RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show is set to get bigger in its second edition with a substantial increase in the number of participating countries, according to a top executive. The General Authority for Military Industries recently announced that the second edition of WDS will be held in Riyadh from Feb. 4-8, 2024. Speaking at the Paris Air Show, WDS CEO Andrew Pearcey revealed that Bahrain, Oman, Denmark and Turkiye had joined the event, adding to its growing popularity. “We have seen burgeoning international interest, with increased pavilions from Canada, France, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, and the UAE. The Greek, Chinese, and Indian pavilions have all doubled in size, while the Czech Republic is 145 percent bigger.” Pearcey also highlighted changes in the event’s agenda, extending the show from four to five days to accommodate the increased engagement. World Defense Show CEO Andrew Pearcey “Day One now is being called a preview day. So that’s for VIPs, exhibitors and hopefully any royals that come and visit and do an opening of the service,” Pearcey said. He added: “The first day is going to be very important. On that day, we’ve got a high-level conference called the Future of Defense Forum. It’s a leadership forum with top-level leaders coming in. We hope to have some ministers do some talks during the day. We’ll also have an opening ceremony with a bit of a flying display attached to it.” Pearcey further highlighted that the event’s exhibition area has expanded by 25 percent compared to the previous edition in anticipation of more exhibitors and enhanced features. FASTFACTS The General Authority for Military Industries recently announced that the second edition of WDS will be held in Riyadh from Feb. 4-8, 2024. Bahrain, Oman, Denmark and Turkiye had joined the event, adding to its growing popularity. The event’s exhibition area has expanded by 25 percent compared to the previous edition in anticipation of more exhibitors and enhanced features. “The global defense landscape is evolving and the growth in the World Defense Show underscores the international focus on the Saudi Arabian market,” he added. The increased space aims to provide an optimal platform for showcasing the latest defense technologies and innovations. “We’re 90 percent sold at the show already, which is a fantastic position to be in,” he said. Additionally, the event will feature a dedicated arena for the space and exploration sector. “We’ve got a whole space arena at the show. We’ve allocated 2,000 sq. meters solely for the space sector,” Pearcey informed. “We’ll have exhibitors showcasing the latest in space technology, and we’ll highlight Saudi Arabia’s national strategic objectives in space,” he added. In the previous edition held in 2022, the event attracted over 750 exhibitors and received more than 100,000 trade visits, with representation from over 45 countries.