Defence & Security Exhibition Recognised for Hugely Successful First Show. Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC 2017) has won Best Trade Exhibition Over 10,000sqm at the Middle East Special Events Awards.
This award is the most important industry recognition in the region and the only official prize in the Middle East endorsed by the worldwide International Live Events Association ILEA. The MESE 2018 committee includes a line-up of judges from outside the Middle East who independently vote on each submission with a strict criteria set by the leading global experts within the field. MESE is organised by USA publication 'The Special Event', which is the world's largest event's professional’s magazine and portfolio. The 2018 edition received a record number of submissions from all types of GCC-based event organisers across 25 different categories.
BIDEC 2017 was a major success with 9,120 visitors from 49 countries attending - more than triple the predicted number. There were also 180 companies exhibiting at the show, which took place 16-18 October 2017 at Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre.
Thomas Gaunt, BIDEC Event Director said “We are all extremely proud of how well BIDEC 2017 went and this award recognises the efforts of everyone involved who helped to make it a resounding success. He added “We could not have achieved this without the incredible support from all sections of Bahrain Defence Force, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Ministry of Information Affairs, our event partner Faalyat Management, and of course HH Brigadier General Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Commander of the Royal Guard and Chairman of the BIDEC Organising Committee. We truly believe that BIDEC 2019 can be even more of a success and Bahrain can continue to be a major hub in the Middle East for events of this stature.”
BIDEC was shortlisted alongside four other finalist events for the award, beating established events that have run for several editions. This award recognises exhibition organisers who demonstrated how they exceeded expectations in terms of visitor numbers, exhibition sales, promotional campaigns, results to budget, innovation and marketing techniques, which led to growth and enhanced service excellence of the event and its industry sector. The award announcement was made at the MESE 2018 gala dinner, at the prestigious Madinat Jumeirah Johara Ballroom in Dubai, UAE on 23 April 2018.
The next instalment of Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference will again be organised by Clarion Events, the world’s largest organiser of defence and security exhibitions, and will take place on 28-30 October 2019 at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.