MEDICA 2021 + COMPAMED 2021: Holding these trade fairs in-person has brought them back to life, with innovations galore and programme highlights

Eingangsbereich MEDICA + COMPAMED (Copyright: Constanze Tillmann/Messe Düsseldorf) / MEDICA + COMPAMED (Copyright: Constanze Tillmann/Messe Düsseldorf)

The medical technology business has a lot of topics on its agenda and needs direct exchange now more than ever

In the coming weeks, all of the big decision makers and professional experts from the international healthcare industry will finally be making their way to Düsseldorf once more. The world-leading medical trade fair MEDICA and COMPAMED, the leading international supplier trade fair, will relaunch in-person then. From Monday to Thursday (15 to 18 November), MEDICA’s 2,900 exhibitors and COMPAMED’s 490 exhibitors will arrive from a total of 70 countries and fly their flags in the trade fair halls. Their custom solutions for modern outpatient and inpatient treatment, increased digitalisation of the care processes and reliable partnerships from service providers and suppliers to prevent delivery and supply bottlenecks, all oriented around the COVID-19 pandemic, have grabbed more attention than ever before.

“The booking figures are encouraging, and were hardly expected to be at this level in spring. With the exception of two halls, the entire trade fair premises has been booked out again - naturally, we have introduced a hall plan that aims to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. The development for the start-ups is extremely pleasing. Thanks to rapid decision processes, they appear to have returned to normality in no time at all. 40 start-ups are taking part in the MEDICA START-UP PARK in Hall 12, which is more than ever before”, states Michael Degen, Executive Director of Messe Düsseldorf, reporting on the optimistic mood and vitality that are returning to the industry.

The countries that generally asked for the largest areas before the pandemic are, once again, represented in full force at MEDICA. Italy, South Korea, Turkey, the USA and other European nations, such as France, Spain, Great Britain and Poland, are all high on the list behind Germany. Pauline Kao, Consul General for the U.S. Consulate General in Düsseldorf, puts the reason for MEDICA’s international prominence in a nutshell, using the US’s participation as an example: “MEDICA is the most important trade fair in the world for medical devices and the USA is proud to be a perennial, strong partner to it. For over 40 years, our exporters of medical products have been attending MEDICA to present new technology and sell their products on the global market.”

The German service providers, including Marcus Kuhlmann, Leader for Medical Technology in the SPECTARIS German Industry Association, are also relieved that they can finally hit the ground running again at the in-person MEDICA event, after MEDICA was held entirely digitally last year due to the pandemic. “In order to shape the health market of tomorrow together, with innovative ideas and concepts, we need a strong industry network within the medical technology sector. Personal dialogue remains irreplaceable, even in this era of digital transformation, and our members are really looking forward to it after a pandemic that has lasted one and a half years. We are therefore even more delighted than usual to attend MEDICA and COMPAMED live on-site this year, and obtain new stimuli for the medical technology industry.”

Innovation for outpatient and inpatient care

The themed segments of MEDICA are based around meeting the entire range of needs for inpatient and outpatient care. The MEDICA segments are: Lab technology & diagnostics, electrotherapy and medical technology, disposables and consumables, information and communication technology (digital health) and physiotherapy and orthopaedic technology. Fittingly, the exhibitors at COMPAMED (held in Halls 13 and 14 this year) will showcase the entire range of products and services that the supplier market provides for medical technology: from individual components and parts, along with innovative materials, to packaging solutions and high-tech processes such as additive manufacturing or complete contract manufacturing.

A cutting-edge robotic device (from H-Robotics) for training wrist and ankle movement, whose function is based on the principles behind the E-bike, will be one of this year’s novel products. Its precise assist-as-needed control enables the patient to get the most out of their activities by providing them with the exact support they need during movement, and no more. With telemedical software and a smartphone connection, rehabilitation programmes can also be followed at home under remote supervision using this device. The Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering will premiere its process for mass production of stem cells to a global audience. Background information: With the help of cultured stem cells, new medications for conditions that have been incurable up until now, such as Alzheimer’s disease, can be created in the future. However, the consequence is that mass manufacturing of stem cells under high industrial quality standards is required for this. The Rollingpillow, brought out by the same company, may be less high-tech but still has a certain appeal. This is a novel cushion with a roll-and-rock mechanism (which is semicircular) that automatically corrects the body’s posture during sleep and prevents tension.

Programme highlights live on-site and online

The significant industry trends and themes, such as an increased demand for digital healthcare solutions or the challenges that service providers face in conjunction with the new EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR), are reflected in the range of products and services that the exhibitors offer and also in the programmes of the forums and accompanying conferences that are integrated into the trade fairs. In line with the hybrid event concept, the lectures, discussions and award ceremonies for many of these programme features can be followed either on-site at the forums’ stages in the trade fair halls or online via a live stream, accessible via the industry portals MEDICA.de and COMPAMED.de, depending on the preferences of the ticket holder.

This also applies for the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM (including the MEDICA Start-up COMPETITION and the Healthcare Innovation World Cup), the MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM and the MEDICA LABMED FORUM, among others. The COMPAMED HIGH-TECH FORUM by IVAM (the International Microtechnology Business Network) and the COMPAMED SUPPLIERS’ FORUM by DeviceMed are special COMPAMED highlights.

Further highlights of MEDICA 2021’s programme include the 44th German Hospital Conference (as a live stream) and the English language conferences DiMiMED and MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE. These conferences will gather together experts in the fields of military and disaster medicine and in sports medicine and science at the venue in Düsseldorf.

MEDICA and COMPAMED can be visited from 10 am to 6 pm on any day of the trade fair. All visitors and exhibitors must comply with the the 3G rule (they must be vaccinated, recovered or tested: this is what the three Gs stand for in German) in order to enter the trade fair premises. Tickets can only be purchased via the online ticket shop.