It’s that time of year again when businesses plan for annual marketing events.
So, the
SOF Technology Association evaluated 40+ international venues and selected the best events, with the following weighted scorecard approach:
- Access to Capital: Knowing about government budgets and upcoming opportunities are critical to business growth. Access to key client decision makers and other forms of capital were weighted highest.
- Access to Operators: In this vertical, getting technology in the hands of operators is the key to success. Many government SOF acquisition leaders will tell you they don’t write the requirements, the operators do. So, we also weighted participation of U.S. and Coalition federal, state, and local SOF operators.
- Costs: Finally, we rated travel, registration, and exhibition costs for U.S. companies to participate. We know sound marketing decisions come down to Return on Investment (ROI) so, we scored these events for the highest yield.
Click here to see the full list of 40+ events and their prospective 2019 dates.
Here are the Top 7 venues for showing your technology to special operations in 2019.
#1
SOCOM Technical Experimentation (TE)
[Multiple events announced throughout the year]
The top event isn’t even a trade show. As a matter of fact, SOCOM states on their website, “TE is
NOT a marketing event or trade show, so send your engineers!” SOCOM conducts TE events throughout the United States with Government, academia, and private industry representation several times a year. TE provides a unique opportunity for technology developers (with TRL 3+ technology) to interact with the SOF community in a collaborative environment.
Our Notes: Leave the business suits, brogans, and heels at home. This is not an air conditioned trade show booth event. This is a cargo pants and sturdy footwear demonstration of your technology, in a field environment. Organizers are only there to ensure your safety and that you get access to the SOF operators, analysts, and acquisition officials. So, show up with a plan. You have to cover your own travel and logistics expenses but, you don’t have to pay any other costs for space, power, etc. like you do at trade shows. There is no better venue for having serious hands on discussions with highly engaged SOF operators and buyers. SOCOM usually conducts four TE events per year. Each event is conducted in a different location.
#2
Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC)
20 - 23 May 2019 Tampa, FL
SOFIC is THE venue for the SOF community to interact with industry and to collaborate on the challenges, initiatives and way-ahead in delivering the most cutting-edge capabilities into the hands of SOF operators. The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) does a great job organizing and managing this massive event routinely exceeding 11,000 attendees.
Our Notes: SOFIC is more than just a trade show, it’s a happening with a wide array of other independent events and venues that same week in Tampa. The NDIA website states, “The exhibit space application period has now closed.” Don’t despair, there are other ways you can show your product to SOF that week. Take a look at our LinkedIn Article, “
3 Ways To Make The Most Of Your SOFIC
” for some ideas.
#3
SOFWERX
[Multiple events announced throughout the year]
SOFWERX was created under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement between DEFENSEWERX and SOCOM. Located in Tampa, FL, SOFWERX has a very dynamic environment designed to create a high rate of return on collision for all participants. Through the use of their growing ecosystem, promotion of divergent thought, and neutral facilitation, their goal is to bring the right minds together to solve challenging problems.
Our Notes: With the recent opening of AFwerX and MGMWERX, it looks like SOCOM may have inspired a trend with this novel concept that brings innovators and operators together to create rapid successes. SOCOM expanded the concept to include a DirtyWERX for mechanical innovation in an old body shop, DroneWERX for rapid drone innovation, and TeamWERX for prize challenges.
#4
Global SOF Foundation Symposia
5 - 7 March 2019 Tampa, FL
1 - 3 October 2019, Bruxelles, Belgium
The Annual Global SOF Symposia events consistently bring together the international special operations community to focus on strategic security issues, with an emphasis on building significant relationships. Countries are rapidly proliferating their Special Operations Forces to serve as a bulwark against modern unrestricted warfare and this is the trade show for showing your technology to international SOF partners.
Our Notes: This is a top notch event routinely attracting the highest levels of Coalition SOF partner leadership. GSF is the only overseas SOF event hosted and operated by a U.S. non-profit. Headquartered in Tampa, GSF and their event organizers strive to cater to your conference needs and maximize the benefits of your investment.
#5
SOFINS
2 - 4 April 2019, Bordeaux, France
This biennial event attracts 4,000 visitors, 230+ exhibitors, and 50 foreign delegations. The conference consists of meetings, R&D workshops, dynamic tests of equipment in real conditions. The operating conditions allow SOF to test new technologies during the event.
Our Notes: They do a great job of focusing on small business at this event. The Arbalete Lab is a space reserved for startups selected by the Circle of the Crossbow to present their innovations to SOF. Unique among SOF conferences, this event has the Crossbow Circle providing industry and SOF with new test areas and new testing tools. Test area events are broadcast on the big screen of the test areas with a dedicated film crew including a 300 meter indoor shooting range, drone flight area, and test track.
#6
SOCOM PEO-SOF Warrior and JSOC Industry Day
November 2019
This annual event is hosted by SOCOM Program Executive Office Special Operations Forces Warrior (PEO-SW) and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The purpose of this event is to provide industry with an opportunity for a focused engagement with members of PEO-SW and JSOC to share ideas that facilitate the delivery of innovative capabilities to Special Operations Forces (SOF).
Our Notes: This isn’t your typical industry day. This is a two-day event with focused engagement by SOF operators and buyers. Day 1 starts with the typical industry day General Session open to all interested vendors, with an overview of PEO-SW warfighting commodity areas, and forecasted contracting opportunities. Following the General Session, the remainder of the event consists of 60 minute, invitation-only sessions for selected vendors to discuss their White Paper and/or Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Proposal submissions addressing the Capability Needs are detailed in the 2018
FBO announcement
.
#7
Annual SO/LIC Symposium & Exhibition
February 2019
Although SOFIC is the biggest event of the year, SO/LIC is the oldest. 2019 will be the 30
th annual conference in the Washington, DC area to reach the decision makers at the Pentagon and other government agencies. This conference is to engage industry and government to meet the needs of U.S. Special Operations and to interface with interagency operations to achieve national military and security strategic objectives. To help meet these needs, the SO/LIC exhibition provides the platform for companies to present new products in which U.S. military and international law enforcement, and intelligence organizations, can purchase to implement in this battle.
Our Notes: Like SOFIC, this event is organized and managed by NDIA. So, you get the same high quality event. However, it is a slightly different audience with D.C. area inter-agency, Coalition partners, and federal law enforcement agencies. The agenda usually does not focus on acquisition programs and budgets, like the other events listed above. Instead, the agenda usually focuses on more strategic issues, at the senior policy level. However, unlike SOFIC, they still have exhibit space available.
