Tawazun Holding has signed up as the headline sponsor for 'International Defence Exhibition & Conference' (IDEX 2011), the region’s largest defence and security show to be held next year in Abu Dhabi.

Tawazun Holding is the industrial and commercial investment company of Offset Program Bureau in the UAE.

The headline sponsorship also extends to Navdex, a dedicated naval defence exhibition, whose debut edition will be held in parallel with IDEX next year, said Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) in a statement.

Organised by Adnec in association with the UAE Armed Forces GHQ at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Idex 2011 and Navdex will showcase defence equipment services for land, sea and airborne systems and attract national and international delegations, procurement officials, industry analysts, military strategists as well as the world’s leading defence contractors. The 2011 show has been expanded to include new country pavilions.

The events will be held from February 20 to 24 under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, it added.

“We are delighted to welcome the return of Tawazun as headline sponsor. As the leading defence and security show for the Mena region, the ongoing support from leading local companies such as Tawazun, has been critical to the long running success of Idex,' said Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, managing director, Adnec and vice chairman of the IDEX 2011 Higher Committee.

'We look forward to working in partnership with Tawazun on the upcoming 10th IDEX anniversary, and, to delivering yet another successful show that further augments IDEX’s stature in the global defence industry,' he noted.

Established in 2007 under the umbrella of the UAE Offset Program Bureau, Tawazun leads investments that are focused on the development and expansion of emerging industries by creating viable strategic local and international partnerships that add value to the UAE economy and its diversification plans, said a top official.

Tawazun’s investment strategy drives change within the marketplace and supports emerging companies by targeting investment of counter-traded benefits gained through the defence offset program of the UAE, noted Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, chief executive officer of Tawazun.

Saif Ali Al Marzooqi, Tawazun’s marketing communication & branding manager said:'Following the successful return on our investment during Idex 2009, we are determined to use upcoming Idex and Navdex as a platform to showcase the existing and future projects of Tawazun and its subsidiaries.'

Idex has been held biennially since 1993. In 2009, the show attracted close to 900 xhibitors from 50 nations and saw record visitor numbers in excess of 50,000.

“Besides ongoing defence procurement programmes, regional governments have recently taken concrete steps to build local defence manufacturing capabilities. This has provided further impetus to IDEX,” said Mohamed Al Mashgouni, IDEX 2011 show director.-TradeArabia News Service