Abu Dhabi: Who would’ve anticipated a live, non-virtual defence show to take place during the Coronavirus pandemic? Yet the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2021) is opening its doors to trade exhibitors and visitors from February 21 to 25 with more than 1,300 vendors as well as five countries participating for the first time.
In its 15th edition, IDEX and its sister event NAVDEX (the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition) are among the first global defence conferences taking place in person during the pandemic.
IDEX and NAVDEX are organized by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, or ADNEC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the General Command of the UAE Armed Forces. Israel, Azerbaijan, Portugal, Luxemburg and North Macedonia are participating for the first time.
According to a statement from organizers, officials at the event will help stop the spread of COVID-19 by using thermal scanners at all entrances, sanitation and disinfection procedures, and disinfectant fogging machines. All visitors and participants will be required to have a negative result for COVID-19 from a polymerase chain reaction test. In addition, social distancing measures and the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandated across facilities.
“ADNEC has implemented the highest levels of strict precautionary and preventive measures to ensure the safety of visitors and participants, in accordance with the highest global health and safety standards, with a wide raft of precautionary measures being implemented across IDEX and NAVDEX. At ADNEC, we are proud of the arrangements which we have put in place to enable visitor attendance to IDEX and NAVDEX 2021 while protecting the safety of visitors at the event,” said Saeed Al Mansoori, the executive director of Capital Events, a subsidiary of ADNEC.
“The participation of the Israeli pavilion in IDEX and NAVDEX 2021 showcases how these strategic exhibitions are at the forefront of the wider region’s peacekeeping efforts, and how IDEX and NAVDEX act as a cornerstone of the Middle East’s broader defence strategy,” Al Mansoori said.
He said Israeli pavilion will feature a range of technology and innovation to Abu Dhabi that will foster the transfer of knowledge to local teams and build bridges toward intra-regional collaboration. “We look to foster innovation and collaborate between our two nations, and we are very much looking forward to this during the event,” he said.
