The 2013 edition of International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) has won the “Best Exhibition - Trade or Consumer” award at the sixth annual Middle East Event Awards held on Wednesday, 22 May 2013. The award show, which was held at Dubai's JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, recognised outstanding achievements of the Middle East's event industry.

“We are delighted to win the Best Exhibition award at such a high profile event. We won this award for our forward thinking and innovative strategy to position IDEX as the world’s leading defence exhibition. We are humbled by this recognition understanding the outstanding achievements of our fellow nominees. As the largest joint defence exhibition in the MENA region, IDEX is continually focused on enhancing its international profile and we are proud to be recognised for our efforts,” said Saleh Al Marzooqi, IDEX Director.

Two decades since its inception, IDEX has expanded vastly. The much larger central IDEX exhibition now takes place alongside NAVDEX, a maritime defence exhibition and the Gulf Defence Conference a major military conference in the region. Together, these comprise a compelling event which brings the world’s defence industry to Abu Dhabi every two years.

The Middle East Event Awards provides a platform for suppliers and service providers to meet with events industry professionals from across the region.

First held in 1993, IDEX (International Defence Exhibition & Conference) is the largest joint defence exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. IDEX takes place biennially under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and is organised by ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company) in association with the UAE Armed Forces GHQ.