate professionals who share, learn and brainstorm each year to elevate their game — both personally and professionally. To create and support this community, ESX focuses on quality engagements and creative ways to encourage interactions and break the ice. It’s time to rethink what an industry event should offer. Stop settling for shallow interactions that leave you lost in a crowd — and join a community of passionate security professionals ready to make a difference.

“Going to the ESX Pub Crawl is a fun and memorable experience, as you get to explore different pubs and bars, try out new drinks, and listen to great music. It’s a terrific way to build relationships, network, and enjoy the company of like-minded people.” says George De Marco, ESX Chairman 

Visit the local Louisville nightlife with industry friends. The ESX Pub Crawl is an exciting opportunity to share experiences, catch up with friends and make new ones in a casual atmosphere. See you there!

STOP 1: 7:30 – 8:30PM

Omni Louisville: The Library Bar and Pin + Proof Speakeasy

400 S 2nd St., Louisville, KY 40202

STOP 2: 8:30 – 9:30PM

The Sports & Social Club

427 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40202

STOP 3: 9:30PM – ??

Howl at the Moon

434 S. 4th St., Louisville, KY 40202


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April 20, 2023 ESX

ESX has recently announced Carolyn Hutsen, a certified coach and trainer with the John Maxwell Leadership Team, as a speaker for the ESX 2023 Executive Leadership Workshops. With over 30 years of experience as a business owner, school district communications director, ministry leader, and non-profit senior manager, Carolyn comes to bring ESX attendees top-notch training in the John Maxwell Method, which she first encountered 15 years ago. When she discovered the program, she was excited to see it already aligned with her personal philosophies, and she naturally pursued the opportunity.

The Art of Influence:  

During this session, Carolyn emphasizes the importance of the Art of Influence and how an individual’s degree of influence affects their daily leadership experiences and interactions. Carolyn will share how to elevate leadership levels, growing and modeling personal and professional leadership.  

The Power of Asking the Right Questions:  

In this session, Carolyn will help attendees learn how to improve connections and, therefore, their teams, as well as develop more efficient ideas to help them manage, grow, and head up their businesses. The goal of this session is to increase productivity for attendees and strengthen their leadership culture and productivity. 

Carolyn’s sessions center around the idea that in business, everything rises and falls on leadership, and the essence of leadership is influence. They cover the 3 key strategies on the art of influence, as well as provide training in how to influence your team by asking the right questions and asking the right questions to find the right answers. The right answers are the key to finding the best solutions to solving your company or team’s business challenges. Through the training, you will also be able to identify what your leadership level of influence is and how to improve it.  

 Additionally, Carolyn will discuss common misconceptions about leadership and influence, outlining 5 myths about leadership and how to destroy them by replacing old thinking with new thinking.

“I am passionate about empowering individuals and teams to embrace their strengths and reach for the stars in the area of personal growth and leadership development. When you desire to explore a new career path or advance your current path, I will provide the tools, coaching strategies, and strong leadership model necessary to help you increase revenue, navigate change, and build strong and dynamic teams.” says Carolyn Hutsen

 


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April 19, 2023 ESX

According to most monitoring centers, over 70% of phone calls go unanswered. Even in today’s modern world, many alarm companies still rely on telephone calls and emails to respond during alarm activations. Therefore, it’s critical that you have top-notch systems and processes in place to handle emergency situations, and that you be able to provide the same for your customers.  

Register for an Executive or Deluxe Pass for ESX 2023, and make plans to attend this session. John Loud, founder of LOUD Security and ESA’s current chairman, will be leading this dynamic, fast-paced session, facilitating some of the industry’s top monitoring center professionals as they present their “elevator pitches” to help you and your team improve communication and customer experience. This group of industry professionals are here to help you maximize all 24/7 monitoring operations effectively and profitably. 

The session will cover:  

  • How to implement the newest monitoring services to improve customer experience and reduce attrition rates, thereby generating your company more RMR.  
  • The most effective ways to connect with customers during an alarm.  
  • The latest monitoring apps and services available to deploy to your customers today.  
  • Various ways that monitoring centers’ automation software saves time and money.  

“Come check out the significant investments and technology advances many of the remarkable monitoring centers have done recently as they showcase this in the Monitoring Shark Tank session,” says John Loud, president of LOUD Security. “You will get to see the BEST and how these investments can help you reduce your attrition with your subscribers.”  

