Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show is all set to kick start its first-ever edition on 6th March 2022, under the patronage of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Founded by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), World Defense Show, set to be held every two years, will accelerate the future of the industry by exhibiting the latest technological developments globally, demonstrating defense interoperability across all major domains, air, land, sea, space and security systems.
Across the four days of the event, high-level delegations from dozens of countries will visit stands and pavilions featuring products and demonstrations from hundreds of global and local exhibitors. The show expects 30,000 visitors.
Ahmad Abdulaziz Al Ohali Governor – GAMI
“The 6th of March will mark an important milestone in the Kingdom’s journey towards localizing 50 percent of its military expenditure by 2030. We have seen overwhelming global interest for participating at World Defense Show’s first edition and we look forward to providing a conducive environment for networking and cross-border partnerships to drive innovation in the industry. There has never been a better time to partner with Saudi Arabia’s defense and security ecosystem as we continue to transform a nascent industry with immense potential. Our doors are open to international manufacturers and service providers who share our vision for technology transfer, talent development and defense industrialization.”
For his part, Mr. Andrew Pearcey, CEO of World Defense Show, said, “World Defense Show is envisioned to be one of the world’s best defense and security events, providing a world-class meeting environment with unprecedented networking programs. The level of international demand is unlike anything we have seen before in the industry and that is testament to Saudi Arabia’s position as a key market for the industry and its vision to support economic growth through developing the defense sector.”
World Defense Show is developed to offer a unique platform for networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the discovery of new innovations. A tailored Meet the Buyer program will host up to 600 meetings, connecting buyers and suppliers, from companies that cover all major areas of the global defense industry.
Another flagship networking program of the show is Meet the KSA Government Program, highlighting opportunities in Saudi Arabia for investors to meet with key local defense players and learn more about the industry’s strategy, objectives, tendering and procurement guidelines as well as partnership requirements.
The event’s dedicated StartUp Zone will host the latest technologies driven by small and medium companies from around the world, playing host to an exclusive networking environment to introduce SME products to industry decision-makers, investors and venture capital firms.
Daily themed panel discussions and keynote presentations will give insights to the audience about the technologies exhibited at World Defense Show. Key Saudi entities that are developing the Kingdom’s industry and the economy will deliver sessions that offer insights into Saudi Arabia’s defense sector transformation.
On International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2022, leading women in defense will gather at a special event to celebrate, promote, and accelerate participation in the defense industry.
The final day of the show will open its doors to 5,000 talented Saudi students from the Kingdom’s best STEM institutions for the Future Talent Program.
