BEDEX, the Brussels European Defence Exhibition and Conference, opens at Brussels Expo from 12 to 14 March 2026, with the first two days reserved for defence and security professionals and the final day open to the general public.

The organisers present it as a new meeting point for industry, public authorities, armed forces, researchers and specialised media, with the event spread across Halls 7 and 11 at Brussels Expo.

The exhibition is notable above all because it is the first event of its kind in Belgium. While Paris, London and other capitals already host established defence fairs, Brussels has until now lacked a comparable platform despite its position as the seat of the EU institutions and NATO. That political geography is central to BEDEX’s pitch: the organisers describe Brussels as a gateway to Belgium, Europe and NATO, while Belgian officials have presented the fair as an opportunity to connect government, military and industry in one place.

The format reflects that dual ambition. According to the official programme, the professional days are aimed at exhibitors, government institutions, international buyers, state delegations and the specialised press, with an emphasis on product demonstrations, contract negotiations and high-level networking. The public day, by contrast, is designed to open the sector to a wider audience, including visitors interested in careers, training, technology and defence policy. The organisers say the public programme will include recruitment areas, interactive activities and direct contact with military personnel, engineers and cyber-security specialists.

The event’s political profile is unusually high for a first edition. NATO confirmed on 11 March that Secretary General Mark Rutte would take part in the official opening on 12 March and join a panel discussion during the conference. The official BEDEX programme also lists Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Defence Minister Theo Francken among the opening participants, underlining that the exhibition is being treated not simply as a commercial fair but as a strategic gathering with institutional backing.

That matters because BEDEX arrives at a moment when defence spending, industrial capacity and military readiness have moved back to the centre of European politics. Belgium, like several other European states, is under pressure to expand defence investment and modernise procurement in response to the war in Ukraine and broader security concerns on the continent. In that context, a Brussels-based exhibition serves several functions at once: it allows companies to market equipment, governments to signal priorities, and officials to demonstrate support for a stronger domestic and European defence-industrial base.

The commercial side is substantial. Belga reported at the event’s launch in February that more than 150 companies would be present, including around 50 Belgian firms, and that the exhibition was already fully booked. The official BEDEX site also points to a broad exhibitor base across sectors including drones, aerospace, naval systems, robotics, software, consulting, telecommunications and armaments. The exhibitor directory includes firms from Belgium and a wide range of foreign states, among them Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Türkiye and South Korea.

The structure of the show suggests that BEDEX is intended to be more than an arms display. The homepage highlights demo zones and recruitment areas alongside the exhibition itself, and the public-facing material places considerable emphasis on jobs, training and careers. That approach appears designed to broaden the event’s appeal at a time when defence is being framed not only as a matter of procurement, but also as an industrial, technological and labour-market issue. In that sense, BEDEX mirrors a wider European shift in which defence policy is increasingly tied to innovation, manufacturing capacity and skills development.

There is also a symbolic dimension. Holding the event in Brussels places the defence industry in the political heart of Europe at a time when EU institutions are placing greater emphasis on defence industrial policy. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space has listed BEDEX in its public events calendar, describing it as a three-day event focused on common security and defence policy and public safety. That listing does not make BEDEX an EU event, but it does show that the exhibition is being recognised within the Union’s wider defence-policy environment.

Whether BEDEX becomes a fixture will depend on what it produces beyond the opening ceremony: contracts, partnerships, political attention and repeat attendance. The organisers intend it to become an annual event, and Belgium’s government is clearly treating this first edition as a test of whether Brussels can sustain a permanent defence exhibition with European relevance. What is already clear is that BEDEX has been conceived as more than a trade fair. It is also a statement that Belgium wants a more visible place in Europe’s defence conversation, and that Brussels intends to host not only the politics of European security, but also some of its industrial business.