IDEX 2005 awards presented at glittering ceremony at Emirates Palace

Major General Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Commander of the Amiri Court gave away the awards at a glittering ceremony attended by Sheikhs, dignitaries, military personnel, exhibitors and guests.

The USA was awarded the Largest Overall National Pavilion and Russia got the award for the largest number of participants within a national pavilion. The UK won the Best Overall National Pavilion award. "IDEX 2005 brought together people from over 50 countries with exhibitors totaling 906. This gave us the golden opportunity of showcasing the UAE in general and the emirate of Abu Dhabi in particular as a unique destination that is rich in both business opportunities as well as culture and heritage," said Ahmad Humaid Al Mazrouei, Director-General of General Exhibitions Corporation (GEC) the organizers of the event.

The other award winners were:
• Finmeccanica for the Best Exhibition Stand Design (Indoor),
• Renault Trucks for the Best Exhibition Stand Design (outdoor)
• UAE's CERT Higher Colleges of Technology for the most Innovative Exhibition Stand Design (Arabian).
• The International Golden Group won the award for the largest number of participants within an Arabian Pavilion.
• Embraer of Brazil got Special Appreciation for the Farthest Travelling Exhibitor.
• ADI Ltd Bushmaster won the award for the Best Mobility Demonstration Performance.
• The most promising first time small business exhibitor went to Chaiseri (Bangkok) Co. Ltd.
• DESO (UK Ministry of Defence) Defence Export Services Organisation won the Most Innovative Exhibition Stand Design (Indoor) award while the UAE Armed Forces surveillance & reconnaissance technology won the Most Innovative Stand Design (Outdoor) award.

• The other award winners were:
• Best Live Artillery Firing - Konsberg Defence & Aerospace AS
• Best TV coverage - Abu Dhabi TV
• Best Press Coverage - Al Ittihad Newspaper
• Best Service Provider - Salem Freight/Kuhne & Nagei (joint venture)
• Sponsor Appreciation Award (telecoms support) - Etisalat
• Sponsor Appreciation Award (official carrier) - Etihad Airways
• Sponsor Appreciation Award (IT sponsor) - Seven Seas UAE
• Special Appreciation for first pavilion signed for IDEX 2005 - Creative Consulting GmbH.

Commenting on the award for Finmeccanica for the Best Exhibition Stand Design (Indoor), Giuseppe Maresca, Senior Vice President Marketing and Commercial Affairs of Finmeccanica, said: 'This is a very important prize for Finmeccanica. It confirms not only the quality of the image of the group, but mainly the high quality of its products and integrated solutions offered to customers worldwide'.