INDESEC Expo

INDESEC - India's Homeland Security Exhibition & Conference – was a major market force in India surrounding the country’s blossoming homeland security & defence exhibition, which had so much promise to rise to the top of its class worldwide. However as fate would have it, the annual Indo-international had a very short run with the last ever edition scheduled to take place in 2012, but without much information whether it actually took place. The event’s website was soon taken down and hosting lost.

The original plan was to host INDESEC EXPO in New Delhi, India in December over the course of three days starting June 20th until June 22nd. The venue of the exhibition was Pragati Maidan – a very popular and spacious exhibition centre in the metropolis. What we do know is that the days and months of previous editions certainly shifted a lot. For instance, the edition in 2019 took place in the first half of October between the 11th and 13th. Informa India functioned as the organisers, who boasted that INDESEC was India’s only exhibition and conference dedicated to homeland security. The major focus fell on the buoyant homeland security market in India, INDESEC Expo gives Indian and international companies the opportunity to promote their products & solutions.

INDESEC had much going for it, which makes its sudden disappearance all the more interesting. For one thing, it had the strength of the market to boost confidence in its performance – many of the exhibitors expressed optimism for the growing homeland security industry. More inspiring still was the influx of top government officials who make it a point to attend INDESEC. Thousands of government officials and industry professionals gathered to source new products and hear from leading figures in the homeland security sector.

The three-day event brought together a mix of high-quality speakers and key exhibitors, providing visitors with an invaluable industry forum and unmatched catalog of products, equipment and new solutions. The high quality of its programming and material base was owed to the efforts of its organisers, Informa India in association with ASSOCHAM. Of course, we can’t not mention the more than generous support by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. This backing by official organs further solidified INDESEC’s credibility and surefire success.

One of its major strengths was the fact that INDESEC actively shaped the industry and generated a lot of buzz, particularly around the ASSOCHAM conference as speakers and visitors thrashed out the issues shaping the future of homeland security. Hon’ble Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs - Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu identified the heart of the matter succinctly in his statement that the government and industry should collaborate to upgrade and modernise security systems and communication networks.

Naidu was also at the opening and launched the opening of ‘Sherpa’ the light armoured vehicle from Shri Lakshmi Defence Solutions Limited. Also on display was Drona MPV – both vehicles attracted large crowds from senior government officials that visited the show as well as the press. What we can gather from these highly publicized unveilings is that INDESEC often saw the launch of the next generation of technologies. As a result, the exhibition saw some high-profile visitors from the upper echelon. We are talking the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Indian Coast Guard, Paramilitary Forces, State Home and Police departments, Armed Forces, Security Experts and other industry veterans both local and international.

So what did this mean? Exhibitors had the perfect opportunity to showcase their products and close on some generous deals. This in turn saw the participation of leading suppliers from across the homeland security industry to showcase their latest innovations. The product range was certainly something to talk about – maritime and coastal security, disaster management, CBRN, real-time information networks, simulation and training, surveillance and target acquisition, border fencing, personal protection clothing and equipment, armoured vehicles, optronics, non-lethal weapons and CCTV and access control among many others.

The audience represented every major sector and the structure of the event (rich in a range of networking meetings) allowed for not only reconnecting with old peers and experts, but to successfully reach a new audience and increase their network outreach geographically.

The last we know is that there were plans to resume the conference in 2012, but nothing ever came to fruition.