The Middle East’s homeland security market is growing at three times the global average and will hit $34 billion per year by 2020, said a top official ahead of an upcoming global security exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

"The compound annual growth rate of 18.7 per cent is driven primarily by good news, not bad news,” explained Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, deputy chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of International Security and National Resilience (ISNR) Abu Dhabi, the world’s third largest homeland defence exhibition and conference will take place in March, 2016.

“Regional mega-events alone are driving infrastructure investment of up to $700 billion between now and 2020 – residential and commercial construction, transportation infrastructure, and public utilities – and those investments must be protected with advanced security systems and solutions. ISNR was established as a platform for countries from around the world to see and source the world’s very latest homeland security solutions in one place, at one time,” he added.

Regional economic and critical infrastructure development is the engine driving the Middle East security and national resilience market.

A recent Frost & Sullivan report projects the Middle East homeland security market to grow at three times the pace of the global average.

This growth is driven by economic diversification, large-scale infrastructure developments such as the Midfield Terminal Complex at Abu Dhabi International Airport, which is expected to handle 30 million passengers per year and 8,500 passengers per hours, as well as regional mega-events, such as the Dubai Expo 2020 in the UAE, and the Fifa World Cup Final 2022 in Qatar.

Homeland security spending broadly encompasses investment in support of:  emergency response and disaster management; border security for land, sea, and air; law enforcement and crowd management; critical infrastructure protection; transportation security; bio defence; and cyber security.

Now in its seventh edition, ISNR Abu Dhabi is the hub for three dedicated platforms including the newly launched Infosecurity Middle East and Emergency Response & Disaster Prevention events. The region’s number one international exhibition for national security and resilience, ISNR Abu Dhabi will also host two co-located events under the same roof: Fire Fighting Middle East and Occupational Safety and Health Middle East.

“With ever-changing threats on the horizon – natural as well as man-made – and fresh challenges facing the Middle East, new solutions are constantly being developed to enhance homeland security, minimize the possibility of disasters, and improve emergency response rates. ISNR Abu Dhabi is the number one platform to discover the latest trends and technologies related to these sectors, all under one roof,” said Nicky Dawson, group exhibition director of ISNR Abu Dhabi.

The three-day event is expected to see more than 500 exhibiting companies from 45 countries showing solutions to nearly 20,000 attendees from more than 90 countries, many of whom will form country delegations of buyers.

ISNR Abu Dhabi will take place 15 – 17 March, 2016 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre. – TradeArabia News Service