The Adria Security Summit 2026 will host a session titled “Critical Communication for Smart Cities and Critical Infrastructure,” presented by Andreas Hrdlicka, Group COO of Commend CEE Group.
Taking place on October 7 and 8, 2026, at Zagreb Fair in Zagreb, Croatia, the Adria Security Summit will bring together security professionals, technology providers, system integrators, institutional representatives, and end users from across Southeast Europe and beyond.
“Communication is often treated as something that is simply there in the background,” said Hrdlicka. “In reality, it is a tool that helps run a city, an organization, or a piece of critical infrastructure well, in a crisis just as much as in daily operations. Very few people have made that connection so far, and that is exactly the awareness this session is meant to build.“
As urban environments become more connected and infrastructure more dependent on digital systems, Hrdlicka’s session will look at what communication can deliver once it is connected with other systems, well beyond plain voice exchange. Many organizations are not yet using these benefits operationally, even though doing so can become a significant advantage, from faster emergency response to tighter coordination between teams and continuity across complex operational environments.
Andreas Hrdlicka is Group COO of the Commend CEE Group, one of the leading providers of intelligent communication and security solutions. Since joining Commend in 2015 as Sales Director CEE, he has built up new markets across Central and Eastern Europe and led the group’s international B2B business before taking over operational responsibility for the group in 2023. With nearly two decades in international sales and business development, and an earlier background in communication and intelligent video technologies at Frequentis and STRABAG, he brings a strong technical foundation to the role. Originally trained in technical physics, he combines this foundation with a strategic, market-driven perspective on where critical communication is heading.
The presentation is part of the Adria Security Summit conference program, which brings together regional and international experts to discuss the technologies, strategies, and operational challenges shaping the future of security and critical infrastructure.
For more information and registration, visit our official agenda: https://adriasecuritysummit.com/agenda