With attendees from more than 50 countries, ITEC, Europe’s premier conference and exhibition for military training, education and simulation technology and services, has been hailed as a major success by many of the companies exhibiting.
Organiser Clarion Events has confirmed attendee numbers of more than 2,900 at this year’s show – a 20% increase on 2009.
More than 150 companies displayed a truly impressive array of advanced training and simulation products, many of which are already in service with military and security forces on land, at sea and in the air.
This year’s show, held 18-20 May at ExCeL, London, had a number of key themes including countering the IED threat, training for medical emergencies and cyber terrorism.
ITEC 2010 also saw an unprecedented record of VIP attendance, with over 40 Senior Guests from Australia; Canada; France; Germany; The Netherlands; Sweden; UAE; United Kingdom and the United States attending Europe’s largest and most established Defence Training and Simulation event.
Opening the event, an address given by Lieutenant General Newton, Commander Force Development and Training, British Army, provided a clear overview of key issues in the training and simulation industry. Particular emphasis was given to a future which focuses on training the individual.
The Innovation Showcase proved once again to be an event highlight, with Antycip Simulation introducing its new behaviour authoring software, “MyBehaviour”. Lockheed Martin demonstrated ‘The Art of the Possible’ using its training and data visualisation solution, “Virtual World Labs” and Cogent 3D based its presentation on ‘Worldwide Dynamic 3D scenes from GIS Source in Minutes’.
Visitors to the exhibition floor also had the opportunity to interact with Presagis’ simulated Unmanned Vehicle System (UVS) ground control station and a fully interactive and realistic helicopter cockpit solution. Among the 47 first time exhibitors, Battlefield Sim used ITEC’s FTE Zone to introduce its brand new patent pending modular urban inflatables to the simulation market, while taking precedence at the Rockwell Collins stand was the new EP-8000 image generator, which creates visual acuity, superior pilot cues and target recognition.
The event was also the selected venue for the signing of an innovative co-operation agreement to boost the effectiveness and resource efficiency of the training undertaken by the United States Navy, the Royal Navy, the Canadian Forces Navy and the German Navy. The first day of the show also saw the settlement of a new cooperative relationship between ITEC and The European Training and Simulation Association (ETSA), who together will work to develop services to the European and International training, modeling and simulation community.
This year, ITEC once again demonstrated itself not only as an excellent opportunity to see the latest developments in the industry and a useful platform to reach the wider training and simulation community, but also as a launch pad for innovative new technology. For instance, the show was used to unveil a pioneering iPad learning programme, developed by LINE Communications for the British Army, which focuses training on how Fire Control Orders are delivered, familiarising the user with command terminology and voice procedures. The system is due to be implemented by HQ Land Forces later this year.
Reflecting on the event Tim Porter, Managing Director Clarion Defence and Security commented “This year’s show was a great success – the response from exhibitors has been extremely positive while both the conference and exhibition were also very well received. 2011 will usher in a new era for ITEC and we are already looking forward to a new and exciting exhibition in 2011”.
ITEC 2011 will address themes such as Serious Games, which is fast outgrowing the “Games” label and gaining an ever wider acceptance in industry. Vocational Training and E-Learning will also be a key area at ITEC 2011, bringing focus onto the vast number of technicians, managers, and experts - all of whom require ongoing training in a wide array of vocational disciplines. ITEC 2011 will provide the perfect platform for Europe’s armed forces to explore the possibilities these new technologies offer to help them improve the delivery of learning to their personnel.
ENDS
For more information please contact
Nick Johnstone/Georgia Langdon, CMS Strategic
+44 (0) 208 748 9797
nick.johnstone@cmsstrategic.com
Note to Editors:
Throughout two decades ITEC has provided a forum for the display of significant new training capabilities and the discussion of issues of key importance to the global training community. Today ITEC is owned by Clarion Events, which runs a number of highly successful defence and security conference and exhibitions including Defence & Security Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology. www.itec.co.uk
About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three event organising companies in the United Kingdom. Currently Clarion Events employs a talented staff of 280+ people in eleven offices: London (Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Hatton Garden); Cheltenham; Birmingham (NEC); The Netherlands (Maarsen); South Africa (Cape Town); USA (Connecticut and Reno); Brazil (Sao Paulo); Dubai; Singapore.