SINGAPORE, May 28, 2015 (Antara) -- The 10th edition of IMDEX Asia, Asia Pacific's premier international maritime defence show, concluded on a high on Thursday, 21 May 2015. The quality of attending exhibitors, delegates and visitors as well as discussions bore testament that IMDEX Asia is truly changing the game for the maritime defence industry.
- IMDEX Asia - The Platform of Choice to Tap on Growth Opportunities in Asia Pacific's Maritime Defence Industry
The three-day IMDEX Asia event brought more than 180 participating companies from 28 countries, close to 70 VIP delegations from some 40 countries and a record attendance of over 9,800 trade visitors from 62 countries together, driving collaboration and the creation of new opportunities for the entire industry across the world. Of the trade visitors, 30 percent came from overseas, underscoring the importance of IMDEX Asia as a strategic global platform to network, forge partnerships and foster collaborations.
For the first time, the show welcomed Singapore companies such as Kairos Singapore, Stone Marine, Strategic Marine and Teho International, providing them with exposure to the Asia Pacific maritime defence industry and more importantly, opening up business opportunities that would enable them to springboard their companies into the next chapter of growth.
Together with nine others, these new exhibitors joined close to 70 percent of returning exhibitors to showcase the latest technological advancements including unmanned systems, underwater technology, and vessels suited for littoral waters, reflecting key trends in the Asia Pacific maritime industry.
- Driving Industry Impact Into High Gear
Also for the first time, IMDEX Asia hosted the India Pavilion, organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence, India. While some companies from India have participated in previous editions of IMDEX Asia, this is the first time that they have come together to showcase their nation's best maritime defence technologies. Alongside India were seven other returning country groups from France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Singapore, UK and the U.S., thus underscoring the increasing recognition of IMDEX Asia's impact in the industry.
"For UKTI Defence & Security, IMDEX Asia is one of the most important maritime shows for us not only in the region, but in the world. Participating in IMDEX Asia presents to us many opportunities. We met many high-level delegates and other private sector companies and had good engagements with them. IMDEX Asia is a good business-to-business environment, opening doors to enter into joint ventures with Singaporean companies and also invite others from the region to work with," said Adam Thomas, UK Spokesperson for Defence & Security, UKTI Defence & Security.
On the creation of new business opportunities, Mayaskar Deo Singh, Director from the Defence Exhibition Organisation, organiser of the India Pavilion said, "We have heard good things about IMDEX Asia and many of our companies want to be part of it. With our inaugural participation, we wanted to interact with new companies and explore the quality business opportunities and more importantly, focusing on the Make in India brand. We wanted to leverage on IMDEX Asia to let the world know that India has the capability to make and produce their maritime defence equipment."
A key exhibitor at IMDEX Asia has been Thales, Singapore. On their returning participation, Mr Jean-Noel Stock, CEO / Country Director, Thales, Singapore said, "We have been participating in IMDEX Asia since it began 20 years ago. Our key focus is to always feature our latest products to help navies in Asia improve their operational capabilities. We have always been able to do so at IMDEX Asia because the show allows us to meet potential customers from the region."
- Fostering Critical Dialogues on Pressing Issues
Against a backdrop of the convergence of a multitude of pressing maritime defence issues, the comprehensive strategic and technical conference programme at IMDEX Asia provided a timely forum for IMDEX Asia 2015 delegates to hold crucial high-level discussions.
Many of these centered on the issue of sovereignty, but a recurring theme which delegates highlighted was the more urgent need to collaborate and share information in an effective and secure manner in order to ensure navies in the region are able to work together to combat issues such as piracy.
The 15th edition of the Asia Pacific Submarine Conference (APSC), which was held in conjunction with IMDEX Asia for the first time, brought submarine operating nations and organisations with paramount interests in submarine safety to discuss concerns on submarine survivability, escape and interoperability of rescue assets, with a focus this year on how they can proactively minimise the risk of incidents. The 15th APSC was co-hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy's Fleet Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.
"IMDEX Asia has truly come into its own and has been a game changer for the industry. In the past few days, the show has brought an even more diverse cross-section of stakeholders and exhibitors together at a crucial time when the industry is at the trajectory of growth. The high-level conversations that have taken place at the conferences not only address current maritime defence issues, but have also set the tone for what the future of maritime defence will hold," said Mr Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director, Experia Events.
"It is very encouraging to see that cooperation and creation of opportunities at the industry level and across the navies of the different countries have kicked into high gear, thus paving the way for an even stronger 11th edition that will reinforce IMDEX Asia's status as a key maritime defence industry driver. We are encouraged that close to 70 percent of exhibitors in this year's event have already indicated their interest in coming back for IMDEX Asia in 2017."
IMDEX Asia is organised by Experia Events with the support of the Republic of Singapore Navy, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre and the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The 11th edition of IMDEX Asia will be held from 16 to 18 May 2017.
About IMDEX Asia
Established in 1997, the biennial IMDEX Asia is the premier international maritime defence show in Asia Pacific and beyond. IMDEX Asia comprises an exhibition, strategic conferences, and a warships display. It has gained recognition as the global platform to address pressing issues within the naval and maritime defence industry, showcase the latest naval technologies and connect key players from navies, governments and industry. A must-attend show in the international maritime defence calendar, IMDEX Asia 2015 will be the tenth in the series and will be held from 19 - 21 May.
IMDEX Asia is organised by Experia Events with the support of the Republic of Singapore Navy, the Defence Science and Technology Agency, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre and the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. For more information on IMDEX Asia 2015, please visit www.imdexasia.com.
Contact:
Marilyn Ho
Experia Events Pte Ltd
Director, Communications
Tel: +65 6595 6130
Email: marilynho@experiaevents.com
Lin Kuek
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Tel: +65 6390 3363
Mobile: +65 9336 5080
Email: lin.kuek@hkstrategies.com
Reporter: prwire
Editor: PR Wire
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