Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show has revealed its official venue model at DSEI in London, showcasing a model of the purpose-built venue that will host the inaugural event in March 2022. With Hall One nearing completion and infrastructure being put in place for Hall Two, the unveiling of the scale model and new renders at the Saudi Pavilion — alongside show founder General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) and strategic partner Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) brings the World Defense Show grounds to life for the first time. The state-of-the-art venue, on a site spanning 800,000 square meters, will welcome more than 30,000 visitors and 800 exhibitors from March 6-9 next year. A regular program of site visits for local businesses, government officials and industry leaders is under way, with major interest in on-site progress from across the defense sector. Features of the venue include the world’s first purpose-built runway dedicated to defense events, dedicated exhibition space across two halls, hard standing for ground equipment and dozens of hospitality suites with views over the static display area and runway. Located on the outskirts of the Kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, the space is custom-built for World Defense Show and outfitted with world-class facilities designed to ensure the ultimate visitor experience. Featuring design elements inspired by traditional Saudi architectural styles, the venue hosts immersive experiences, offering a window into the future of defense. The centerpiece of the show, which is held under the aegis of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, is a 2.7km-long and 50m-wide purpose-built runway where live demonstrations of air power will fly over static aircraft and land equipment displays. An interactive on-site command and control center, equipped with the latest systems and technologies from the world’s leading defense companies, will showcase integration and interoperability across the various domains. The World Defense Show site is located adjacent to two major highways, offering convenient access for display products and visitors. Shuttle busses will be available to and from the show site, departing and arriving from select hotels. Shaun Ormrod, chief executive officer of World Defense Show, commented: “We started from a blank slate when designing the venue, so everything is completely purpose-built in line with the requirements of a modern defense event. “Dedicated spaces have been specifically created to meet the needs of our exhibitors, including a two-kilometer runway, hard standing for ground equipment and a command and control center which facilitates the show theme of interoperability. “Ultimately, this will enable exhibitors to fully demonstrate the capabilities of a wide range of products providing a real immersive experience for visitors of the show. “As you would expect, our venue will also deliver key networking areas, on-the-floor conference spaces and hospitality to entertain, connect and unlock business leads and opportunities.” Hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from March 6-9, 2022, World Defense Show will serve as the global stage for defense interoperability, a topic that has become a growing challenge for decision-makers around the world, connecting all five key domains — air, land, sea, space and security. It is the first event to put KSA on the map as a global defense hub, gathering peers and partners from the east and west to work together. The biennial event will enable the industry to keep pace with developments across defense and technology. The speed at which these developments take place compels the industry to cooperate across borders and domain expertise to generate opportunities throughout the defense value chain. By connecting key defense contacts, primes, SMEs, and buyers, World Defense Show has laid the foundations to advance the defense industry and address the challenges presented by ever-deeper defense systems integration. — SG