As we approach the 2025 episode of the Indo Pacific International Maritime Conference in Sydney – Australia’s premier exhibition and conference for maritime defence, naval industry, and sovereign capability – I’d like to explain why this event is critical not just for big defence primes, but also for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and for the wider industry ecosystem.

Drawing on BenchOn’s role and focus on supply chain connection, workforce utilisation and capability mapping, this article outlines what you need to know and how you can make the most of attending the Indo Pacific International Maritime Conference 2025 event.

Indo Pacific International Maritime Conference 2025 Overview

1. Expertise: Understanding the event and its significance

Indo Pacific 2025 is scheduled for 4–6 November at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), which will host this year’s maritime defence exhibition Sydney event. It’s described as the region’s “premier commercial maritime and naval defence exposition, connecting Australian and international defence, industry, government, academia, and technology leaders.”

The event will feature:

• Over 800 exhibitors from multiple nations.
• More than 90 symposia, conferences, and workshops focused on maritime defence, autonomous systems, ship-building, materials, cyber, and dual-use technologies.
• Strong support and participation from the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Department of Defence and State Governments.

Anecdotally, I’ve been told this will be the biggest Indo Pacific event by a long shot. Is it because of the green light from President Trump on AUKUS? Is it because of the huge investment in maritime capability? It doesn’t matter. It is here, and it’s going to be huge. From an SME perspective, this is significant.

Historically, access to these networks, to primes and to government procurement pipelines has been restricted or dominated by large tier-1 suppliers. Indo Pacific opens a door: a chance to learn, engage and plug into the broader supply chain in a meaningful way. And learn what you need to, to be successful in your chosen area.

2. Experience: What SMEs can practically gain

Visibility & Positioning:

SMEs often struggle to be seen by procurement decision-makers, primes or government buyers. At Indo Pacific, you’ll be in the same exhibition hall – the same meeting rooms – as those buyers. The State Governments, for example, offers SMEs the chance to exhibit as part of their pavilions, giving shared access to high-level delegations and international visibility. You will need to get in early though. If you are reading this, then you have missed the boat (see what I did there?) and it should be a priority for you to organise for the next one.

Networking & Matchmaking:

The curated programs include international delegations, business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) match-making sessions. For SMEs seeking partnerships – whether to supply materials, provide services, or collaborate on technology – this is fertile ground. Make sure to fully review the program, including the Hub Program, to ensure that you don’t miss any free and open events that can link you to potential buyers.

Technology & Innovation Showcase:

If you offer a dual-use technology, advanced manufacturing capability, or specialised services, this is your stage. The symposia will cover autonomy, unmanned systems, cyber, precision engineering, ship maintenance, logistics and more – areas where SMEs can stand out.

Read how BenchOn’s JOSCAR-enabled platform is streamlining Australian Defence procurement for SMEs.

Supply-Chain Access:

Larger contractors and primes will be walking the floor looking for sub-suppliers and niche capabilities. SMEs that position themselves with clarity (capability statements, prior performance, certifications) can jump into supply chains they might otherwise struggle to access. Ensure that your quad chart is up to date and clear!

3. Authoritativeness: Why BenchOn is committed and how we support this

At BenchOn, our mission is to empower businesses, regardless of size, to connect with opportunities, access networks, and optimise workforce and capability supply. As CEO, I’ve seen firsthand how smaller firms can operate below the radar of major procurement cycles. Indo Pacific aligns with our goal of unlocking those opportunities.

We bring to bear our platform-thinking and our networks: helping SMEs understand how to present themselves, how to respond to demand-signals, how to systemise their capability. Attending Indo Pacific is one practical step; we’ll be there, engaging, learning, and feeding back key insights to our community.

BenchOn, in conjunction with Innovation Norway and Hays Australia, will be holding an event in the Hub Program to announce the launch of the Defence Industry Alliance Link (DIAL). DIAL is the world’s first international defence industry sourcing system. This platform allows participating nations and their industries to connect seamlessly, enabling companies to win work from allied nations, expand exports, and access global capacity in people, products, and materials.

We will be looking to talk to Embassy’s and Industry Membership organisations to see which countries would like to be included in the launch. The event titled ‘Industry & Allies – Beyond the Pact (Expanding market presence and forging strategic alliances in AUKUS and beyond), will be held in Exhibition Hall 1 in the Nova Systems Theatrette at 11:00am – 11:50am. Be there!

4. Trustworthiness: What you should do to prepare and what to expect

Prepare your pitch and collateral:

Make sure your proposition is clear. What you do, what you have done, how it maps to defence/maritime needs. Bring concise one-pagers, your quad chart, your capability statement, a digital portfolio, and ensure your staff are briefed and they know your elevator pitch. There is nothing worse than staff giving different explanations of what you do. Note: All collateral should be aligned and focused on the maritime defence space.

Know your audience:

Defence procurement has its rhythms, its language, its expectations. Use the conference sessions to learn the agenda: sovereign capability, ship-building supply-chain, autonomous platforms, cyber-resilience. Frame your value accordingly and get inside what your customer really wants. Don’t sell your capability, sell your solution to their problem.

Engage in the ecosystem:

Don’t just exhibit – go to the sessions, join the networking events, ask questions of primes and government reps. Opportunities often come from serendipitous conversations. The Defence Industry Networking event is on Tuesday night. Normally, there are over 700 people at this event. It’s free, and there is no need to register. Find the info on LinkedIn and get there!

Follow up promptly, but not too promptly:

After the event, ensure you follow up with contacts made, BUT, not the next week after the conference. Many suppliers feel the need to ‘strike while the iron is hot’ and send an email straight away or on the following Monday. You have to put yourself into the shoes of the executives from the primes. They have had a week off work. They have been engaged by thousands of suppliers. They have mounting emails that have passing deadlines. Your email saying ‘nice to meet you and let me know if you have any questions’ will be instantly ignored in week one.

Give them some time to catch back up and get on top of things. You will get a better response if you do.

Final word 

Indo Pacific 2025 isn’t just “another trade expo”. It is the major opportunity for SMEs in Australia’s maritime and defence supply-chain ecosystem to step up. Whether you’re offering people (skills, workforce solutions), products (components, materials, platforms), or services (maintenance, logistics, training, cyber), this event gives you direct access to the key players, the forums, and the decision-makers.

As CEO of BenchOn, I am excited not just to attend, but to bring back insight, connections and pathway-opportunities for our network of businesses. If you are an SME looking to make a stronger play in the maritime or defence domain, mark 4–6 November, 2025 in your calendar. Begin your preparation now, because when you get the right mix of capability, connection and timing, your firm can move from being “a small supplier” to being a trusted partner in a national-scale supply chain.

We’ll see you there.