The GDPR is currently among the top concerns for marketers at organizations across all industries. As technology continues to advance, data breaches are inevitable, so more and more security measures will be put in place in the effort to keep personal data safe.

Event marketers who may not have technology backgrounds still need to know the many aspects of digital and data security that should be considered both internally and in their organizations’ contracts with suppliers, vendors, and partners. However, figuring out where to start and exactly how data security and related regulations apply to events can be challenging in its own right.

To help with this education, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) has released a new guide titled “Personally Identifiable Information – Data Security.”

Written for the non-technical reader, the 17-page document provides a thorough overview of various aspects and considerations regarding PII.

David DuBois, IAEE president and CEO, believes that data handling should be a high-level priority for all organizations that organize events and exhibitions. But it’s not an easy task. 

“Understanding the importance of PII and the many considerations in securing the safety of your organization’s systems is complex,” said DuBois.

The paper covers a broad range of useful information. Perhaps of most specific interest to event professionals is the review of considerations for an event onsite environment.

Resulting from the collaborative work of the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) subcommittee within the IAEE Technologies Committee, the guide presents the information in manageable topic sections:

• Types of Data and Categorization

• Governance and Training

• Data Ownership

• Identity Access and Management

• Integrations

• Data in Motion

• Data at Rest

• Internal Security Controls

• Onsite Considerations

 “To everyone but the most experienced security professional, cybersecurity seems like the Wild West cloaked in a unique language of its own,” said Brian Scott, IAEE Technologies Subcommittee – PII data security chairperson and CIO of Experient.

He continued, “With the critical nature of these risks, it’s important that every professional have at least a cursory understanding of the concepts included under the wide umbrella of information security. To help IAEE members understand these concepts, I was pleased to lead a subcommittee of the Technologies Committee to consolidate and explain the basic fundamentals of data security.”

As a service to the exhibitions and events industry, IAEE is making this report available free of charge.

Download “Personally Identifiable Information – Data Security” from the IAEE website HERE