Idex 2009, scheduled for February 22-26 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), has so far received confirmation from 33 country pavilions.
Idex, the international defence exhibition and conference, is the biggest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa and enjoys the patronage of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
 “We are pleased to have received confirmation that Portugal and Pakistan will have pavilions at next year’s Idex. This is the very first time Portugal will have a dedicated pavilion at Idex and we are encouraged to note that the show, now in its ninth edition, continues to draw strong interest from the global defence industry,” said Mohamed Al Mashgouni, Idex 2009 director.
The Pakistan pavilion at Idex will be organised by the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (Depo) whereas EID (Empresa Investigacao Desenvolvimento Electronica) from Portugal will manage that country’s participation.
Other confirmed country pavilions at Idex 2009 include the US, the UK, Germany, France, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Russia, Korea, Australia, Austria, China, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, The Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and the Ukraine. Hong Kong has also confirmed a pavilion.
Idex 2009 is poised to take up all 12 halls at Adnec’s 55,000 sq m venue. Thales, Sagem, Boeing, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Kamas Incorporated and Denel are among the top international defence firms who have confirmed their presence.
Several exhibitors from the region including the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) of Jordan and Advanced Electronics Company of Saudi Arabia are also participating.
Mubadala, Offset Group, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, International Golden Group (IGG), Al Masaood, Bin Jabr and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry rank among the top local exhibitors at the event.
The previous edition of Idex in 2007 featured 862 exhibitors, 143 official delegations from 50 countries and 27 national pavilions. The show attracted 29 mobility displays from 10 countries. Contracts worth more than $545 million (Dh2 billion) were announced at the show including $380 million worth of deals signed by the UAE Armed Forces.
The Idex 2009 team continues its international promotion programme for the show and will participate in the African Aerospace & Defence Expo ’08, Cape Town, South Africa, 17-21 September 2008.