Aerospace and Defense Review

Countdown to SAHA EXPO International Defence & Aerospace Exhibition has begun!

SAHA EXPO - one of the world's prestigious defence industry exhibition, is coming up with an even stronger organization this year. The event, which will be held on October 22-26 on a large area of 90 thousand square meters with the participation of more than 1,200 companies, will arouse great international interest. SAHA EXPO will offer global opportunities for domestic manufacturers, while providing the opportunity to meet the latest technologies with buyers from all over the world. More than 500 official and commercial delegations and more than 150,000 visitors are expected at the exhibition, which aims to achieve an export-oriented business volume of more than USD 2 billion. The event will showcase the latest innovations and solutions in the sector, paving the way for important agreements on the future of the defence industry.

Organized by SAHA Istanbul, Türkiye's and Europe's largest industrial cluster, SAHA EXPO International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition will be held at İstanbul Expo Center, Yeşilköy between 22-26 October 2024 under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, with the support of 6 Ministries and the Presidency of Defence Industries.

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At the exhibition, where technologies that shape the future will take place, many local and international companies, institutions and organizations will have the opportunity to exhibit their latest and new products. Having hosted more than 78 thousand professional visitors last year, SAHA EXPO aims to host more than 150 thousand professional visitors this year on a total area of 90 square meters covering 8 exhibition halls, foyer and outdoor areas of İstanbul Expo Center.

Unique in the world

SAHA Istanbul Secretary General Levent Kerim Uça made some remarks about the exhibition. Stating that SAHA EXPO has achieved a success that is unprecedented in the world in a very short time, Uça said, “We held our exhibition, which started in a small area in 2018, on an area of 40 thousand square meters in 2021, the exhibition increased to 60 thousand square meters in 2022, and this year it is going up to 90 thousand square meters. There is no example in the world of a sectoral exhibition growing by 50 percent every year in such a short period of time, that is, by adding a new exhibition on top of it almost every year.”

Over 2 billion USD of economic value

“This year, we expect to reach an economic value of more than USD 2 billion with more than 1,200 exhibitors, more than 500 official and commercial delegations, 150,000 visitors, 25,000 B2B meetings and signing ceremonies to be held during the exhibition,” said Uça: “In other words, in an environment where our defence and aerospace industry is breaking records in every sense, we, as SAHA EXPO, aim to break new records.”

Contacts from all over the world

Uça continued his words as follows: “This year, we are expecting 200 international participants with stands from approximately 40 countries from five continents of the world to attend SAHA EXPO.  Companies operating in the defence & aerospace industry from many different geographies, including the world's leading companies, from America to Australia, from the South Pacific to Europe and Africa, will meet with our local companies and visitors at the exhibition, and will come together for cooperation. When we add official delegations, commercial procurement committees and visitors from all over the world to the participating companies, we can say that a person or a company from all over the world will contact this exhibition. We characterize SAHA EXPO not only as an exhibition, but also as a meeting where all professionals who are stakeholders in the sector, who operate in the sector, and all professionals in the sector come together.  In the many international panels, we will organize this year, we will bring together industry professionals from Türkiye and abroad, evaluate the issues concerning the industry in detail, and try to guide and contribute to the industry.”

2 Days Open to the Public

Uça continued his words as follows: “The exhibition was organized for 4 days in the past years. Due to the intense interest from citizens, this year the duration was extended to 5 days. The number of days of the exhibition open to the public was increased to two for citizens who want to experience the latest technological developments in the field of defence, aviation and civil aviation industry on site and to open the door to the new world where those who dominate technology will shape the future. Accordingly, Friday, October 25, 2024 and Saturday, October 26, 2024 were planned as public days within the age limit of 18.”

The World's Attention Is on SAHA EXPO

On the other hand, Uça said that they expect to host around 400 members of official delegations from different countries of the world and important international organizations such as NATO at SAHA EXPO this year, and added, “We will bring together industry professionals from all over the world, from prime ministers, ministers, chiefs of staff and lower-level officials with exhibitors at our exhibition. In 2022, the UK Defence Minister visited SAHA EXPO. Again, this year, we expect similar international high-level visitors to our exhibition.  We aim to bring official delegations together with our domestic companies, especially SME-scale domestic companies in the fields they are interested in. At SAHA EXPO, which is an exhibition followed by the whole world, in order to support the export efforts of the participating companies, we bring them together with international commercial procurement delegations as well as official delegations. Perhaps for the first time in Türkiye, there will be such a wide range of commercial procurement delegations at a sectoral exhibition for the defence industry. According to the characteristics of our companies participating in the exhibition, we determine the companies that can be buyers for them, where our SMEs can sell products or cooperate with them, and we bring these delegations to our exhibition. We are planning around 150 commercial procurement delegations at this year's exhibition.”

Uça concluded his words as follows: “We invite everyone who wants to experience the latest technological developments in the field of defence & aerospace industry on site, and to open the door to the new world “where those who dominate technology, will shape the future”, to this great meeting.”

 

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