MEDICA 2013: Meeting point for top decision-makers in the medical industry

Once again, from 20 to 23 November 2013, the professional scene in the international health and medical care industry looks toward Düsseldorf. Throughout this period, the initiation will take place of the MEDICA 2013 - World Forum for Medicine, the world’s largest medical trade fair and the and the COMPAMED 2013 - High Tech Solutions for Medical Technology, the leading trade fair for the supplier market for medical technology manufacturing. Both events provide for a seamless continuation of the top participation results shown in the previous year. 4,641 exhibitors from 66 countries are participating in the MEDICA 2013 (previous year: 4,594). This year, even the COMPAMED is expecting more exhibitors than ever – 681 exhibitors from 37 nations (previous year: 642/ Dates for COMPAMED: 20 – 22 November 2013). Together, all 19 halls of the Düsseldorf exhibition grounds are going to be fully occupied again at the MEDICA and COMPAMED 2013. 

Three quarters of all MEDICA exhibitors come from abroad and occupy 63 per cent of the floor space available. The strongest demand for MEDICA 2013 bookings, after Germany (approx. 42,700 m²), originates from Italy (approx. 10,450 m²), China (7,800 m²), USA (6,150 m²), Great Britain (4,690 m²), France (4,400 m²) as well as the Netherlands (3,600 m²). 

Even though MEDICA looks back on a history of more than 40 years of success, the MEDICA one year is never the same as the MEDICA in previous one. Product ranges in the trade fair and the congress programme are continually adapted to the changing requirements of visitors. It is only in this way to bring the exhibitors together with the proper target groups,” explained Joachim Schäfer, managing director of the Messe Düsseldorf, thus providing information on why the MEDICA 2013 is once again able to implement a multitude of new ideas making them a reality. 

A considerable improvement this year at the MEDICA includes a relaunch of the congress programme content along with extending the international part of the programme. In doing so, the MEDICA EDUCATION CONFERENCE will constitute the basis for general medical topics or also practical courses using the devices, which remain certified with CME points for continuous medical education. In addition, there are seminars on interdisciplinary topics, which are highly relevant across disciplines such as emergency medicine or gender-specific medicine. 

Meanwhile, already this year at the Congress Center Düsseldorf, English-language programme components are a series of talks on current issues with regard to individualised medicine, gender medicine, infectiology, hygiene, as well as an international conference on disaster and military medicine, and a premium event for the international sports medicine specialist field. 

An integral component of the MEDICA 2013 is the 36th German Hospital Conference as the leading information and communication platform for hospital management in Germany. At the same time, top decision-makers from Europe's hospitals are expected on 20 November 2013 at the second EUROPEAN HOSPITAL CONFERENCE (EHC) in Düsseldorf. The EHC takes place every two years. This year, the focus is on the European patients' directive and liability issues in connection with medical malpractice. 

With regard to product developments in the field of medical technology, the "mega trends" (computerisation, molecularisation and miniaturisation) have not at all lost any of their strength in past years. This is something that will also thematically characterise the MEDICA 2013. 

Consequently, the use of IT in the healthcare sector continues to progress. Examples of this are, for instance, solutions for computer-based microscopy and laboratory automation (in the field of laboratory technology), computer-based surgery or anaesthesia and the interconnection of medical imaging (in the field of medical technology/electromedicine), spanning all the way to wireless solutions for real-time monitoring of patients and compact telemedicine applications for the remote use of medical practice and clinic (field of health IT). 

Meanwhile, molecular medicine findings form the basis for the rapid developments in the field of biomarker tests. Irrespective of whether it is a question of diagnosing viral infections or cancers, the number of biomarkers identified as indicators of disease is ever greater and, for this reason, there are more and more tests available for the laboratory medicine analysis devices. Hundreds of biomarkers are known already. Their number will certainly increase further in the years ahead. In addition, the devices with which they are verified will become more compact as well. In this connection, it will be possible to implement them more in a more cost efficient manner at the point of care (place of treatment). 

In the year before, the MEDICA and the COMPAMED recorded a total of 130,600 visitors. More than half of the visitors came from abroad. The target audience of both events are “professionals in the field”, not patients. 

Opening hours of MEDICA and COMPAMED 2013: 10:00 am - 6:30 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5:00 pm (MEDICA only).

Source: MEDICA