You are guaranteed to leave this session with a deeper understanding of best practices for monitoring processes and next-gen central station procedures, as well as, how to deliver top security and life safety monitoring systems to end-users. Additionally, you will learn how to serve your customers by providing them with all and any necessary support to keep their monitoring systems in tip-top shape.  

Purchase your ESX pass now to attend the Monitoring Smart Tank Education Session at ESX 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. Access world-class knowledge from top industry professionals and network with security leaders.  

All Executive and Deluxe pass holders have access to this and all best practice sharing sessions offered at ESX 2023. Registration prices increase May 26. 

 


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April 5, 2023 ESX

The following is a snippet of ESX 2023’s Keynote Speaker, Jon Acuff’s book, “Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters”. More details about the author can be found by scrolling to the bottom.

Do you dream of escaping the average? Do you want to become awesome and exceptional, but don’t know where to start? 

Here’s a tip: If you want to become awesome, you have to punch fear in the face. 

Fear can alienate you from your dreams. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t let it, but to beat fear, you have to understand how it works. Fear prevents you from chasing your dreams by convincing you that they’re impractical or unattainable. 

But don’t buy into that kind of defeatist thinking. Instead, write down your fears and then exaggerate them ridiculously, to show yourself how silly those fears actually are. 

For example, if you’re afraid that starting a new project will cause you to lose your job and stay unemployed, write that down. And then let yourself go farther. Imagine you’ll end up on the street with a scraggly beard, sleeping on top of garbage bags and talking to stray cats. 

Does that seem likely? Probably not, which is why you need to write it down. That way you can see how illogical your fears really are, and thus prevent them from controlling you. 

Luckily, there’s one more effective way to deal with fear’s mind games: Just start doing whatever you’re scared of. 

You have no control over the eventual result, but that won’t ever change. You’ll never know how things will end up, but at least you can control the outset. If you want to do something, do it! 

For example, consider the Segway. When it was first introduced, people thought it might spark a transportation revolution. And yet, since its launch the Segway hasn’t been such a great success. 

Still, the Segway people deserve respect. They risked failure and pursued their awesome dream of developing weird, two-wheeled electric transporters.

A New York Times Bestselling Author and one of INC’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers, Jon Acuff will take the ESX Main Stage to motivate and inspire. Whether you are driving change, chasing new goals, or re-motivating a team, this ESX Main Stage session will bring the kind of energy and inspiration that sparks your team to action. Join us at ESX 2023 to hear him speak! www.esxweb.com/register


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April 5, 2023 ESX

Early Bird Registration for The Electronic Security Expo (ESX) expires at midnight Friday, April 7. Prices for the event will increase up to $100 per person. Security professionals whose companies are members of the Electronic Security Association will continue to receive discounted rates on every registration. Teams are encouraged to register and teams of five people registering for the same pass get the fifth registrant free.

The event designed by and for electronic security and life safety integrators/dealers will be held June 5-8 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

“ESX is a great place to keep up on new technologies, make connections and reassess your vision and direction for your company.” says George DeMarco, ESX Chairman “Getting plugged in to your industry accelerates your professional development and helps you and your team gain valuable and thoughtful insights. Great networking opportunities are a catalyst for personal growth and business success, giving your organization a better opportunity to attain operational and financial excellence,” De Marco continues 

In addition to the expo experience, dealers, integrators, and monitoring professionals with the Deluxe or Executive Pass will have access to quality education driven by peers and thought leaders with real-world advice. It has been boasted as the strongest educational programming in the industry. Over 80% of ESX 2022 attendees rated the education sessions VERY GOOD or EXCELLENT. The 2023 ESX Education Sessions ESX 2023’s education sessions will be divided into the 4 following tracks: 

