Near-record Canadian attendance booked for medical industry trade show

Toronto, ON – MEDICA, the world’s largest annual medical technology trade fair that takes place November 19-22 in the German city of Dusseldorf, has attracted 32 Canadian exhibitors and an expected record number of Canadian visitors to the four-day show.

“The 32-exhibitor total is the third-highest number of Canadian companies we’ve had in my 11-year involvement with MEDICA,” says Stefan Egge, the fair’s permanent representative in Canada. “Of those 32, there are 14 are new exhibitors, which is very encouraging. We also expect close to 30 visitors who are former exhibitors coming back to maintain and build their relationships with agents, distributors, and their customers at the show.”

MEDICA organizers say they are anticipating over 4,000 exhibitors from over 60 countries as well as nearly 130,000 visitors in all to attend this year, filling to capacity all 19 buildings of the sprawling Messe Duesseldorf fairgrounds on the banks of the Rhine River.

“MEDICA is more than just a trade fair — it’s really a global marketing platform or stage where the world’s most important players in healthcare congregate every year,” says Egge.

Among the Canadian companies that will also be there are 18 Ontario companies, forming the largest provincial contingent — including six companies housed in an Ontario Pavilion supported by the province’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade’s International Branch.

“This year British Columbia has taken over from Quebec as the second largest provincial group,” says Egge. “There will be eight BC exhibitors this year and I think that growth is a reflection of the new export stimulus the BC government and the umbrella Life Sciences BC organization are both providing.”

No doubt all exhibitors will encounter the impact of the current global credit crisis at this global show. But Egge says that’s even more reason for Canadian companies to be there.

“MEDICA gives them a way of leveraging their current risks. Most Canadian companies in medical technology have relied heavily on sales to the United States market in the past. So MEDICA gives them a real opportunity to broaden their customer bases outside of North America,” he says. “Also from the point of view of the cost of being in Duesseldorf, the Canadian dollar, compared to how much it has fallen against the American dollar, has not fallen nearly as much against the Euro.”

Canadian companies exhibiting at MEDICA 2008 are as follows:

Ontario Exhibitors:
Amico Corporation, Richmond Hill
Canadian-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Toronto
CPI International- Communication, Georgetown
ELCAN Optical Technologies, Midland
GlobalMed, Trenton
GS Medical Packaging, Mississauga
Interfaceware, Toronto
Kingstec Technologies, Mississauga
Ontario Ministry of Economic Development & Trade, Toronto
Middle East Health, Scarborough
NOVX Systems, Markham
Perspectis, Toronto
Pharmax, Toronto
Pinel Medical, Waterloo
Quanser, Markham
Southmedic, Barrie
University Health Network (UHN) – Healthcare Human Factors Group, Toronto

British Columbia Exhibitors:
Angel Canada Enterprise, Burnaby
Artron BioResearch, Burnaby
BioLytical Laboratories, Richmond
BpTRU Medical Devices, Coquitlam
IND Diagnostic, Delta
PDG Product Design Group, Vancouver
Ultrasonix, Richmond
Wireless 2000, Burnaby

Quebec Exhibitors:
AMG Medical, Montreal
FISO Technologies, Quebec
Noveko International, Terrebonne
PTI Solutions, Trois-Rivieres
Simport Plastics, Beloeil
TSO3, Sainte-Foy
Web-Tex, Montreal

More information is available on MEDICA’s website at www.messe-duesseldorf.de.