ITEC 2009 will mark the 20th birthday of this thriving defence training, education and simulation conference and exhibition.

08:09 GMT, October 6, 2008 Last year’s event attracted 2,613 visitors and delegates to its host city Stockholm – a record attendance for the show whose successful format includes being held in different cities each year. In 2009 ITEC is being staged from 12-14 May at the BrusselsExpo in Belgium. In addition to the annual ITECs in Europe, there have been ITEC organised events in major Asian cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong.

ITEC began to really catch the imagination of its audience from an early stage as its format included serving army, navy and airforce personnel – representing a wide range of defence forces – talking about their operational experiences so that delegates could really understand how training and technology related to what was happening in theatres around the world. An emphasis on case studies really brings training strategies and technologies – and the impact they can have on operations – to life.

Recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have thrown up many examples of how everything from simulation technologies to the latest training theories are being employed out in theatre while 19 years ago combating some of the terrorist activities taking place in Northern Ireland at that time were some of the first case studies heard by ITEC audiences.

The whole training and simulation industry has really opened up to different exciting potentials thanks to a reduction in the cost of computers, other hardware and the increasing use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software. In addition to this, the worldwide popularity of gaming technology has meant that low cost graphics are the most realistic they have ever been – driven by consumer demand, not just military need.

Themes of ongoing importance include looking at innovative but cost-effective technologies that enable interoperability – linking up simulators at various locations so that all three services can organise simulated exercises and joint training between different countries.