5-day defence expo to attract big spenders
abu dhabi — More than 100,000 visitors and 1,235 exhibitors are expected to flock to the UAE Capital on Sunday, for the 13th edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2017) and the fourth edition of the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 2017).
The event is expected to include signed deals greater than 2015’s exhibition, which amounted to over Dh18.3 billion.
The 5-day exhibition, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and the Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, will draw a three per cent increase of companies, compared to 2015.
It’s also set to draw several heads of states, defence ministers, chiefs of armies, representatives of diplomatic missions and military attachés from different countries.
Fahad N. Al Thehli, Staff Colonial UAE Navy and the Official Spokesperson for NAVDEX, told Khaleej Times that this year’s exhibition will witness immense success, at the pre-event press conference on Wednesday. “I will not say there is just one special thing to see in the exhibition; it is a surprise and I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” he said.
Staff Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of IDEX 2017 and NAVDEX 2017, highlighted that IDEX has consolidated its status as one of the leading international defence events. “I am confident that this year, IDEX and NAVDEX will be even better than the previous editions, given the overwhelming response they have generated in terms of the number of participants, delegates and defence experts,” he said.
The first day of the events will see live demonstrations by military personnel showcasing the capabilities of the UAE’s cuttingedge defence equipment.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, noted that the number of participating nations has increased to 57 with the addition of 10 new ones this year.