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- The event in Riyadh to help new entrants showcase their products, CEO tells Arab News
RIYADH: The second edition of the World Defense Show, scheduled from Feb. 4 to Feb. 8, 2024, in Riyadh will provide a strong platform for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups to showcase their talent and ideas, according to the CEO of the show.
In an interview with Arab News, Andrew Pearcey said that the upcoming event will proclaim the growth of Saudi Arabia in the sector, as the Kingdom is now one of the biggest spenders in the defense market.
“We are doing a startup zone where all of the new SMEs, Saudi companies, and the new upcoming companies with technology can come and demonstrate their products. In the last two days of the show, we are going to be focussed on new talents, students, getting them in, and showing what they can expect to get a career in the world of defense,” said Pearcey.
The official said the space sector is also growing fast and turning out to be strategic part of the defense industry.
“The new sector that we are looking at is space. I get particularly excited about the space sector. People talk about the future. Space is the future. It covers everything. So, space is one of those things, with the satellites, that connect all of the defense industry across all of the domains,” Pearcey noted.
He added: “Saudi Arabia (is) one of the big spenders in the defense market. And on top of that, there’s a huge energy in the country and growth around Vision 2030. So, people know that there’s business to be done here.”
According to Pearcey, most of the innovative ideas in the defense sector usually come from smaller companies, and the upcoming WDS will provide these companies space in the startup zone where they can showcase the technology they developed.
He said: “Very often, what happens is (that) new players come up with technology and the big players will come in, and help the startups with the funding. So, it is a good place for SMEs.”
Pearcey, however, did not mention the exact number of SMEs that will be participating in WDS 2024.
He added that the upcoming edition of WDS will have a B2B Connect program where suppliers and buyers can meet each other and can do business.
He further noted that the event will also have another program named “KSA: Meet the government,” which will allow international partners to interact with Saudi officials and get involved in the Saudi market.
“We want the international (companies) to come, learn about Saudi, and we want Saudis to meet the international (firms), and that is where the show will be,” he said.
During the talk, Pearcy noted that the second edition of the WDS will be much bigger than the first edition which was organized in March 2022.
WDS 2022 was a huge success with over 60,000 visitors. (Supplied)
“WDS 2022 was a huge success. We had 60,000 visitors, 600 exhibitors, and positive feedback from the industry. And as a result of that, we have seen demand for the show grow. So, in 2024, we have gone from 35,000 sq. m to 47,000 sq. m,” said Pearcey.
He revealed that 70 percent of the exhibition space for the upcoming WDS has already been sold, adding that WDS is targeting 700 exhibitors in 2024, compared to 600 in 2022.
Pearcey added that the show in 2024 will witness new participation from countries like Denmark and Turkiye, while countries who were part of the first edition are expected to double their size in the show.
“We are adding a day to the show as well. So, we have gone from four days to five days. We are seeing big demand,” he noted.
The WDS CEO went on to say that the second edition of the show will portray futuristic technologies in the defense sector, and the event will witness major players in the industry getting involved in knowledge-sharing and learning more about the defense landscape in Saudi Arabia.
“We hope all our exhibitors bring through their new technologies, and you will see lots of things such as artificial intelligence coming through. Big data is always used as well throughout the defense industry,” he further said.