As industry professionals prepare to gather for Transport Security Expo, there can be no doubt whatsoever that they continue to face major challenges in meeting the threat posed by international terrorism. A decade on from the horror wrought on the United States of America by the 9/11 suicide attacks, industry security specialists continue to battle an adversary which is both nimble and inventive. As the anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington DC has come and gone, no peace dividend is in sight yet, given acts of terrorism continue to be seen within the transport arena.

Transport Security Expo brings the leading thinkers from government, military, law enforcement, industry and academia together annually in London, to examine the threats faced presently and in the immediate future. Supported by one of the most extensive and unique exhibitions of transport specific security technology and a highly specialised workshop programme, Transport Security Expo's world beating conference programme brings both clarity and focus to the key issues faced and delivers a forum in which solutions may be found.

Aviation, without doubt, remains the target of choice. Planned and instigated by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), within the past two years, we have witnessed their ability to get viable Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) aboard passenger and cargo flights, despite the security controls we have in place. Maritime continues to be plagued by acts of piracy, particularly in the Arabian Sea, Somali Basin and Indian Ocean region and despite a strong EU Navfor naval presence intended to protect merchant vessels. A new report suggests that piracy in this region costs the international community up to $8.3bn (£5.1bn) a year. Somali pirates presently hold 23 vessels and 530 hostages. Mass transit security remains a perennial problem with no easy answers. Terrorist strikes in Madrid and London demonstrated graphically that more needs to be done to protect those who use our mass transit networks, but the debate continues as to how such transport networks can be secured without bringing them to a grinding halt.

Transport Security Expo will hone in on these three key areas during the two-day event. Dedicated conferences in the Aviation Security, Maritime Security and Counter Piracy and Securing and Protecting Public Transport Systems arenas, will examine the primary issues in minute detail, outline the problems which must still be overcome and deliver direction as the respective sectors move forward in addressing the threats faced by each transportation sector.

An extensive programme of highly specialised workshops designed to give detailed insight into the application of technology in the transport security environment delivers both detailed knowledge and added value. Thirty free to attend workshops focus on key areas including passenger security and facilitation, perimeter security and intrusion detection, airfreight and cargo security and airside and landside terminal security amongst other topics.

Emphasising that the threat from international terrorism remains as potent today as it has been over the past decade, Transport Security Expo's dedicated exhibition of related technologies remains world beating. Key exhibitors include Smiths Detection, Rapiscan, Seimens, Honeywell, AS&E, ADT and a vast number of others.

A decade on from the events of 9/11, with this industry having taken the brunt of attacks in the intervening years and with no end in sight to terrorists and criminal groups targeting the aviation, maritime and mass transit sectors, Transport Security Expo remains the principal calendar event for those security professionals addressing the threats faced head on.

Transport Security Expo will next be held 13-14 September 2011 at the Olympia Exhibition & Conference Centre in London.