Saudi Arabia's World Defense Show, which launched in March 2022, has announced on Tuesday that the next edition will take place from Feb. 4 – 8, 2024. The inaugural edition saw more than 600 exhibitors and over 65,000 visits throughout the four-day event in Riyadh. The show, which had resulted in clinching deals and announcements worth SR29.7 billion ($7.9 billion), witnessed an unprecedented demand from the local and global defense market. Independent survey results revealed that 88 percent of attendees are highly likely to return to Riyadh for the 2024 edition. Overall, 95 percent of visitors rated exhibitor quality between 'good' and 'excellent' as organizers confirmed 30 percent of exhibition space has already been re-booked by major industry players highly keen to exhibit at World Defense Show 2024. As part of the enhancement initiatives to address the high demand, WDS organizers are reviewing potential expansion plans to include a third exhibition hall offering participants additional exhibition space, to complement the two existing main halls. Moreover, WDS is set to grow from a four-day trade event to five days, accommodating opportunities for a broader variety of industry professionals to discover the world of defense. Chief Executive Officer of World Defense Show Andrew Pearcey, said: "The incredible feedback we received from the industry, following the success of our first edition, has propelled us to continue growing and enhancing the offering of the show. We strive to serve and satisfy the industry's needs, so it is crucial that we work alongside all our partners to ensure we continue to evolve all areas of the show." Major global players including defense giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics and John Cockerill Defense were amongst those who participated in 2022, signing major deals with local companies. Many key local manufacturers the likes of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), Science Technologies, NCMS, Wahaj, governmental entities, and up-and-coming local industry players, exhibited at the show as well. The World Defense Show's flagship defense event founded by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), focuses on military interoperability across air, land, sea, security and satellite defense systems. The biennial event enables the industry to keep pace with developments across defense and technology. By connecting key defense contacts, primes, SMEs, and buyers, World Defense Show has laid the foundation to advance the defense industry, showcase future technologies and address the challenges presented via defense systems integration. — SG
