Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) announced the return of Tawazun Holding, the industrial and commercial investment company of the Offset Program Bureau in the UAE, as the Headline Sponsor for IDEX 2011.
The headline sponsorship also extends to NAVDEX, a dedicated naval defence exhibition, whose debut edition will be held in parallel with IDEX next year. Both IDEX (International Defence Exhibition & Conference) and NAVDEX (Naval Defence Exhibition) will be held 20-24 February 2011 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
“We are delighted to welcome the return of Tawazun as Headline Sponsor. As the leading defence and security show for the Middle East North Africa region, the ongoing support from leading local companies such as Tawazun, has been critical to the long running success of IDEX.  We look forward to working in partnership with Tawazun on the upcoming 10th IDEX anniversary, and, to delivering yet another successful show that further augments IDEX’s stature in the global defence industry,” said His Excellency Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director, ADNEC and Vice Chairman of the IDEX 2011 Higher Committee.
Established in 2007 under the umbrella of the UAE Offset Program Bureau, Tawazun leads investments that are focused on the development and expansion of emerging industries by creating viable strategic local and international partnerships that add value to the UAE economy and its diversification plans.  
Tawazun’s investment strategy drives change within the marketplace and supports emerging companies by targeting investment of counter-traded benefits gained through the defence offset program of the UAE. The offset program requires the exporting country to transfer defence core technologies and component parts to the UAE as part of any large defence procurement contract for the export of arms, equipment and related services.
 “Tawazun sees itself at the heart of the defence industry and an integral part of the drive to modernise the armed forces of the UAE. We are committed to improving capabilities by leveraging knowledge and technology and ensuring that our investment efforts support the economic growth plans of the UAE government,” said His Excellency Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chief Executive officer of Tawazun.
Saif Ali Al Marzooqi, Tawazun’s Marketing Communication & Branding Manager stated: “IDEX 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the event and we are pleased to be a major part of this historic occasion. Following the successful return on our investment during IDEX 2009, we are determined to use IDEX 2011 and NAVDEX as a platform to showcase the existing and future projects of Tawazun and its subsidiaries, to both current and potential partners and clients for the ongoing economic and social benefit of the UAE.”


 
IDEX has been held biennially since 1993. In 2009, the show attracted close to 900 exhibitors from 50 nations and saw record visitor numbers in excess of 50,000.
“Besides ongoing defence procurement programmes, regional governments have recently taken concrete steps to build local defence manufacturing capabilities. This has provided further impetus to IDEX,” said Mohamed Al Mashgouni, IDEX 2011 Show Director.
Organized by ADNEC in association with the UAE Armed Forces GHQ at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, IDEX 2011 and NAVDEX will showcase defence equipment services for land, sea and airborne systems and attract national and international delegations, procurement officials, industry analysts, military strategists as well as the world’s leading defence contractors. The 2011 show has been expanded to include new country pavilions.
Measuring more than 1,500 sq.m. the Tawazun Pavilion at IDEX will be located in the ADNEC Atrium and showcase the company’s subsidiaries including: Caracal International; Merkel; Burkan Munitions Systems LLC; Emirates Precision Industries; Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments; as well as Caracal and Al Ain shooting clubs. Tawazun also recently announced that it has established the Emirate’s first arms ammunition factory with the help of a major global weapons producer that will supply products to the UAE armed forces.