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.

This year’s ITEC conference and exhibition in London will feature a broad mix of companies from the global training and simulation community, including several ‘first time exhibitors’ and a number of companies returning after an absence of some years.

An influx of new blood and the return of key players to the event ensure the conference continues to provide topical coverage of the industry, focused on bringing exhibitors, delegates and visitors together in an environment that is not only collegial but also cutting edge in terms of technologies, projects and commercial innovation.

First time exhibitors are not limited to smaller companies using ITEC to emphasise their innovative approach to the market. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Europe will be showcasing its training capabilities in air traffic management as well as other domains, building on recent contract awards in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Further down the supply chain, Szenaris GmbH will be exhibiting its distance learning and virtual reality solutions for the first time in its own right, since emerging from the training and simulation division of Ray Sono AG (a long time supporter of ITEC) in 2009. Turkey’s Havelsan will be exhibiting for the first time, taking the opportunity to profile its wide range of flight simulators and weapons systems trainers, including electronic warfare training.

An equally visible sign of continuing support for the conference is the number of companies returning to active participation in the event after an absence of some years. Industry giant Thales is actively involved in ITEC 2010, as is Rheinmetall, both companies having been absent from recent ITECs. Meggitt Training Systems also makes a return to ITEC this year.

PDM Training Solutions (PDM TS), will be exhibiting for the first time at the show and will be using the opportunity to showcase a number of training activities they are engaged in such as C Vehicle Capability Private Finance Initiative Contract – the provision of Training Needs Analysis for operators and maintainers of the UK MoD’s construction vehicles. PDM TS will also be delivering a presentation which explores the nature of problems experienced whilst delivering maintainer training as part of a long term contract and will explain how they have been overcome in the form of ‘lessons learned’.

Motivation for returnees is not limited to signs of economic growth emerging in the industry. Some companies will be highlighting significant contract events and progress since their last appearance at the conference. Metrix UK, the UK Ministry of Defence’s preferred partner for the massive Defence Training Rationalisation Package 1 (DTR) contract, which aims to recast technical training for the entire British armed forces, will be at ExCeL in May for its first ITEC presence since 2007. “With two contracts secured that address both training and property development aspects of DTR and with financial close for the contract now so close, we are very pleased to be able to return to ITEC and the opportunities it represents,” said Christopher Moseley, spokesman for the company.

Like most conferences in recent years, ITEC has suffered from the effects of the global recession and cutbacks in marketing budgets. According to ITEC Show Director Nina Bushell, however, ITEC has weathered the storm well and this year’s conference will prove the continuing viability of Europe’s premier event for the training and simulation community. “The brand has held up very well over the last twenty years and people have remained loyal to the event. Despite the economic climate, we have an increase in the number of exhibitors this year– including several first time attendees – and we anticipate an increase in traffic on the floor as well,” she said.

With new and returning exhibitors reinforcing the presence of the ‘usual suspects,’ ITEC 2010 appears set for another record year, at a point at which the future for the training and simulation community seems to be particularly robust.

www.itec.co.uk

ENDS

For further information please contact
Nick Johnstone or Georgia Langdon
CMS Strategic
Tel: +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 defense and security conference and exhibitions including Defence Security & Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology.

About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three event organizing 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.

Addressing the growing threat posed by cyber warfare will be central to debate at ITEC next month - marking a first in the event’s 21 year history. ITEC - Europe’s premier conference and exhibition for military training, education and simulation technology and services - takes place at ExCeL London from 18-20 May 2010.

Cyber defence – protecting critical national physical and virtual infrastructure from computer-based attack – has become a key component of potential conflict that military and governmental planners need to take into account, according to strategic thinkers in Europe and North America.

The use of computer-based attacks on the defence and economic infrastructure of a country is rapidly assuming a dominant role in strategic defence thinking. NATO receives at least 100 cyber attacks a day, while some sources in the United States indicate that such attacks on US interests, in both the governmental and private sectors, could be as high as 1.6 billion instances every day.

Some strategists believe that cyber warfare is poised to become the fifth dimension of future conflict, in addition to the air, land, sea and space environments. Cyber attacks could replace more traditional air campaigns at the outset of a conflict, crippling the targeted country’s ability to defend itself – or even sustain its economic and governmental capabilities in the critical opening moves of armed confrontation.

With at least 120 nations having developed some form of cyber attack capability, according to NATO sources, the problem of how to counter the cyber threat is a vitally important one. Education and training in how to develop, field and implement appropriate countermeasures are becoming ‘must have’ components of a cohesive defence strategy.

Cyber warfare is not a threat limited to the realms of science fiction. Apart from daily attacks on NATO and member nations’ governmental and commercial infrastructure, there is compelling evidence that coordinated cyber attacks were made on Estonia during its political confrontation with Russia in 2007 and on Georgia during the period leading up to its military conflict with Russia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008-2009.

ITEC’s conference session will examine the level and nature of the threat, its potentially catastrophic impact on unprepared and undefended infrastructure and how education and training can be leveraged to accelerate an appropriate response.

Professor Enn Tyugo from the Institute of Cybernetics at the Tallinn University of Technology will examine the 2007 attack on his country from the perspective of the impact it had – not only on the government, but on the daily activities of the inhabitants. Kevin Sheldrake and Steve Wilson from security software specialists Electric Cat Limited will scope the dimensions of the threat and John Curry from Bath University will address the issue of managing the training aspect.

The initial presentation session will be followed by a second session in which a panel discussion will aim to raise the level of debate on this critical issue. The emergence of such a theme in the ITEC forum speaks volumes for the seriousness with which national governments are treating the potential threat. Both sessions will be chaired by Paul Newman from the UK Ministry of Defence’s Capability Joint Training Evaluation & Simulation unit. “Cyber War is a real threat. Defence is not merely the realm of the IT specialist, firewall developer or hardware manufacturer but requires an integrated response from all levels within an organisation,” he said.

A brief background paper outlining some of the causes and consequences of cyber warfare is available on request.

www.itec.co.uk

ENDS

For further information please contact
Nick Johnstone or Georgia Langdon
CMS Strategic
Cell: +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 defense and security conference and exhibitions including Defence Security & Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology.

About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three event organizing 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.