The “IDEF International Defence
Industry Fairs” serve as gate opening
to the world for the Turkish defence
industry. These fairs have been organised
in odd years in Ankara since 1993.
TAFF has the responsibility for organising
the fairs under the auspices and
support of the ministry of national
defence in accordance with the 1992
decision of the TAFF board of trustees.
TAFF exercises this entitlement to
organise IDEF fairs granted to it by the
TAFF board of trustees pursuant to
“clause 5”of the document titled as “the
procedures and principles for organising
domestic fairs” of the board of
directors of the Turkish Union of
Chambers and Commodity Exchanges
(TOBB). The said “clause 5” mentions:
“national and international defence
industry and special military aviation
fairs can be organised by companies
holding a certificate of authority to
organise domestic fairs, under the
responsibility of the Turkish armed
forces foundation and under the auspices
and support of the ministry of
national defence”.
TAFF has successfully held eight IDEF
fairs between 1993 and 2007. Thanks
to the traditional structure established
in the period of these eight fairs, the
IDEF international defence industry
fairs have become a world-wide known
defence industry brand of turkey and
the biggest fair in Eurasia.
We, as TAFF, aim to maintain and
carry forward the dimension, importance
and function of IDEF as one of
the three most distinctive defence
industry fairs in the world and thus
contribute to the prestige and promotion
of Turkey in the world.
It is worth mentioning IDEF-2007
data to perceptibly show the level of
success attained.
- Leased space area rose from 14.750
m2 in IDEF-2005 fair to 19.000
m2 in IDEF-2007.
- The number of participating companies
rose from 431 in IDEF-2005
to 494 in IDEF-2007, out of which
298 were local and 133 were foreing
companies and 161 were local
and 333 were foreign from 48
countries in IDEF-2005 and IDEF-
2007, respectively. Seven countries
sent the highest number of
companies. These were: Germany,
US, UK, France, Italy, Korea, and
Israel.
- His Excellency Vecdi Gönül,
Minister of National Defence, has
invited 83 countries and 3 international
organisations to IDEF-2007
fair. 264 delegates from 47 countries
and 2 international organisations
have attended the fair.
- 10 ministers for defence, 4 chiefs of
general staff, 5 deputy chiefs of
general staff, 2 commanders in
chief of armed forces, 6 assistant
ministers, 7 undersecretaries, 8
assistant commanders in chief of
armed forces, and 2 assistant
undersecretaries were among the
top-level delegations in the fair.
- In the fair area, there have been
meeting offices to provide opportunity
for companies and guests to
meet top-rank military and civil
needs and supply authorities and
foreign delegations. A total of 595
meetings have been held among
negotiating authorities, foreign
delegations and companies
throughout the fair. Local and foreign
companies have particularly
expressed their satisfaction with
establishing meeting offices and
negotiations with supply authorities
carried out in those offices.
- 13 signing ceremonies and 9 seminars
and promotion conferences
have been held during the fair.
- Following the completion of IDEF-
2007 fair, the delegations and
offices of military attaché from
Ukraine, Poland, Korea, Egypt,
Pakistan, Algeria, Chile and Kuwait
have sent their acknowledgements.
Acknowledgements continue for
now.
- Kazakhistan, Korea and Algeria
have proposed to establish cooperation
with regard to organising
IDEF-like fairs in their countries.
- His Excellency prime minister,
chief of general staff, minister of
national defence and other ministers,
commanders in chief of armed
forces, officially invited delegations,
ambassadors, military and
trade attaches, representatives of
other foreign missions, press members,
and members of other public
institutions and organisations have
attended the opening ceremony
and visited the fair.
- In the following days, commanders
in chief of armed forces, chiefs of
staff of armed forces and joint
chiefs of general staff, rectors and
representatives from universities,
undersecretary of defence industry,
undersecretary of ministry of
defence and undersecretaries of
other ministries have been among
the visitors of fair.
- Besides the visitors from the state
protocol, IDEF-2007 fair have had
approximately 40.000 visitors, all
specialised in their respective
fields, distinct and have interest in
the matter.
- In IDEF-2007 fair, analysis of
information sheets provided by foreign
delegates, participating companies
invited to the fair, and by
visitors at the entrance shows:
• a total of 1,184 foreign guests
from 46 countries have visited the fair.
This reaches a total of 1,527 visitors
when foreign official delegates (264)
were added.
• Local visitors from 28
provinces in total have visited the fair,
out of which 89.5% have been from
Ankara and 10.5% from other
provinces.
• visitors have described their
purpose of visiting the fair as to see
innovations, professional growth, purchasing,
new business opportunities,
comparing products, prestige, company
promotion, competition, and to get
into contact with potential buyers, and
while 64.4% of visitors have stated that
they have fully reached their respective
target groups, 28.8% stated that they
have partly reached their respective
target groups.
• With IDEF-2007 fair, visitors
have stated that they have had the
highest satisfaction with the organisation
of fair, increase in the number of
visitors, attendance density, promotion
of fair, aviation demonstrations,
increased interest among the Turkish
companies in the fair, and demonstrations
of the Turkish stars
• 88% of visitors have expressed
their intention to also participate in
IDEF-2009 fair for the purposes of
getting into contact with potential buyers,
for new business opportunities following
the projects of the Turkish
Armed Forces, gathering information
about their rivals, and holding distributorship/
agency meetings.
• 78.5% of visitors have stated
that the fair has been beneficial for
them, and that their purpose to visit
the fair has been to see innovations,
professional growth, purchasing, new
business opportunities comparing
products; 92.6% of visitors have stated
that they also want to participate in
IDEF-2009 fair.
TÜYAP is the main contractor of the
IDEF-2009 9th international defence
industry fair. During and after IDEF-
2007 fair, several defence industry
companies throughout the world have
been contacted with TÜYAP and 90%
of IDEF-2009 fair area has already
been reserved. In this scope, while
countries like Israel, Korea, China,
Italy and Germany have demanded
additional space, Pakistan has
demanded a closed space.
IDEF fairs have shown great development
with the increase in the number
of visitors and thus in demands in
every IDEF fair following the previous
one. To maintain their international
growth and competitive power against
other defence industry fairs, IDEF fairs
must fully meet the needs of the existing
and potential visitors. We have
concentrated our endeavours to attain
this goal.
The decision on the month to hold the
IDEF-2009 9th international defence
industry fair has been one of the most
important decisions in this regard.
Previously September has traditionally
been the IDEF month. This has been
changed to May for IDEF-2009 fair.
The reason for choosing May as the
IDEF month has been that this month
will not coincide with any other international
defence industry fairs, religious
and national festivities of countries
as well as it shows more appropriate
climate conditions. The date of
IDEF-2009 will soon be announced.
As TAFF, our efforts to carry forward
the success of IDEF fairs attained so
far, have as many as possible participating
countries and companies, and
ensure that companies, delegations
and visitors reach their respective target
groups in the best way possible in
IDEF-2009 fair continue without
interruption.
IDEF-2009 fair, where leading defence
industry institutions in the world and
small- and medium-scaled companies
having an indirect relation with the
defence industry will participate, will
be the biggest fair of high-technology
systems and equipment of land, sea,
air, space, and private security. In my
opinion, IDEF-2009 fair will benefit to
our country better than ever.