The 2026 NY Co-op Expo at the New York Hilton on April 22nd felt different this year, and in a good way.

The room was full, the conversations were serious, and there was a noticeable shift in what people came looking for. Property managers and building owners weren’t just browsing. They were actively trying to solve problems, especially around security, access, and the day-to-day realities of managing buildings in a city like New York.

At Metro Security Experts, Booth #1015 stayed busy throughout the day. We had strong interest leading up to the show, but the level of engagement in person confirmed what we’ve been seeing for a while now. The market is paying attention, and more importantly, it’s ready to act.

What stood out right away was how many buildings are still operating on systems that haven’t meaningfully changed in decades. We spoke with a number of property managers still relying on audio-only intercoms or legacy camera setups that offer little to no real visibility. These systems were built for a different time. They may still function, but they don’t meet today’s expectations for security, accountability, or convenience.

In unmanned lobbies and buildings without a doorman, that gap shows up quickly. Package deliveries, visitor access, and general foot traffic create constant exposure. Without visual verification, it’s still far too easy for someone to gain access simply by saying the right thing over a buzzer. Once inside, there’s little to no record of who they are or why they’re there. That’s not just inefficient, it creates avoidable risk for both residents and ownership.

That’s why the response to the Sprngpod platform was so strong. What resonated wasn’t just the technology itself, but how practical it is. Being able to verify a delivery or visitor in real time, from a phone, with a simple QR interaction, immediately changes the dynamic. It gives control back to the resident or the building without adding complexity. It also directly addresses issues like package theft, misdirected deliveries, and unauthorized access, which nearly every property manager we spoke with has dealt with.

At the same time, there was equally strong interest in the AI slip and fall detection technology from i3 International. This is where the conversation shifts from access to liability. Most owners understand the cost of incidents, but fewer have tools in place to properly document them as they happen. That’s where this technology stands out. It doesn’t just record, it identifies, timestamps, and creates a clear record of events in real time.

For anyone dealing with insurance claims, incident reports, or legal exposure, that kind of documentation matters. It provides clarity where there’s often confusion, and it gives owners and operators something they typically don’t have, which is defensible, reliable evidence.

What was encouraging at this year’s show was the mindset. There were still plenty of outdated systems in place, but there were also a lot of owners and managers asking the right questions. They weren’t just looking for a replacement, they were looking for something that would actually move them forward. Solutions that are scalable, adaptable, and built around how buildings operate today, not how they operated twenty or thirty years ago.

We were also glad to have Ron D’Souza from Sprngpod and George Karolis from i3 International with us at the booth. Having the people behind the technology there to speak directly with attendees added real depth to the conversations and helped move things beyond theory into practical application.

Following the show, we’re already scheduling site visits, remote demonstrations, and system evaluations with a number of properties. That kind of follow-up activity is always a good indicator of whether a show resonated, and this one clearly did.

Looking ahead, our focus remains the same. Continue building relationships with property managers and owners, while also expanding further into the architectural, engineering, and specifying communities. The earlier these technologies are considered in a project, the more effective they become.

The industry is moving, maybe not all at once, but steadily. The gap between what buildings have and what they need is becoming harder to ignore. Events like the Co-op Expo make that clear.

This year’s show wasn’t just well attended. It reflected a market that’s starting to take modernization seriously.

And that’s long overdue.