DSEI
History:
Between
1976 and 1991, the British Army
Equipment Exhibition and the Royal
Navy Equipment Exhibition were
held on alternate years in Aldershot
and Portsmouth respectively. Overseas
delegations attended by invitation
only, but those invited often
included governments with such
poor human rights records as Indonesia
and Chile. Despite having been
at war with Iran for almost six
years, a five-strong delegation
from Iraq attended in 1986.
In
1993 the two exhibitions were
combined and held every other
year until the British government
decided to privatise the exhibition.
Exhibitions company Spearhead
launched the first DSEi in 1999
at Chertsey in Surrey. In 2001
it moved to its current location
at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre
in London Docklands.
DSEI,
one of the the world’s largest
fully integrated defence and security
exhibition, bringing together
senior international trade and
military experts from across the
entire supply chain in an optimal
business environment.
DSEI
2007:
DSEi
2007 spanned 32,000m² and
offered 1352 exhibitors access
to over 26,000 visitors. 2009
is set to be even bigger which
means that DSEi is now a must-attend
event on the international defence
and security calendar.
Almost
25,700 individual attendees streamed
through the doors of ExCeL in
London’s Docklands between
11 and 14 September 2007 to see
what 1,352 exhibitors occupying
34,000 sq metres of stand space
were showcasing at DSEi 2007.
Most attendees visited the show
on more than one day with a total
of 46,987 visits recorded.
Delegations
from 49 countries as well as representatives
of the United Nations attended
this year’s event. Visiting
countries were: Algeria, Australia,
Austria, Bahrain, Botswana, Brunei,
Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China
(PRC), Colombia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan,
Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Libya,
Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,
Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania,
Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovak
Republic, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Turkey, Trinidad &
Tobago, UAE, USA and Vietnam.
In
2007, the number of participating
nations increased to 37 countries
with Bulgaria, Lithuania, Pakistan,
Russia and Turkey all taking national
pavilions for the first time.
Other long-term exhibitors, such
as the United States had increased
the size of their pavilions.
The
whole spectrum of the defence
industry - from global prime contractors
to small specialist suppliers
– was represented and many
companies enjoyed successful product
launches and contract signings.
DSEI 2007 also reflected an increased
level of resource and innovation
being channeled into humanitarian
applications such as mine detection
and demining equipment (112 exhibiting
companies), medical, MEDEVAC and
air ambulance products (76 companies),
Search and Rescue capabilities
(73 companies) and disaster planning
(36 companies).
Defence
and security is one of the largest
industry sectors in the world
economy. In the UK alone there
are some 9000 companies connected
with the sector which directly
supports around 100,000 jobs and
generates export sales orders
averaging £5 billion a year.
The
industry is becoming increasingly
international in nature as companies
and countries seek to cooperate
in research, development, procurement
and purchasing.
Whilst
military systems and technology
are at the core of the industry,
the sector is also diversifying
and adapting to meet the changing
needs of the world. Security can
be threatened by humanitarian
disasters resulting in mass displacement
of people or food and water shortages,
terrorism or pandemic which can
cause devastation in a similar
manner to military engagement.
It
is essential for the right senior
decision makers and technical
experts to come together. It is
in thisdynamic environment that
Clarion Events’ portfolio
of defence and security events
are acknowledged as the world’s
leaders where high level government
officials and senior military
personnel meet with leading global
equipment and services providers
to share ideas, discuss industry
developments, conduct business,
develop partnerships and network
for future growth.
