Presenting the latest technology, strategies and services at the exhibition Future Soldier Czech Republic 2008 were 144 commercial exhibitors from 20 countries and another 19 national exhibits and delegations. 7,607 visitors from 36 countries came to the Prague Exhibition Center in Letňany to see what the equipment and weapons of the soldier of the 21st century will look like.
Participating at the International Conference URBAN PEACEKEEPERS were 214 registered auditors from 21 countries.
We would like to thank all of the exhibitors and partners for participating, and we are looking forward to seeing you again two years from October at the exhibition Future Soldier Czech Republic 2010.
Future Solider has won itself a place in Prague
A project titled Future Soldier Czech Republic 2008 was historically the 8th international military exhibition intended for representatives of member states in NATO, Partnership for Peace and Mediterranean Dialogue. This long-term project is organized under the patronage of the national director for armaments - director of the Armaments Division of the Defense Ministry of the Czech Republic. The guarantors of expertise for the event are the Defense Industry Association of the Czech Republic and the Association of Manufacturers and Sellers of Weapons and Ammunition of the Czech Republic, Media partner of exhibition is MS LINE.
Also taking place within the framework of the exhibition was the evaluation of individual exhibits, with the participation of an expert international jury of foreign journalists. Seated on the jury were representatives of the most important publishers in the field from the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Poland and Italy as well as, for example, from Lebanon. Winning the golden plaque were the firms Elbit and MPI Group, while silver plaques were won by presentations of the Czech companies VOP-026 Štenberk s.p., Universita obrany (University of Defense) and Česká zbrojovka.
The three-day exhibition Future Soldier Czech Republic 2008 focused on the findings of research, new technologies and materials, concepts and opportunities for international cooperation in the implementation of the integrated future soldier system. From now we are beginning to prepare the next event, which is to be held two years from now again in Prague. How successful this year's exhibition was and what direction Future Soldier Czech Republic will take in the future is outlined by its director, Jan Sajdl:
How did you see this year's exhibition and how would you evaluate it?
This exhibition actually brought to fruition my ten years of experience in the area of cooperation with various NATO work groups in the area of soldiers' gear and personal protective equipment, and it was also the third exhibition that we have organized, again bringing together the offerings of manufacturers with the real, current needs of soldiers engaged in operations. From the responses of our now traditional exhibitors, meaning those who have taken part at the exhibition from the very beginning, obvious is the large, clearly positive shift in perception of the exhibition Future Soldier by the international community of experts. Especially appreciated is its very narrow focus on the issues of the soldier of the future, certainly the "anchoring" of the exhibition in the middle of Europe, and its rather intimate, friendly atmosphere, which is - in the words of a delegate from the United Kingdom - "business friendly."
How did cooperation go with the Ministry of Defense, under whose patronage this year's Future Soldier exhibition was held?
The Ministry of Defense naturally played a major role already in the phase of initial preparations of the plan for bringing this specialized international meeting at a particular time to the Czech Republic and in presenting the kinds of arguments that would be acceptable for all of the other partner countries in the individual NATO work committees and other international organizations. This was a very long, drawn-out process, and the Ministry of Defense handled it brilliantly. Its other steps in the actual realization included international coordination, assembling the exhibition's preparations committee with representatives from all departments of the Army of the Czech Republic, the realization of the exhibition itself and active participation at the conference - for the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, for years this has been a proven professional process, and once again this time, it all came off without a hitch.
You must have had the chance to view the stands of the individual countries. Which one interested you the most? And how did you like the presentation of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic?
Since one of our fundamental goals is to contribute towards making more visible the capabilities of the Czech armaments industry, I am understandably especially proud of the participation of Czech firms, but the foreign guests were taken by the presentation of the Army of the Czech Republic as a whole. This does not merely involve a stand with a unified presentation of individual elements; instead it is above all about the many tiny pieces all around that make all the more of a contribution towards the total result. For example, the arranging of security during the exhibition or the presentations of a new generation of professionals - that is, students from the University of Defense in the role of assistants for national delegations with perfect foreign language preparation. The foreign participations rated very highly not only just the presence of top officials from the defense ministry and NATO at the opening ceremony, but also especially the very relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, in which they were able to spend time with them during very concrete, relevant debates at individual national exhibitions.
Is there something that you would like to improve for the next international exhibition that will be held two years from now?
We would like to increase the number of participating countries to include exhibitors that are not among the traditional participants in exhibitions in the Czech Republic and to expand the opportunities for Czech firms to present themselves on those new or "forgotten" markets. The next exhibition in 2010 will also allow more time for dynamic presentations of individual future soldier systems and will bring in more firms, for example, from the area of the digital battlefield. We would like to introduce possibilities within the framework of EDA and EU projects to a greater degree, and you definitely can expect more improvement of the quality of the expert conference Urban Peacekeepers. That, on the other hand, will not be changed; it is strictly focused only on experts, traders, manufacturers, development and acquisition centers - so it will keep its status as a "business to business" exhibition. So we still are not expecting it to be more oriented towards the lay public.