Leading global public safety services company ESM Operations, contended with significant operational complexity to successfully oversee the considerable public safety requirements at the extremely high-profile World Defense Show (WDS), 8 - 12 February 2026), held in Saudi Arabia.

The monumental five-day event, which showcased exhibitors from across all five defence domains; Land, Air, Sea, Space, and Security, featured an extensive live land and air displays of advanced military assets. Whilst conducted in controlled areas, the demonstrations of advanced military technologies and manned/unmanned systems, by their very nature, pose safety risks. As a major international event with thousands of delegates, high-ranking officials, and exhibitors from 89 countries, the venue is a high-density area, posing risks related to crowd management and potential security breaches.

Simon Heathershaw, ESM Operations Director and principal Security Consultant for WDS 2026, explains: “ESM Operations worked very closely with the event organisers to ensure seamless security consultancy, crowd management and show control. Thorough preparation planning, state-of-the-art modelling and tabletop exercises allowed for the integrated alignment of all stakeholders in the communication, responsibility and operational elements in the case of an incident or emergency. Together, these measures ensured all eventualities with potential public safety implications were covered.”

Record participation was seen from international dignitaries and military leaders, including 513 official delegations from 121 countries. The show featured 1,486 exhibitors and was inaugurated by a senior government official. The decision on which public safety company to appoint as event partner was considered crucial, and the support received from the event operations partner was invaluable.

Founded in 2018, ESM Operations provides public safety services globally. From their three locations in the UK, Riyadh and Jeddah, the company’s highly experienced operations management team has supported major event organisers across over 150 sporting and music venues, operating across 30 countries, and ensuring the safety of over 35 million people to date. ESM Operations has trained over 20,000 event professionals through their ESM-certified Public Safety Training Course and Qualification offering, designed to help organisations build skilled, accredited teams for the event industry.

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