Three Counties Defence and Security Expo hailed a huge success

This year’s Three Counties Defence and Security Expo (3CDSE) has been hailed a huge success by industry leaders, large and small, and military personnel who attended. The two-day event, at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern was an opportunity to showcase the latest innovations for the Special Forces Defence Sector.

The first day saw the Ministry of Defence hold its own Special Projects Industry Day at the event for the first time. It included Classified briefings to business developers regarding future and current threats, present requirements of the military and how business relationships develop throughout the procurement process. The evening was spent at Eastnor Castle, where a networking Innovation Dinner was enjoyed in the picturesque setting.

The main Expo event was the biggest to date, and saw more than 100 Exhibitors demonstrating the latest technologies being used by the Armed Forces, Special Forces, Intelligence Agencies and Disaster Relief professionals across the world. With more than 120 MoD personnel amongst the 1500 delegates in attendance, it was an opportunity for those developing cutting-edge technologies to speak directly to end-users.

Displays included the latest developments in Drones, Protective Clothing, Cyber Security, Frontline Medical Kits and Mind Control Technology and workshops and presentations took place throughout the day in two designated theatres.

Brigadier Robin Anderton-Brown, Head of Capability Special Projects, Joint Forces Command said: “3CDSE provides a key opportunity for the Capability Sponsor, Delivery Agency and industry partners to connect, gain a clearer understanding of not only the current equipment capability programme but also help inform future requirements. If we are to address future threats we must continue to work with industry in a collaborative manner, identify and implement mechanisms to improve our acquisition agility, exploit innovation opportunities and ensure our forces are prepared and equipped to meet the challenges of the future operating environment.”

Richard Morgan, is Head of Litigation and Defence Security for Harrison Clark Rickerbys (HCR) and founded 3CDSE. He said: “Our event brings together technology innovators serving Special Forces Hereford, GCHQ Cheltenham and Qinetiq Malvern, and support MoD’s objective to streamline procurement to ensure that up-to-date systems are available to front-line forces when they need them.”

Mark Smith, MD of headline sponsor Level Peaks Associates said: “For Level Peaks Associates, this year’s 3CDSE show was the most important yet; a chance to showcase our world-class Original Equipment Manufacturers, our unique experience-led system capabilities, and the opportunity to meet and build lasting relationships with like-minded, leading edge pioneers. I see 3CDSE continuing to develop into the ‘must attend’ event in the UK for Defence & Security SMEs.”

Tony White, of Ultra Electronics showed off his UltraLynx Soldier Worn Power and Data solution and was one of the presenters who demonstrated his research in the Innovation Theatre. He gave a live-demo of the ground-breaking Brain Computer Interface technology, showing how it can be exploited to provide control parameters to other connected devices. He said: “The Expo once again provided an excellent opportunity to showcase our latest products to the user community and stimulate useful B2B conversations”.

James Marment, Director at Exsel Group said “We were delighted to exhibit at the Three Counties Defence & Security Expo 2019. It was very well attended and we were able to forge relationships with new companies, discovering exciting new business opportunities as well as catch up with long-standing existing clients. Exhibiting at the show this year meant we could stand out from the crowd and show off our brand and our products successfully and we are looking forward to exhibiting again next year.”

Richard Morgan, on behalf of Harrison Clark Rickerbys solicitors, reinforced his commitment to the Armed Forces Community by re-signing the Armed Forces Covenant on the fifth anniversary of the firm’s original declaration. He was joined by a number of other businesses, some of whom were signing the Covenant for the first time.