RIYADH: Following the successful completion of the World Defense Show in Riyadh, some 92 percent of the exhibition space was booked within 120 days for the second edition of the show to be held in February 2024.
This was disclosed at a media briefing on Wednesday at WDS headquarters in the Saudi capital. The first show, organized by the General Authority for Military Industries, saw the signing of military and defense procurement contracts worth SR29.7 billion ($7.92 billion).
Registration for the defense show is now open. According to the data shared by the organizing committee, 81 percent of the exhibitors who took part in the last show lauded the world-class features of the event. Moreover, 86 percent described their experience as either “good or excellent.” As a result of the overall satisfaction, 88 percent of the exhibitors assured they would return to the show in 2024.
During the press conference, WDS officials said 750 exhibitors, 115 global official delegations, 100,000 visitors, and 45 countries will take part in the upcoming show with a display area of 47,000 sq. meters.
According to CEO Andrew Pearcey, the next edition of the show will be bigger, longer in duration, and wider in scope in terms of international participation, exhibition floorspace, and technological content.
“We have introduced a range of important new features, including a space arena, in recognition of the increasingly essential role the domain is playing in future global defense strategies,” he said.
According to a WDS media team member, China’s pavilion will be the largest at the 2024 event followed by that of Turkiye and the US. The UAE’s pavilion will be the fourth biggest during the show. Other large pavilions will include South Korea, Russia, Croatia, Austria, Czech, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Serbia, and Ukraine.
