Sure-fire success

Günter Endres

The President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will today inaugurate the eighth International Defence Exhibition, against the background of impressive growth, new management and a state-of the art exhibition centre built in record time.

This step-change in one of the world’s biggest defence shows has been made possible by the strategic vision of the Government and the continued success of this showcase for the Arab world.

Compared with two years ago, IDEX has grown by more than a third and is playing host to almost 900 exhibitors from some 50 countries – with 33 national pavilions providing an umbrella for the diversity of companies of all sizes from each country. The number of official delegations is also expected to exceed previous records.

These notable figures reflect ongoing spending on defence products by governments throughout the Middle East, with border security having taken on increased importance.

With instability in parts of the region showing no signs of abating, this momentum is likely to be maintained. Visitors to the next IDEX, which will take place between 22 and 26 February 2009, may well see the new exhibition centre expanded still further.