ISC West 2026: What If the Louvre Had Verkada?
ISC West 2026 was a milestone moment for Verkada. Last year, our escape room stole the show, drawing thousands of attendees into a hands-on investigation against the clock. So this year, we asked ourselves: how do we go bigger?
The answer: transport the entire audience to Paris for three days by building our booth around the biggest art heist of 2025. When the crown jewels were stolen from the Louvre in 2025, it underscored the urgent need for better security technology. That real-world event was the inspiration for our booth at ISC West.
In the middle of the convention floor, we built a replica of the Louvre – complete with an ornate stone façade, tall arched windows, and art on display – and throughout the event, thousands of security professionals stepped into Paris to solve the heist with the help of Verkada technology.
Solving the Louvre Heist* with AI
More than 3,000 attendees participated in our main activation over three days, with a line wrapping around the booth from open to close. The premise of the story: the Louvre’s crown jewels had just been stolen, and attendees were tasked with cracking the case with Verkada’s latest AI tools.
After checking in with Verkada Guest as the museum’s new security investigators, attendees were guided to an experience room inside where they jumped into the investigation.
Faster investigations with AI
Armed with minimal clues including the incident date and a high-level description of the suspect, attendees used AI-powered search and unified timeline to reconstruct the sequence of events in seconds – turning what could have been hours of manual scrubbing into a matter of clicks. Attendees then traced the suspect to the getaway vehicle and got a close-up of the license plate thanks to a Verkada security trailer in Sentry Mode. This demonstrated how our AI-powered products would have helped crack the case in record time.
Proactive protection with Verkada Alarms
Once the investigation concluded, we gave our participants the “recovered” crown so they could return it to the display case. Attendees used their biometric credentials (ingested via Guest check-in) to open the display case and put the treasure back in. They then armed the case using Verkada Alarms, so any subsequent theft attempt would immediately trigger a response.
A live demo of AI-powered unified timeline
By the time attendees completed the activation, the Verkada cameras in and around the booth had already captured their journey from the check-in queue to the experience room. With a single click, attendees were able to visualize their entire visit on a single, map-based timeline. This made the power of Verkada AI immediately tangible.
The AI Gallery: Use Cases Beyond Security
To conclude their hypothetical Louvre visit, attendees walked through the AI Gallery – a collection of digital displays showing Verkada AI use cases beyond investigations. From slip-and-fall claim protection to live intercom translation, we demonstrated how Verkada can drive ROI by improving safety and operations. Over the past year alone, Verkada has released 174 AI and product updates, and the AI Gallery gave attendees a clear view of where that investment is going.
Also on display was the NVR, a memorial for what used to be the backbone of video security. It was a tribute to the end of an era and a statement of where modern physical security is headed.
An Integrated and Open Platform
Across our booth, demo stations showcased how users can operate their entire Verkada portfolio in Command, our unified cloud-based management platform.
We also demonstrated the platform’s openness and flexibility, a recurring theme throughout ISC West. Our Command Connector demo station illustrated live interoperability with third-party cameras — enabling organizations to leverage Verkada AI regardless of their hardware infrastructure. With Command Connector, over 1,000 third-party camera models can be brought into our cloud-based platform, removing a critical barrier to AI adoption and cloud migration.
AI Deterrence Photo Booth
Last but not least, our AI deterrence photo booth was a fun way for attendees to experience Verkada’s real-time response capabilities with a Parisian twist. Attendees selected a French-themed prop, posed in front of a camera, and received a personalized, AI-generated message. The technology behind the demo is exactly what powers the AI deterrence feature in Verkada Alarms, which can deter unwanted activity with talk-down messages that incorporate scene context.
Looking Ahead
As we reflect on our incredible week at ISC West, we’re more excited than ever about the future of physical security. Conversations across the show floor reinforced what we hear from customers every day: cloud-native platforms are the foundation needed to deliver AI at enterprise scale.
We're grateful to every customer, partner, and attendee who engaged with us this year. Your feedback, questions, and product conversations directly inform what we build. We can't wait to see you at the next industry conference, or at our upcoming in-person or digital events.
*As of the date of publication, Verkada has no affiliation or endorsement with Musée du Louvre. References to the Louvre and 2025 Louvre Heist event are imaginative hypotheticals; Verkada does not purport to have assisted with Louvre Museum investigations at any point.
