Where in the World Are the Most Important Medical Trade Fairs You Can’t Miss?

The healthcare industry has received the biggest push to adapt and evolve as we’re in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic made it necessary to figure out new ways to provide medical care and the rise in digital solutions and telemedicine has certainly left its imprint. Fact of the matter is that manufacturers have been incentivized to come up with new services, products and solutions.

This leads us to the medical trade fairs, where you will get the most out of your visit. Where is the product portfolio the richest? Where are the business opportunities the best? Keep reading!

COMPAMED in Dusseldorf, Germany

COMPAMED focuses on advancements made in medical technology and does its best to inform trade visitors about emerging trends and new research every single year. The trade fair enjoys a high level of popularity on the territory of Europe, though now its reach has extended to markets such as China, South Africa, Pakistan, Taiwan, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Editions are well attended with COMPAMED 2021 resulting in 46,000 trade visitors and over 3,500 exhibitors, which are shared with MEDICA.

The audience is comprised of medical, dental, ophthalmic optics and health professionals, looking to research new products across a broad range of product groups – component manufacturing services, end product services and manufacturing, equipment for manufacturing, OEM equipment, components, and modules, microtechnology, electrical and electronic components, adhesives and raw materials, IT and software. The support programme is certainly a strong selling point with the DiMiMED and MEDICA MEDICINE+SPORTS conferences as definitive highlights.

Image: Clinlabint

MEDICA in Dusseldorf, Germany

COMPAMED runs side by side with MEDICA – a key medical trade fair of international import. Together the two events are responsible for a combined attendance of 46,000 trade visitors and over 3,500 exhibitors in 2021. This confirms its essential role in furthering medical research and making cross-border procurement possible across many international markets. You have all the major disciplines well represented - pharmacy, medical technology, healthcare, dental medicine, ophthalmic optics, and sports medicine.

MEDICA is known for its information programme complete with forums and competition. Since digitalisation and remote medicine have been growing in popularity since the pandemic, one of the most interesting events is the MEDICA Health IT Forum. You have top engineers, researchers and developers dive deep into the hottest topics such as virtual care & digital therapeutics, medical artificial intelligence & robotics, fields of innovation and societal aspects of digitised healthcare.

Image: Ukhealthcarepavilion

ESC Congress

The ESC Congress is put together by the European Society of Cardiology and currently enjoys the reputation as the only international congress of cardiovascular medicine in Europe that matters. The congress doesn’t stay put in one location, but travels around major cities like Paris, Munich, Stockholm, Amsterdam and London. ESC Congress 2022 took place in Barcelona. Changing the location each year creates different visitor profiles and gives each edition its own unique flavour.

On average, the event attracts some 200 exhibitors and 32,000 healthcare professionals from 150 countries visit. This results in an incredible body of work shared amongst top-tier names in the world of cardiovascular medicine - 4,500 abstracts and 500 expert sessions. This is where the groundbreaking research is shared to the widest audience possible. The exhibition centre unites physicians, nurses, engineers, medical technicians, administrators and paramedics.

Image: Escardio

Arab Health in Dubai, UAE

The Middle East has found its go-to procurement platform for the pharmaceuticals, hospital, and healthcare industries in the face of Arab Health. Each year, the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre fills to the brim with medical professionals, who want to survey new products, make purchases and participate in knowledge exchange. The Middle East certainly presents a lot of opportunities for manufacturers and innovators. You can see this in the sheer volume of visitors (40,200+ healthcare professionals) and popularity among exhibitors (2800+ from 70 countries).

The trade show supports a multidisciplinary approach. The exhibition space is organised around a lot of specialised areas: Disposables, Healthcare & General Services, Healthcare Transformation, Healthcare infrastructure & Assets, Imaging, IT, International /Medical Devices, Medical Equipment & Devices, Orthopaedics and Wellness & Prevention. In addition, you’re spoiled for choice in regards to supporting programming between 11 different conferences and a series of smaller side events.

Image: Ntradeshows

CPhI China in Shanghai, China

Further East, we move to China and the CPhI China. This annual trade show is currently the largest specialised pharmaceutical event across Asia, which makes it a prime point to penetrate the whole continent. Connect with top-tier senior personnel from Korea, Japan, Vietnam and India.

It’s a perfect overview of the entire value chain - fine chemicals, intermediates, pharma logistics, pharma machinery, finished dosage, laboratory equipment, CMO & CRO. This translates to high attendance. You meet 66,569 trade visitors and have access to products and solutions from 3246 international exhibitors. The information programme makes it worth attending in order to learn the state of affairs in Asia.

Image: Pharmaexcipients

OTWorld in Leipzig, Germany

OTWorld specialises in disability equipment, care and convalescence and has established itself as the must-attend trade fair in Europe. It’s where the entire professional community in the disability sector meets to talk business and source new products. The main reason for the over 18,800 trade visitors who attended OTWorld 2022 is to make purchases and exchange knowledge. The 440 exhibitors present the next generation in orthopaedics, rehabilitation, podiatry, shop fittings, raw materials and compression therapy.

The biennial trade show breaks new ground with the generous support of the Federal Association for Orthopedic Technology. For over 50 years, OTWorld has been the go-to sourcing platform and source of knowledge. The Technical Forum for Rehabilitation brings in top medical experts that are working in the field today to break down cutting-edge technologies for improving the quality of life of patients. Of course, you have to stay for the World Congress, where the most important keynote speeches are scheduled and then uploaded on the fair’s digital platform.

Image: 360-ot

EXPOMED EURASIA in Istanbul, Turkey

A natural bridge between the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, Expomed Eurasia maintains a high level of internationality. The international trade fair specialises in medical technologies and devices. Its product portfolio extends to hospital build & medical facility management; electro-medical equipment & laboratory technologies; OTC products; physiotherapy & rehabilitation; and consumables & commodities.

Attendance sits at 600 exhibiting companies and a total of 24,000 trade visitors during its hybrid format. The Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center welcomes nurses, doctors, pharmacists and technicians every single year. Expomed Eurasia 2023 is set to strengthen its digital offers and create even more opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.

Image: Medikalnews

Hospitalar in São Paulo, Brazil

The last spot on our list is dedicated to Hospitalar – your access point to the vast South American market, which has seen incredible growth. There’s potential to meet key buyers from Brazil and its neighbouring countries. The annual trade fair is an unmissable marketplace for hospitals to get furniture, utensils, electromedical equipment, orthosis, prosthetics, rescue equipment, ambulances, vehicle converters and consumer goods from a total of 1200 exhibitors.

This top-to-bottom approach guarantees interest from hospital officers and managers, laboratory and practice technicians, doctors, nurses, hospital input manufacturers, distributors, healthcare facilities and other institutions. On average 90,000 trade visitors come together at the São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center.