  • Sales: Learn to develop your brand and go-to–market strategy to keep the focus on building your RMR. Identify complementary markets, new products and services that will give your sales teams the edge over the competition. Explore new sales management processes that will accelerate sales performance and increase your revenues and RMR. 
  • Operations: Discover best practices that will improve your company’s operational excellence and the customer experience. Explore ways to build efficiencies in installation, service methodologies and human resources. Examine how others are solving today’s most common operations struggles like recruiting and retaining employees, supply chain lags, truck rolls, job safety, training and more. 
  • Management: Learn to implement and manage key performance indicators that help to streamline processes and improve top and bottom-line results. Find ways to build a strong culture that helps you drive transformational leadership and change throughout the organization. Examine emerging trends and leading-edge technologies that will excite your customers’ changing demands and open new markets to evolve your business. 
  • Executive Leadership: These exclusive workshops will provide attendees with access to experts from a variety of fields to offer a deep dive into valuable insights that stretch leaders and unlock new opportunities for growth in their organizational, personal and interpersonal lives. Workshop speakers will cover areas that hone in on building skills to be a better leader, coach, and influencer so that participants can enhance their companies’ success through encouraging innovation and collaboration amongst their teams. This education track is open to ESX Executive Pass holders only. 

In addition to these tracks, education can also be organized into RMR and fire focuses. 

ESX differs from other industry tradeshows as it focuses on quality engagements and creative ways to encourage interactions that break the ice. ESX attendees can expect a diverse blend of networking events that focus on shared experiences that forge lasting connections, including the Opening Celebration, Pub Crawl, and the ESA’s 75th Diamond Jubilee and Weinstock Celebration where security pros will honor the Morris F Weinstock Person of the Year and ESA’s 75th anniversary. 


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March 22, 2023 ESX

The Electronic Security Expo has announced its 2023 Executive Leadership Workshops, led by John Maxwell Leadership. These intensive leadership workshops have been built around NY Times Bestseller John Maxwell’s method for teaching leadership and influence. In business, everything rises and falls on leadership. Executive Leadership Workshops will help you establish a culture of leadership, improve collaboration and relationships — and get your team on a path of growth and development. The Executive Leadership Track will include a networking lunch for security and life safety technology leaders, followed by two workshops: 

The Art of Influence:  

During this session, Carolyn Hutsen emphasizes the importance of the Art of Influence and how an individual’s degree of influence affects their daily leadership experiences and interactions. Carolyn will share how to elevate leadership levels, growing and modeling personal and professional leadership.  

The Power of Asking the Right Questions:  

In this session, Carolyn Hutsen will help attendees learn how to improve connections and, therefore, their teams, as well as develop more efficient ideas to help them manage, grow, and head up their businesses. The goal of this session is to increase productivity for attendees and strengthen their leadership culture and productivity. 

As the saying goes, “It can be lonely at the top.” But it doesn’t have to be. The ESX Executive Leadership Track is an opportunity for connecting, learning, and growing with other C-suite operators and owners of electronic security and life safety companies. 

Motivation, drive, tenacity, and strong communication that trickles down throughout the organization is sparked. The 2023 Executive Leadership Track is an opportunity to collect insight and connections in one intensive afternoon that will enhance and recharge your leadership approach. 

“Great leaders create a positive impact on their people and their organization. Leadership training should not be underestimated, especially since most people don’t have natural leadership characteristics. Carolyn Hutsen is sure to inspire you to hone your leadership skills and encourage your leadership team to become better at decision making, communicating, problem solving, and adaptability.” says George De Marco, ESX Chairman 

For access to the Executive Leadership Workshops along with nearly 30 additional educational sessions, main stage events, food functions, networking/social opportunities, and the expo floor, register for the Executive Pass here – ESXweb.com/register 

 


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March 22, 2023 ESX

The Electronic Security Expo (ESX) has long been known as the premiere event for security owners and executives, who can take advantage of the best education and networking opportunities in the industry. This year, ESX heads to downtown Louisville, KY., from June 5-8 with the education and expo taking place in the Kentucky International Convention Center.  

ESX 2023 launches with the Opening Celebration on Monday, June 5, 2023, and ends with the Closing Keynote at noon on June 8. Owned and operated by ESA, ESX brings together the best and brightest professionals in the electronic security and life safety industry. This event is your opportunity to expose your team to relevant content, interactive formats, and fresh ideas. 

ESX’s educational program delivers best practices and new concepts to help grow your business. Peer-to-peer driven seminars are boasted as the strongest educational opportunities in the market. Bring the team and discover 30 plus sessions that can impact your business. 

ESX offers the best opportunity to gain valuable insight about product and market information and to build connections that will grow and sustain your business for years to come. The educational content will deliver more opportunities than ever to help your team grow in their roles. Plus, as your team grows smarter and more efficient, the positive impact on your company becomes much greater.   

