IDEX 2009 CLOSES ON A POSITIVE NOTE
26 Feb 09. With over 50,000 visitors, 897 exhibitors from 50 countries and 150 official delegations passing through the halls of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the ninth International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2009) came to a record-breaking close today, reiterating its status as the biggest and most important event of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and organised by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) with the support of the UAE Armed Forces GHQ, IDEX 2009 has for the last five days acted to bring together key decision makers from governments, militaries and the defence industry.
Since the official opening ceremony, which was performed in front of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa and members of the Supreme Council and included displays by UAE fighter jets, military vehicles and parachutists, the show has been a tremendous success.
Contracts worth billions of dollars have been signed between firms and governments from a range of countries, while UAE companies have completed a number of lucrative deals with home, regional and overseas forces and enterprises. The total value of contracts signed by the UAE Armed Forces at IDEX this year reached AED 18.4 billion. Some of the latest products to hit the market – particularly those at the high end of innovation – have been given the perfect platform for publicity and commercial success at IDEX 2009.
“Our participation in IDEX was very beneficial as we used it as a platform to meet key decision-makers in the region. Organization of the show was first-rate and we were touched by the welcoming generosity of the UAE people. The overall infrastructure provided for IDEX is one of the most developed among defence shows in the world,” said Garry Third from General Dynamics, Land Systems – Canada, an IDEX exhibitor.
Giovanni Pasqua, Head of Communications and Media Relations at Alenia Aermacchi a Finmeccanica company said: “IDEX provided us a wonderful opportunity to market our products from Finmeccanica and its subsidiaries. A number of important delegations from the region and the UAE visited us. We are very proud to have bagged the contract from the UAE Air Force for our M-346 aircraft.”
Meanwhile, the Gulf Defence Conference (GDC) gave some of the world’s most respected defence experts the opportunity to communicate their views and analysis to a multinational group of high-level delegates as they debated the changes required to face up to contemporary threats.
As part of the event, organised by Jane’s Information Group, security subjects as diverse as life after oil and the dangers of nuclear terrorism were analysed by some of the most distinguished figures in their fields. From the GDC, delegates were able to take away some of the most dynamic, up-to-date thinking for practical use now IDEX 2009 has come to a close.
For five days, some of the world’s most important defence manufacturers and distributors have had direct access to the figures that count in the industry. The expanded space available this time round – the total of 108,000 sq.m is up 49 per cent over 2007’s figure – has allowed much more opportunity for exhibitors to demonstrate their products both inside the exhibition and outside via static displays and live demonstrations.
As the world’s defence community prepares to leave Abu Dhabi after a successful IDEX, plans are already being made for the event’s return in two years’ time. IDEX 2011, the 10th edition of the Middle East North Africa region’s biggest defence show, has already re-booked a number of exhibitors for the next show which will take place 20-24th February 2011.
“Boeing is excited once again to have attended IDEX 2009,” said Jeff Johnson, Vice President of Business Development, Middle East and