Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) announced that Saleh Al Marzooqi, who joined ADNEC in March 2012 as a Director, has been promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX).

In his new role, Al Marzooqi will be responsible for building on IDEX’s position as the leading defence exhibition and conference in the Middle East and North Africa and developing its stature within the global defence industry.

IDEX 2013, which took place in February, was the most successful edition in the two-decade history of the event, with 1,112 exhibiting companies from 59 countries and over 80,000 visitors. The Naval Defence Exhibition, (NAVDEX) was run alongside IDEX 2013with 80 exhibitors. It doubled in size from the previous edition.

IDEX will next take place in 2015. Over half of the exhibition space for IDEX 2015 was sold before IDEX 2013 was over.

Al Marzooqi has over 30 years of experience in aviation and defence having worked for organisations including the UAE Air Force, Emirates, Etihad, Royal Jet and Abu Dhabi Aviation.

“IDEX is a great event which has steadily developed over 20 years to become an important occasion for the whole defence industry. I believe that we can continue to develop IDEX to make it an even more valuable event for the industry and the UAE in the future. I am confident that with GHQ support & ADNEC resources IDEX team can deliver a world class event,” Al Marzooqi said.

First held in 1993, IDEX (International Defence Exhibition & Conference) is the largest joint defence exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. IDEX takes place biennially under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and is organised by ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company) in association with the UAE Armed Forces GHQ.

IDEX, the only international defence and maritime security exhibition in the MENA region, demonstrates the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence. It is a unique platform to establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and Armed Forces.