DEFEA – Defence Exhibition Athens will take place in Athens, from 11 to 13 May 2021. The organization of the exhibition, which will take place under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defence, was announced at a press conference attended by the Minister of National Defence, Mr Evangelos Apostolakis, by exhibition organizer ROTA SA and the Union of Greek Manufacturers of Defence Material (SEKPY).
The exhibition, which aims to become a point of reference for the domestic defence industry, as well as an event with a broader regional reach in South-eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, will present land, sea and air defence systems to a very specialized audience from Greece and the international community. DEFEA – Defence Exhibition Athens will be attended by the top companies in the Greek defence industry, and important players from the global defence field, who will present the latest technologies and cutting-edge defence systems. It is noted that the exhibition will include National Booths for the countries with the top global defence companies.
DEFEA – Defence Exhibition Athens is addressed exclusively to professionals from the Armed Forces and Emergency Services, as well as from sectors of the defence and security industries, who will have the chance to learn about all recent developments in defence systems and equipment. At the same time, major parallel events and B2B meetings will be arranged in the framework of the exhibition.
The exhibition is to be organized by the largest company in the sector in Greece, ROTA SA. With a 35-year history in the field, ROTA SA organizes 20 exhibitions per year and is active in 4 different countries.
SEKPY (established 1982) has 130 member-companies in Greece (state and private), which employ more than 15,000 employees.
DEFEA – Defence Exhibition Athens will take place at the Metropolitan Expo exhibition centre, at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. This is the largest and most modern exhibition hall in South-eastern Europe, with a total exhibition space of 50,000 square metres and special infrastructure that can cover the special needs and requirements of the defence industry.
The Minister of National Defence, Evangelos Apostolakis, said: “I would like to congratulate you for the initiative of organizing this Exhibition. Something like this has been missing in Greece for years, and will offset and demonstrate the country’s true potential, both from an organizational point of view and from the perspective of the defence industry. It is certain that only positive outcomes can come from such collaborations. You are aware of our efforts to cooperate, exchange know-how and disseminate information regarding the latest technological developments in the defence industry. It is something we wish for and pursue relentlessly. We are extroverted and we support cutting-edge research and technology. There is no doubt that the exhibition will present the broader public with all of the latest technologies on the global market, and will fully justify the conclusion that the development of defence systems is the “steam-engine” of technology. You will also be aware of the fact that we have, for some time, been making efforts to bring the needs and requirements of the Armed Forces with respect to the country’s security interests, closer to the capabilities of the domestic defence industry. To achieve even better results, we must continue at a steady and decisive pace, and adhere to our strategic planning. This requires cooperation and the coordination of all of our efforts – State, Government, Ministry of National Defence, and private initiatives. This is being done. By organizing Defence Exhibition Athens, we are taking one more decisive step in this direction”.
The chairman of ROTA SA, Giorgos Tsaousoglou, declared: “We are certain that this exhibition will be a success, and we hope it will open a new path for growth of the country’s defence industry. At ROTA, we are ready to offer the experience and know-how of the largest professional exhibition organizer in Greece, so that the results from the participation of exhibitors and visitors to DEFEA can be entirely satisfactory.
The chairman of SEKPY, Tasos Rozolis, declared: “DEFEA is here to bridge a major gap. Greece and the Hellenic Defence Industry (HDI) are re-entering the global map of Defence Exhibitions, after an absence of ten years. The Hellenic Defence Industry (HDI), a strategic axis of National Security, is aware that crises can be overcome only through extroversion, competitiveness and the development of innovative products. DEFEA is here to give the Hellenic Defence Industry (HDI) the opportunity to present its products in the best possible way, on the Domestic and International market, and to develop partnerships with the largest foreign defence industries. With particular regard to the small and medium-sized enterprises of the Hellenic Defence Industry (HDI), DEFEA will constitute a unique opportunity for them to present their products to the global defence public, while also learning about the latest developments in defence technology. The participation of foreign defence companies is deemed necessary and particularly beneficial, both for promoting their products on the Greek Defence Market, and for an opportunity to develop the necessary partnerships with their Greek peers, to address the domestic and international defence market”.
DEFEA’s Exhibition Manager, Vassilis Barkas, said: “Our main objective is to organized a large, integrated and truly international high-level exhibition. With the cooperation of SEKPY and under the valuable auspices of the Ministry of National Defence, we are certain that the exhibition will constitute a suitable forum for the reinforcement and growth of the domestic defence industry. We, together with SEKPY, will ensure the international nature of the exhibition; we will invite major international missions and major exhibitors from the international defence industry, in view of creating new partnerships and collaborations”.