MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2016 continues to grow, in size and importance, reporting record-breaking numbers for its 11th edition
Recent editions of Medical Fair Asia, the region’s leading exhibition for the medical and healthcare sector, have been seeing growing exhibitor interest from North America and the Middle East as Southeast Asia continues to expand as an attractive market.
The 11th edition of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA held earlier this month, which was 30% larger than the previous edition in 2014, was a major success recording its highest ever number of satisfied exhibitors and visitors. The new and larger venue for MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2016, the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, was entirely filled to host the 830 international companies from 40 countries.
Visitor numbers also increased this year to a record-breaking attendance of 12,000, with 40% of visitors from abroad.The overseas visitors came from all over Southeast Asia along with India, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.
As an international marketplace in the healthcare and medical sector, returning national pavilions and country groups from Asia, North America and Europe joined MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2016, whilst also welcoming two new first-time national pavilion participants — Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
“Southeast Asia is an emerging market and one that everyone should target, which is why we have decided to participate at Medical Fair Asia. We have come here with high expectations and our experience has been entirely positive. This exhibition has been a gateway for our companies to enter these markets,” said Nasser M. Alrashed of Saudi Export Development Authority.
The exhibition featured international brand names such as Perry Baromedical, Swann-Morton, and Hitachi, and 17 national pavilions and country groups. Local companies like RAS Pharma and Yeap Medical Supplies were strongly represented too at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2016.
Over the three action-packed days, the organizer also facilitated a personal best of 1,100 pre-scheduled meetings via the synergistic business matching service with many formal business dealings coming to fruition during the exhibition.
“The business matching service has been able to match us up with various organizations to have some discovery meetings about ways we can work together. At the same time, it has exposed us to a lot of the technology in Southeast Asia that we would not have been aware of otherwise,” noted Darryl Culley, President of Emergency Management Inc.
MEDICAL FAIR ASIA was also held synergistically with MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA, the region’s leading event for the manufacturing processes for the medtech sector. The two exhibitions provided the ideal platform for all those involved in medical and healthcare; a point which was highlighted in the opening speech by S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry.
Singapore’s strong position as a gateway for medtech companies, both local and foreign, to access growing markets in the region, and Singapore’s reputation as a trusted business hub were also stressed in the minister’s speech.
Making their debut alongside the exhibition was a series of well-attended expert conferences and seminars, technical presentations and product demonstrations that represented a significant milestone for MEDICAL FAIR ASIA.
Three hundred attendees from 24 countries attended the inaugural staging of the MEDICAL FAIR ASIA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE, Disaster and Military Medicine (DiMiMED) Asia Conference and the Medical Innovation and Technology Forum, and took part in 11 sessions.
Representatives from the various countries and companies were able to assess recent developments in the respective disciplines – from preventive and rehabilitative medicine, latest generation sports equipment, to vector-borne diseases and issues of natural disasters, as well as healthcare wearables and telemedicine solutions – to exchange ideas and bring their knowledge up-to-date.
Dr. Ben Tan, Chief of Sports Medicine, Changi General Hospital, said of the conference, “I hope to see the MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE back. MEDICAL FAIR ASIA is the biggest medical trade fair I have seen in Singapore with an impressive number of exhibitors. Linking the exhibition with a medicine and sports conference is logical and synergistic. Moreover, it has been very professionally organized.”
Gernot Ringling, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia, the organizer of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA, was delighted at the impressive participation results. “We are very happy with the results and feedback from the 11th edition of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and the well-attended series of conferences and concurrent events. Many of our stakeholders have reported doing real business at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2016 which bodes well for developing business opportunities.”
The next edition of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA will be held in 2018. Up next for the medical and healthcare industry will be the 8th edition of MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND, to be held in Bangkok from the September 6 to 8, 2017.
