The Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) will hold the 11th edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2022 from November 15 to 18 at Karachi Expo Centre, after a four-year gap due to Covid-19.
The last defence exhibition held at the same location was in 2018. As has been the case since the event’s inception in 2000, IDEAS 2022 will feature a variety of spectacular activities, including world-class defence technology demonstrations, international seminars, the IDEAS Karachi Show, networking, and business expansions through Business-to-Business and Business-to-Government engagements.
It will bring together defence industries from around the world to display their most recent technological innovations. A large number of senior civil and military delegations, as well as trade visitors, would attend the event.
During a DEPO briefing here on Saturday, Brigadier Naveed Azam Cheema said it was difficult to hold the mega defence show after the devastation caused by the floods, but the exhibition also benefits Pakistan’s economy. He thanked the GHQ, as well as the federal and provincial governments, for their support of DEPO.
After four years, the 11th edition of IDEAS will begin on Tuesday.
Brig Cheema, who added that such exhibitions have helped Pakistan’s export growth, stated that IDEAS has always been a platform for local and foreign exhibitors to showcase their technological innovations.
"Pakistan’s defence industry will also display and unveil many of its products,” he said, adding that for the first time, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has managed to bring together the local defence industry from Peshawar, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Karachi, and other cities to network and take their leap from IDEAS 2022.
The 10th edition of IDEAS in 2018 had 45 countries exhibiting their products, and that number has increased to 64 this year.
Brig Cheema stated that IDEAS 2022 exceeded all previous milestones in terms of space, booking, exhibitors, and both domestic and international delegates. The Karachi Expo Centre has been fully booked with over 500 exhibitors from Turkey, China, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Far East, with 60% being international and 40% being local. Aside from trade visitors, the exhibition is being attended by over 285 high-level delegates from 64 countries.
Although Russia will not be exhibiting at IDEAS 2022 this year, they will still be represented by a delegation. Meanwhile, new entrants from several European countries, including Austria, Romania, and Hungary, have joined the fray.
"Turkish companies are also growing exponentially all over the world, and this time they have booked two complete halls for showcasing their products, while China has one complete hall,” Brig Cheema said, adding that the Karachi Expo Centre will have nine exhibition halls for IDEAS 2022.
Following a grand opening ceremony on November 15, the first two days of IDEAS 2022 have been set aside for delegations, trade visitors, and networking activities. Other highlights include an international seminar on ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Defense Market: A Paradigm Shift in Military Strategy and National Security,’ at which renowned national and international subject matter experts will present scholarly papers on the topic.
The Ministry of Pakistan Postal Services has also issued a commemorative postal stamp worth Rs20 to commemorate the 11th edition of IDEAS 2022.
Aside from that, the IDEAS 2022 Karachi Show has been planned specifically for Karachi residents on November 17 at the Nishan-i-Pakistan at Seaview.
Ahmed Nawaz Cheema, DIG-Traffic, also briefed the media on the traffic plan and alternative routes to help people during rush hours.
