The 9th edition of Milipol Qatar (8-10 October 2012), the international exhibition on internal State security, is turning out to be as energetic and full of vitality as the country hosting it.

With few weeks to go until this year’s event is inaugurated on October 8, the organizers of Milipol Qatar have announced that the number of exhibitors is already 8% up on the 2010 edition. This figure will no doubt be even better as the final confirmations roll in.

There are not only more exhibitors, but they are also showing their products and technology over a larger space.

As of 1st September 2012, 239 exhibitors had already confirmed their presence and reserved 5,263 square meters of floor space – 18% more than Milipol Qatar 2010.

34 countries are represented to date, many of which are new to Milipol Qatar like Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, South Korea, Egypt, Jordan, New-Zealand, Oman and Pakistan.

Several countries are to exhibit in pavilions, the largest of which will be from France which will act as an umbrella for 41 companies.

There will also be a number of new national pavilions, such as Brazil, United Arab Emirates (the second largest pavilion after France), Jordan and Pakistan. Abimde, the Brazilian Association for Defense and Security Material Industries, which comprises 170 Brazilian firms generating 25,000 jobs, will exhibit again. Its members are banking on long term investment in the defense and security sectors of $120 billion. They expect to double their number of jobs, taking their annual exports from $1.7 billion to $4 billion by 2020. Brazil’s increasing needs for security contribute to this growth: protecting the vast country’s thousands of kilometers of borders and its gigantic maritime oil reserves, as well as providing security for the Football World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.

Some of the new companies exhibiting at Milipol Qatar this year are from Jordan (KADDB, an independent government entity within the Jordan Armed Forces that aims to be the globally preferred partner in designing and developing defense products and security solutions in the region), Austria (Siemens Communication Media & Technology), Japan (Nec Corporation), United Arab Emirates (Tawazun Holding, a strategic investment holding company focused on defense and specialized manufacturing) and Turkey (Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi, a leading player in the international defense market, not only serving Turkish Armed Forces, but also exporting to more than 40 countries).