MAKING MOST OUT OF DEFEXPO-2022

In order to derive the maximum benefit from the forthcoming exhibition, the Ministry of Defence should listen more than they speak at the event, argues AMIT COWSHISH

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The 12th edition of DefExpo, ‘anticipated to be the largest ever’, is being held from October 18 to 22 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The exhibition will be open to the public on the last two days, while the first three days will be only for businesses. It was earlier scheduled to be held from March 10 to 14 at the same venue. But in an abrupt move, the exhibition was postponed at the last minute on the grounds that the participants were experiencing problems related to logistics’. It took the participants by surprise as they had not complained of any logistical’ issues faced by them.

The Defence Exhibition Organisation DEO), set up in 1981 under the administrative control of the Department of Defence Production to organise aerospace and defence exhibitions in India and abroad, and to promote defence exports, has its work cut out to showcase India’s Path to Pride’, which is the official theme of DefExpo-2022.The organisers face the challenge of convincing the world of the might of the domestic defence industry’ which is now powering’ the Make in India, Make for the World” campaign.

The exhibition’s timing too seems odd as it is slated for the week preceding Diwali-arguably the most widely celebrated festival in India, and now also in many foreign countries which have a large Indian diaspora. Four months later in early February 2023, AeroIndia-2023the country’s biggest aerospace show, will be held in Bengaluru.

The exhibition also clashes with at least two major military shows in Europe: the October 18-21 Euronaval show in Paris and the October 19-21 Future Forces Exhibition Forum Exhibition at Prague in the Czech Republic. This overcrowded calendar could affect the enthusiasm across all segments of the defence companies and the budgets of some of them, especially the smaller ones.