IDEX (International Defence Exhibition & Conference) will be held 20-24 February 2011 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The show is organised by ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company) in association with the UAE Armed Forces GHQ.
“We are delighted to welcome the return of Tawazun as headline sponsor for IDEX. 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,” said His Excellency Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director, ADNEC and Vice Chairman of the IDEX 2011 Higher Committee.
Tawazun’s headline sponsorship also extends to NAVDEX, a dedicated naval defense exhibition, whose debut edition will be held in parallel with IDEX next year.
Saif Ali Al Marzooqi, Manager of Tawazun’s Marketing Communication & Branding, said the 1500-sqm Tawazun pavilion at IDEX will showcase latest products by the company and its subsidiaries.
“The event will also see Tawazun announcing major projects and programmes,” he added.

The Offset Program Bureau (OPB) was established in 1992 to oversee the offset program in the UAE. It is mandated to set up joint ventures, as well as to invest in commercial, industrial, financial, and educational projects and to create investment funds in the UAE and abroad. OPB also acts as a conduit between international contractors and local private sector for creation of commercially viable, profitable and sustainable joint ventures. In 2007, OPB created a fully-owned subsidiary; Tawazun Holding to contribute substantially in diversifying UAE’s oil-dominated economy by focusing on the development and expansion of selected emerging companies across a wide range of industrial and commercial disciplines. Since its inception, Tawazun Holding’s major subsidiaries are Caracal International - the first national arms manufacturer in the United Arab Emirates – and Merkel, the German maker of hunting rifles and shotguns which has production lines in Germany, as well as a distribution network in all over Europe and North America. Other Tawazun subsidiaries include Burkan Munitions, Remaya, Emirates Precision Industries, Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments, Caracal Shooting Club, and Al Ain Shooting Club. Tawazun adopts an aggressive and upbeat investment strategy which will certainly help in driving change within the marketplace and inspire emerging companies by providing the right ingredients for success.
First held in 1993, IDEX (International Defence Exhibition & Conference) is the largest tri-service defense exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa 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. Defence deals worth a combined 18.5 billion dirhams in contract value were announced by the UAE Armed Forces at the last IDEX in 2009.
IDEX 2011 marks the show’s 10th anniversary and will take place 20th – 24th February next year encompassing indoor, outdoor and marine exhibit areas at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. New for 2011 will be the launch of NAVDEX the Middle East’s premier exhibition dedicated to the naval defense and coastal security sector, which will run in parallel with IDEX 2011.