As a person who was frequently involved in IMDEX (a maritime defence exhibition held once every two years in Singapore), I must say that my short visit to IMDEX 2015 left me with some thoughts.
Compared to past years, IMDEX 2015 seemed to be less crowded, with less interesting displays. In fact, my walk around the booths didn't surprise me with any new and upcoming defence technology. The things on display were the routine, standard stuff. Yes, they are new stuff, but not the cutting edge stuff (during its time) that used to be on display. In fact, some booths didn't really have anything on display; they were just booths with the company's name and a few staff.
Maybe it was a bad idea to have IMDEX 2015 so close to another defence exhibition; just a week ago, there was a defence exhibition in Japan, the first since Japan decided to loosen its laws regarding export of military technology. From the news, it seems that the exhibition in Japan was a great success; it is expected, since defence contractors are probably looking at Japan being the up-and-coming player/market.
Maybe that's where all the good stuff went. And maybe that's why they didn't make it to Singapore in time.
Or maybe, IMDEX has lost its appeal. After all, it is the same broad programme year after year. And in this fast changing world, if you don't adapt or evolve in time, you risk becoming obsolete.
Compared to past years, IMDEX 2015 seemed to be less crowded, with less interesting displays. In fact, my walk around the booths didn't surprise me with any new and upcoming defence technology. The things on display were the routine, standard stuff. Yes, they are new stuff, but not the cutting edge stuff (during its time) that used to be on display. In fact, some booths didn't really have anything on display; they were just booths with the company's name and a few staff.
Maybe it was a bad idea to have IMDEX 2015 so close to another defence exhibition; just a week ago, there was a defence exhibition in Japan, the first since Japan decided to loosen its laws regarding export of military technology. From the news, it seems that the exhibition in Japan was a great success; it is expected, since defence contractors are probably looking at Japan being the up-and-coming player/market.
Maybe that's where all the good stuff went. And maybe that's why they didn't make it to Singapore in time.
Or maybe, IMDEX has lost its appeal. After all, it is the same broad programme year after year. And in this fast changing world, if you don't adapt or evolve in time, you risk becoming obsolete.
