RIYADH: The second edition of the World Defense Show, to be held in Riyadh from February 4 to February 8, 2024, will provide a robust platform to small and medium-sized enterprises and startups to showcase their talent and ideas, CEO K According to the show.
In an interview with Arab News, Andrew Piercy said that the upcoming event will announce Saudi Arabia’s development in this area, as the Kingdom is now one of the biggest spenders in the defense market.
“We are creating a startup zone where all new SMEs, Saudi companies and new companies coming up with technology can come and showcase their products. In the last two days of the show, we will focus on new talents, students going to do, engaging them and showing them what they can expect to make a career in the world of defence,” said Piercy.
The official said that the space sector is also growing rapidly and is becoming a strategic part of the defense industry.
“The new sector that we’re looking at is space. I’m 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 satellites, that connects all of the defense industry in all domains,” Pearcy said.
He added: “Saudi Arabia (is) one of the big spenders in the defense market. And on top of that, the country has a huge energy and development around Vision 2030. So, people know there is business to be done here.” .
According to Pearcy, most innovative ideas in the defense sector usually come from small companies, and the upcoming WDS will provide these companies with a startup zone where they can showcase the technology they develop.
He added: “Often, what happens (that) new players come in with technology and bigger players come in, and help startups with funding. So, it is a good place for SMEs.
However, Piercy did not mention the exact number of SMEs participating in WDS 2024.
He added that the upcoming edition of WDS will have a B2B Connect event where suppliers and buyers can meet and do business with each other.
He further added that the event will also have another event called “KSA: Meet the Government”, which will allow international partners to interact with Saudi officials and engage in the Saudi market.
“We want international (companies) to come, learn about Saudi, and we want Saudis to meet international (companies), and that will be where the show will be,” he said.
During the interaction, Pearcy said that the second edition of WDS will be much bigger than the first edition which will be held in March 2022.
WDS 2022 was a huge success with over 60,000 visitors. (supply)
“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 a rise in the demand for the show. So, in 2024, we go from 35,000 square meters to 47,000 square meters,” Piercy said.
He revealed that 70 percent of exhibit space for the upcoming WDS has already been sold, adding that WDS is targeting 700 exhibitors in 2024, compared to 600 in 2022.
Piercy said the 2024 show would see new participation from countries such as Denmark and Turkey, while countries that were part of the first edition are expected to double their size at the show.
“We are also adding one day to the show. So, we’ve gone from day four to day five. We are seeing huge demand.
WDS CEO further added that the second edition of the show will depict the future technologies in the defense sector, and the event will witness key players in the industry engage in knowledge-sharing and learn more about the defense landscape in Saudi Arabia.
“We hope that all of our exhibitors will bring through their new technologies, and you will see a lot of things like artificial intelligence. Big data is always used throughout the defense industry as well,” he added.