SMES-2011 Postponed to 28 - 30 November 2011

The second edition of the Security Middle East Show (SMES) has been postponed from its original date on 7-9 April 2011 to a new date on 28 - 30 November 2011. The homeland security event will take place at Biel Exhibition Center in the downtown area of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Decision to put off the event was due to the turbulent conditions the Middle East region is currently experiencing, and was at the wishes of many exhibitors as well as the main official supporters of the event: The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Over 60% of the exhibition space has been sold and 90% of the current exhibitors reconfirmed their continued participation in SMES-2011.
 The new date for SMES-2011 was picked at the recommendation of the ISF Director General Major General Ashraf Rifi in order to coincide with the Arab Police Chiefs' Summit (APCS) that will take place in Beirut Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2011 in Beirut. APCS is an annual event organized by the Arab League and rotates on Arab capitals. The ISF will work closely with SMES organizers to bring the 22 Arab police chiefs and their security delegations a day earlier to Beirut and have their meetings at BIEL in order to attend the Show. Now, SMES has a guaranteed audience of 22 senior security Arab delegations led by Police Chiefs, in addition to other regional and international security and defense delegations that will be invited by the LAF and other government agencies to attend SMES.
The organizing team will take advantage of this postponement to enhance the promotion  campaign and tour more international trade shows to market SMES. "Postponing SMES was not an easy decision," said Riad Kahwaji, CEO of INEGMA, organizer of the show. "We had to take many issues under consideration, but at the end we decided to place the interests of the majority of the exhibitors above all and we put off SMES to a new time that would hopefully be long enough to pass the turbulent situation in the region and to also coincide with the APCS."
SMES was launched in April 2009, and in its first edition attracted over 8,000 visitors and 85 companies at its launch and was covered by more than 90 international and regional media outlets. More than a dozen official delegations from Arab and friendly nations including Ministers attended SMES. The Show comprehensively covers important facets of homeland security-related equipment and solutions including technologies in border control and management, internal security, critical infrastructure protection, and counterterrorism. For more information on Show visit: www.smesbeirut.com.