The education and networking programs are designed to provide value for every team member — from owners and senior executives to installation and service professionals, central station operators, sales managers, salespeople, marketing staff, and more.  

Effective teams are built upon shared experiences. The ESX community is a group of passionate professionals who share, learn and brainstorm with each other to elevate their game — both personally and professionally.  

You’ll maximize your return by bringing team members who can divide and conquer the education program and expo floor and as an added incentive, you’ll secure discounted registration rates when you bring four or more people from your company.  

Making an investment in the development of your staff has proven to increase job satisfaction, team morale and employee motivation. Visit www.esxweb.com/register to register your team — register 4 people for the same pass and get the 5th FREE! 


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March 14, 2023 ESX

The Electronic Security Expo features some of the industry’s strongest best practice sharing experiences for electronic security and life safety integrators, dealers, and monitoring stations. Often, business owners bring entire management teams from operations, installation/service, marketing, sales, and executive leaders to gain insight and develop a network of peers nationwide. 

 

 

The education program focuses on tactical, real-world advice for security pros to take back to the office and implement immediately. Plus, with a nationwide footprint, there’s not as much worry about sharing your “secret sauce” with direct competitors. So, whether you’re struggling with incentivizing your sales team to build RMR, reducing truck rolls, M&A advice, or knowing what KPIs to watch to ensure you’re working toward building a strong asset – the 2023 ESX Educational Programming has answers for you. 

If this sounds like “music to your ears” the Deluxe and Executive Passes are right for you.

These two selections will get you access to the educational program, main stage sessions, food functions, networking/social events and the expo floor. Exhibitor-offered training — or Tech Talks —are included in all pass types and focuses on technology specifically. 

 

 

Executive Leadership Pass 

So, what’s the difference between the Executive Leadership and the Deluxe Passes? While the Deluxe Pass grants you full access to our best practice education program (nearly 30 sessions), the Executive Leadership workshops were custom built for your C-level executives. It can be lonely at the top — but this is where the motivation, drive, tenacity, and strong communication that trickles down throughout the organization is sparked. Rather than peer-led advice, these structured sessions are driven by experts.

In 2023, ESX’s Executive Leadership Workshops will feature John Maxwell’s renowned leadership training. These intensive workshops will help you establish a culture of leadership, improve collaboration and relationships — and get your leaders on a path of growth and development. John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times best-selling leadership author, coach, and speaker who has sold over 24 million books in fifty languages. Often called America’s #1 leadership authority, Maxwell was identified as the most popular leadership expert in the world by Inc. magazine. 

The Executive Leadership workshops will be led by Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, Teacher, Trainer and Speaker, Carolyn Hutsen, and will include: The Power of Asking the Right Questions and The Art of Influence. 

The Executive Pass grants you access to everything the Deluxe Pass includes, plus these workshops.

 

Looking to Network & Spark Motivation Instead of Best Practice Sharing? 

You may be interested in ESX’s Expo Plus pass. This pass type grants you access to the expo – to explore technology and meet with vendors/service providers. It also permits you access to the ESX Main Stage. Authors, leadership coaches, industry disruptors and more will take to the Main Stage to spark passion, ignite potential and leave listeners ready to achieve great height! 

employees to operate at a high level of output —these sessions are perfect to equip them with the motivation, inspiration, and grit required to achieve excellence. Inspiring self-confidence in others is a skill. You can equip your leadership team with this ability with exposure to these expert speakers. 

The Expo Plus Pass grants you access to the expo, these Main Stage Sessions and food functions, along with networking and social events (like the ESA 75 Diamond Jubilee, featuring entertainment at the Frasier Museum Speakeasy), access to all expo activities and exhibitor-offered training sessions.

 

 

 

Just Looking to Dip Your Toe? 

Our expo only pass is probably your pass type. This will grant you access to the expo for quality conversations with ESX Exhibitors and Sponsors. As a targeted event, exhibitors are ready to have conversations with you about selling, merchandising, etc. for a more meaningful expo experience. You’ll also have access to our Pub Crawl and Opening Celebration to interact with the ESX Community! 

 

Enhance Your Experience — ESX Bourbon Tour 

At the close of ESX, you can enhance your experience and explore Louisville with the ESX Bourbon Experience. This is an add-on ticket for all registration passes and includes a bourbon tour of Evan Williams Distillery and Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Come bourbon taste with security pros and get a sip of what Louisville’s Bourbon Tour has to offer!