Seventh Def-Expo to be held in Delhi

This Def-Expo-2012, billed to be the largest of its kind in Asia, is expected to be attended by official delegations from 90 countries.

The biennial International Defence Exhibition on Land and Naval Systems is organized by the Department of Defence Production on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

The Def Expo is a hugely attractive event for global defence hardware manufacturers and suppliers. An Indoor Shell Scheme in DefExpo is available for foreign exhibitors at a premium of USD 709 per square metre (psm) in comparison to Euro 330 psqm for Indoor Raw Space that was available at a similar trade show, the 11th Auto Expo, slated to be held at the same venue, Pragati Maidan, from January 7-11, 2012.

But the Auto Expo is staged on a much larger canvas, with the last Auto Expo in 2010 spread over more than four times the 30,100 sqm exhibition area that was occupied during the last Def Expo held a month later.

From a foreign vendor''s point of view a per square metre of exhibition space at the DefExpo is still more than double the rate, $350, at which the same space would have been available to him during the India International Trade Fair, IITF-2011.

However, the same unit space area at Def Expo, the exclusive Land and Naval Systems'' Defence Industry Exposition instituted in the year 1999, is available to the Indian exhibitors at a slightly lower rate, Rs.13, 509.60 psqm, than Rs.14, 000.00, that would have cost him at the 31st IITF-2011, an annual fair held since 1980.

u00a0But the last Def Expo attracted 1.26 lakh visitors in all during the four days - February 15 to 18, 2010, in comparison to the IITF, spread over a fortnight, which records close to one lakh footfalls per day and even more on the weekends/holidays.

In terms of exhibitors while 650 companies including 300 from 35 other countries showcased their products during the 6th Def Expo-2010, the 11th Auto Expo-2012 will see participation of 1,500 exhibitors representing 23 countries, down from 2,105, including 1,298 domestic and 807 exhibitors from 30 other countries, which participated in the 10th Auto Expo-2010.

During the last Def Expo 25 products were launched, as against the 72 vehicles launched, including ten global launches, during the Auto Expo held a month earlier.

The Def Expo-2010 was visited by official delegations from 74 countries, while the Auto Expo is an entirely Industry and Trade Exposition. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will be the event managers to the DefExpo-2012. u00a0(ANI)

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