The 15th edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) and the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX) concluded on Thursday with the UAE Armed Forces signing Dhs20.957bn ($5.7 billion) worth of deals.
The five-day event, which commenced on 21 February, witnessed the participation of 900 exhibitors, 59 countries, and 35 international pavilions and 62,445 attendees in the venue. Being one of the first non-virtual global Defence conferences during the pandemic, IDEX and NAVDEX 2021 also saw five states, Azerbaijan, Israel, Luxemburg, Portugal and North Macedonia, participating for the first time. The satisfaction rate of visitors and exhibitors at IDEX and NAVDEX was reviewed at 96 per cent.
The Higher Organising Committee for the exhibitions announced at a press conference that on the closing day of the exhibitions, 20 deals, 15 local and 5 global, worth Dhs904.2M ($246.2 million) were signed. The press conference was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) in the presence of Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee for IDEX and NAVDEX exhibitions, and Major General Staff Pilot Ishaq Saleh Muhammad Al Balushi, Assistant Undersecretary for Industries and Development of Defence Capabilities at the Ministry of Defence, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Committee, and Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and CEO of ADNEC and its group of companies.
"IDEX and NAVDEX drive and enable innovation, in line with the rapid development of the fourth industrial revolution. The success of these exhibitions has been rooted in the stalwart and visionary support of our wise leadership. Their confidence in our ability to host the world, here in Abu Dhabi, has been critical to the wider realisation of this edition," said Major General Staff Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei.
The Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had also visited IDEX and NAVDEX and was briefed by the officials on the latest military and defence systems on display.