Save the date: MEDICA and COMPAMED from November 16 – 19, 2015 with new dates (Monday to Thursday)

For MEDICA 2015 and the parallel COMPAMED 2015, planning is already in full swing. And what applies to the MEDICA team of Messe Düsseldorf and the teams of partners regarding the conception of content for the accompanying conferences and the forums integrated into the trade fairs, should also apply to the many expected exhibitors and visitors of MEDICA and COMPAMED. Because it is important to mark new dates for the world's largest medical trade fair MEDICA and the internationally leading trade fair for suppliers of the medical technology industry, COMPAMED. Both events will run in Düsseldorf from this year onwards for four days in parallel, from Monday to Thursday, this year from November 16 to 19.

"This significant change is the result of intensive evaluations of exhibitor and visitor surveys as well as coordination with industry associations. Focusing on regular weekday workdays – instead of Wednesday to Saturday as before – allows for an even better distribution of the professional audience throughout the entire duration and a more balanced utilization of exhibitor presentations and their booth infrastructure," explains Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf.

A central strength of MEDICA is that it addresses solutions not only for individual medical disciplines at one location and time but for the entire "workflow" of patient care. This year, approximately 4,800 exhibitors from more than 60 nations will once again use MEDICA to showcase the full range of new products, services, and procedures for outpatient and inpatient patient care. No other event worldwide offers nearly this abundance of innovations.

An observable increase in booth space bookings is noted from the USA, China, the Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

The clearly structured focus areas of the MEDICA trade fair include: Electromedical / Medical Technology (more than 2,500 exhibitors), Laboratory Technology / Diagnostics, Physiotherapy / Orthopedic Technology, Consumables and Supplies, Information and Communication Technology, Medical Furniture, and specialized room furnishings for clinics and practices.

Conferences closely integrated with the trade fair

The high level of internationality on the exhibitor side is also reflected on the visitor side at MEDICA. Of the nearly 130,000 trade visitors who attended MEDICA last year, more than half were international visitors (from around 120 nations). To meet the needs of the professional audience in the future, the program of the accompanying conferences and the forums integrated into the trade fair has been fundamentally restructured and made more international, with many highlights in English.

An impressive interdisciplinary program is again offered this year by the MEDICA EDUCATION CONFERENCE, which was first organized in 2014 by the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM). Focus topics for each conference day provide a clear thematic profile. Following the conference motto "Science meets Medical Technology," the four daily themes are chosen to closely relate to the new medical technology innovations presented at the trade fair. The main topics of this year's MEDICA EDUCATION CONFERENCE are: Surgery and new operative techniques (November 16), Imaging, Endoscopy, and Interventions (November 17), Geriatrics, Nutrition, and Palliative Medicine (November 18), and Infectiology, Inflammation, and Laboratory Medicine (November 19).

Customized offerings on trends and innovations

Regarding the MEDICA conference program, further offerings tailored to the interests of key target groups ensure a thematic connection with the trade fair topics. For example, the 38th German Hospital Day, which serves as a leading event for hospital directors and management of German clinics, addresses current political issues as well as "practical" topics such as hospital IT and personnel management. This year, the German Hospital Day will again be complemented by the European Hospital Conference, held biennially, which is the meeting point for top decision-makers from European clinics for professional exchange.

Also noteworthy are the Disaster and Military Medicine Conference DiMiMED and the MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE (both November 17 + 18, 2015 / Congress Center Düsseldorf South), focusing on prevention and sports medicine treatment concepts. These are English-language conferences targeting an international audience.

For high-ranking military representatives, exhibitors at MEDICA offer a wealth of solutions for very specific questions – from equipment for initial care, telemedicine applications for secure data transfer between vehicles and field hospitals, to complete surgical equipment and custom-fabricated modular buildings.

The "bridge" from the MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE to the innovations presented at the trade fair is similar. Modern performance diagnostics increasingly rely on compact, body-close technology. Wearables and smartwatches are on the rise. Sensors detect various vital data that can be relevant from a therapeutic perspective for sports medicine practitioners. Visitors to Hall 15 during a MEDICA tour can see at the Wearable Technologies Show that the uncomfortable chest strap for body parameter measurement will soon be a thing of the past. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, or body temperature can also be measured via fine sensors integrated into textiles, ear clips, or smartphone adapters.

The MEDICA PHYSIO CONFERENCE, organized by Thieme Verlag, also addresses trend topics. It offers treatment-oriented lectures aimed at physiotherapists, sports physicians, and orthopedists, taking place this year on November 18 + 19 (Congress Center Düsseldorf South).

Forums directly integrated into the trade fair

Significant developments are also conveyed through the numerous forums directly integrated into the trade fair, in addition to the MEDICA conference program. These include the MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM (telemedicine innovations) and the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM (solutions for digital networking of healthcare actors + MEDICA App Competition) in Hall 15, as well as the MEDICA TECH FORUM (product innovations from the medical technology industry and political, economic, and legal framework conditions for high-tech medicine in Hall 12). The MEDICA ECON FORUM, jointly initiated by Messe Düsseldorf and Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in Hall 15, is also of great importance, addressing questions of benefit assessment and financing of innovations, primarily from the perspectives of patients and payers.

COMPAMED – Suppliers as Drivers of Progress

Modern diagnostic and therapeutic procedures require not only a high level of product development expertise from the medical technology industry but also from its suppliers, who will showcase their solutions at COMPAMED 2015. From November 16 to 19, over 700 exhibitors will present their technological solutions and service offerings in Halls 8a and 8b for various requirements and tasks of medical technology providers – from new materials, components, pre-products, packaging, and services such as spare parts handling to complete contract manufacturing. Microtechnology solutions for mobile diagnostics, monitoring, and therapy systems are particularly trending, with optical methods currently developing dynamically. Examples include micro-components for minimally invasive diagnostics or optical components for laboratory devices.

In its unique worldwide combination, MEDICA and COMPAMED cover the entire process chain and the complete range of medical products, devices, and instruments. Together, they occupy all 19 halls of the Düsseldorf exhibition grounds. Visiting both events is possible with just one ticket, as in previous years.