British invade Halifax

The British are back in Halifax – in force. More than 25 companies from England, Scotland and Wales will be staffing United Kingdom Pavilion booths at DEFSEC Atlantic 2010. The executive director of DEFSEC and the Nova Scotia International Air Show, Colin Stephenson credits the British invasion for helping to increase the number of exhibitors from 65 last year to 90 in 2010. He called it the single largest aerospace and defence industry the United Kingdom has ever sent to Canada.

Stephenson said the physical space of the show, housed dockside in the Cunard Centre, has increased by 25 percent. Last year, he said, almost 1,000 people visited the premier east coast defence show. "So we expect dramatic growth this year," he said. "We're a bit of a gateway to Canada for many people." DEFSEC began life in the mid-1990s as an adjunct to the air show in Halifax, and since it moved into its present setting for years ago, Stephenson says the exhibition has consistently sold out all its physical space.

In part, Stephenson said, the credit for the show's success lies in its 'open door' policy of not requiring exhibitors to hold membership in a group or association.