The Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TAFF) plays a significant role in the development and guidance of the Turkish defence industry and one of the main areas of interest of TAFF is to organise IDEF international defence industry fairs.

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 co-operation 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.