MEDICA and COMPAMED Hold their Own
in a Challenging and Demanding Market Environment
The demand market for medical technology and medical products is becoming increasingly challenging and discriminating worldwide. Providers are adapting to this on a flexible basis and furnishing appropriate answers that include innovations for modern and cost-efficient medical care.
Visitors were able to see this for themselves at MEDICA, the world's largest medical trade fair, and COMPAMED, the leading trade fair for the medical technology manufacturing supplier market, both of which took place in Düsseldorf. The slogan "Be Part of the No. 1" was embraced by experts from all areas of the health industry, who provided for a slight increase in the number of visitors to the fully utilised exhibition halls over the four days of the fair (18-21 November 2019).
"MEDICA and COMPAMED are the no. 1 market platforms for international business. Through their exhibitor and visitor numbers, they have confirmed their role as growth drivers for exports.
This is in the interests of suppliers, of whom a great deal is currently being demanded in this market environment. Increasing trade restrictions, uncertainty in regard to Brexit, growing pressure on margins and other challenges, including ever more complex approval procedures for medical products, should be mentioned in this context," says Wolfram Diener, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf, summing up the trade fair environment. Some 5500 exhibitors at MEDICA and nearly 800 at COMPAMED ensured a new record in participation. Something that was seen as positive particularly from the point of view of the many international exhibitors was the fact that more than 90 per cent of the 121,000 trade visitors have decision-making authority. Two-thirds of the visitors came from abroad, representing some 170 countries.
Numerous delegations with senior decision-makers from regions including Asia (such as Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Jurin Laksanawisit), North Africa and South America contributed to this high degree of internationality, which very much accommodates the export interests of many suppliers.
"MEDICA is not only the most important event of the year for many of our members from the medical technology sector. With its many visitors and exhibitors, it is also the world's leading trade fair for the industry", says Jörg Mayer, Executive Director of the German industry association SPECTARIS. Together with Germany's Association for Electromedical Technology (ZVEI), SPECTARIS organised the MEDICA TECH FORUM in Hall 12, which dealt with questions including international market access and regulatory requirements for medical technology and was well received by visitors. In this regard, there was a particular focus on the national markets of China and Russia.
Bringing together what belongs together
There nwas a great deal of positive feedback regarding the new allocation to nthe exhibition halls according to topic. The large national and ninternational joint exhibition areas were given more space in Halls 15 nto 17. The manufacturers of surgical instruments were moved from Hall 13n to Halls 10 and 11 so that they could be closer to the suppliers of ncomplete OR solutions and imaging processes, given the common ground nthey share thematically. The MEDICA segment relating to information and ncommunication technology for the first time was presented with its nexhibitors and specialist forums in Hall 13 (previously in Hall 15), nlinking it directly with the halls dedicated to medical technology and nelectro-medicine.
"The new concept is confirmed by the nconsistently high number of visitors in the halls. The MEDICA HEALTH IT nFORUM and the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM were real hotspots, withn high attendance on all days and a total of more than 10,000 visitors", nsays Horst Giesen, Global Portfolio Director for Health & Medical nTechnologies at Messe Düsseldorf, who was pleased with how well the new norganisation of the exhibitors and forums was received. The thematic nreorganisation was inspired by the fact that health IT is being regardedn less and less as an isolated discipline. Particularly in the areas of nelectro-medicine and medical technology, many innovations are nsoftware-driven (increasingly with the use of artificial intelligence) nand equipped with the necessary interfaces for secure integration into nnetwork structures.
Images: R. Eberhard, messekompakt.com, EBERHARD print & medien agentur gmbh
Source: Messe Düsseldorf