UMEX and SimTEX exhibitions kick off on 21st February with large-scale international and local participation

UMEX and SimTEX exhibitions kick off on 21st February with large-scale international and local participation

ABU DHABI, 17th February, 2022 – Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has announced that it has made the necessary preparations for launching the 5th editions of the Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX) and the Simulation and Training Exhibition (SimTEX), which will be held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on 21st to 23rd February with large-scale international and local participation.

The exhibitions will be accompanied by the 5th edition of the Unmanned Systems Conference, which will be held at the ADNOC Business Centre on 20th February 2022, with participants attending both in person and virtually.

The event, organised by ADNEC in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Defense, is expected to witness a considerable turnout by exhibitors and visitors, in addition to hosting a unique set of activities on the sideline.

These activities include live shows held at Tilal Swaihan, serving as a special platform for showcasing aerial and grounded unmanned systems as well as AI and robotics technologies.

In addition, this year’s event will also debut and host the UMEX platform for start-ups, the Modern Technology Track that will take visitors on a journey showcasing the latest new and advanced technologies featured in the exhibitions and UMEX Talks.

Major General Dr.

Mubarak Saeed Ghafan Al Jabri, head of the UMEX and SimTEX 2022 higher organising committee, said, “This strategic event, which will feature unmanned and simulation and training systems, is the only one of its kind in the region.

It plays an important role in supporting the UAE’s efforts in reinforcing its global leadership in terms of employing innovations to promote the economy, as well as national and regional stability and security.

“This event is held amidst the current global challenges and circumstances, which shed light on UAE’s ability to organise a strategic event of such magnitude and significance to showcase advanced technology and developments in the defense industries,” he added.

“The exhibition provides a platform for pioneering experiences that reinforce the UAE‘s efforts to learn about cutting edge innovations in unmanned systems, and support its mission to develop national capacities that enable the UAE to face the different kinds of challenges and place it in the camp of countries that are able to play a vital role both regionally and internationally.

We look forward to the success of this exceptional event and to hope to build upon the success of previous editions,” Al Jabri said.

“We highly value the efforts of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) who is organising this event, as well as the active role of the different national institutions and partners who have been keen to provide a global strategic event that is in line with the vision of our wise leadership represented by the ‘Principles of the 50’, which focuses on building the best and most vibrant economy in the world, and promoting the global reputation of the UAE internationally,” he concluded.

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Group CEO of ADNEC, said, “The upcoming edition of UMEX and SimTEX is exceptional on all levels as it represents an ongoing growth since it was launched in 2015.

The event witnessed 25% increase in the area allocated for presentations compared to the previous edition.

134 exhibitors from 26 countries will participate in the exhibitions, and 7 countries of them are participating for the first time, in addition to over 150 international delegations will be participating.

The percentage of exhibiting companies participating for the first time in the two exhibitions is 36%, and 29% of total exhibitors at the event from UAE companies, while the number of live and interactive shows held at Swaihan on 22 February, are doubled, he added.

“The organisation of these events comes in line with ADNEC’s strategy to supporting and enhancing the competitiveness of the national companies locally and internationally, in addition to transferring and localising the advanced knowledge in the country.

This focus will emphasise the position of UMEX and SimTEX as a leading global platform that attracts major international companies specialising in these vital sectors from around the world, and sheds light on ADNEC’s ability to organise major international events, and affirms its pivotal role in bolstering Abu Dhabi’s position as a capital of the business tourism sector in the region,” Al Dhaheri said.

Al Dhaheri said that the exhibitions will witness exceptional participation by local companies specialising in unmanned systems, simulation, and training, with 37 of these companies participating in this year’s edition, making up 29% of total exhibitors in the event.

He also noted that the overall area of indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces is 26,000 square meters this year, with an increase of 25% compared to the previous edition of the event, and the live demonstration that will be held on the sidelines of the two exhibitions, which are the only ones of their kind in the world, will witness more than 15 live shows, which will have a new format this year involving a series of coordinated scenarios covering unmanned aerial and grounded systems and AI and robotics technologies for the first time in the history of live events at these two exhibitions.

“The current edition will be witnessing the participation of 7 countries that will be participating for the first time: Israel, Serbia, Austria, Bulgaria, Malta, Turkey and Bahrain, in addition to two new international pavilions: the Israeli and Ukrainian pavilions,” he said.

The 2022 edition will witness more than 15 live and interactive shows held for the first time in history of live events at Tilal Swaihan.

Al Dhaheri added that the conference accompanying the exhibitions, held under the theme “Unmanned, Unbound: Realizing the Promise of the Unmanned Revolution,” will see large-scale international participation, as it will feature 22 speakers and will host 500 participants who will be present in person at the ADNOC Business Center, while around 1,500 people are expected to attend the conference virtually.

This shows the UAE’s standing as a unique international destination for hosting conferences on unmanned systems and simulation and training systems.

Mansour AlMulla, CEO and MD of EDGE Group, the strategic partner of the event, said, “We are delighted to support UMEX and SimTEX at ADNEC as we continue to partner with the growing unmanned systems and AI industry.

In the era of the digital economy, future technology has become an important area of investment, making a difference in the future progress and prosperity of countries and the UMEX and SimTEX exhibitions provides the perfect platform for this.

ADNEC is organising UMEX and SimTEX 2022 with the support of Edge Group, the strategic partner, and Nation Shield, the media partner, with ADNEC subsidiary Capital Events being in charge of organising the activities in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Defense, and Tawazun Economic Council, the headline partner of the accompanying conference.