MEDICA and COMPAMED will take place from November 18 – 21, 2019 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany. Over 6,200 exhibitors (5,450 at MEDICA and 800 at COMPAMED) will display their latest technologies for the sector. The majority of exhibitors are from countries other than Germany. Trade visitors from over 170 nations are expected.
The increasing digitalization of processes in the healthcare economy will remain a major topic this year. This trend will not only be represented by exhibitors at MEDICA 2019, but will also be reflected in the programs of the accompanying conferences and forums: the 42nd German Hospital Conference (on digitalization projects in clinics), the MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM (on IT topics such as big data, artificial intelligence and cyber security), the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM (on hardware and software solutions for connected healthcare), and the MEDICA MEDICINE & SPORTS CONFERENCE (on use of applications close to the body and wearables for monitoring vital signs, held entirely in English).
MEDICA, clearly structured according to halls, focuses on the entire spectrum of outpatient and inpatient care: Electromedicine / medical technology (approximately 2,500 exhibitors), laboratory technology / diagnostics, physiotherapy / orthopedic technology, commodities and consumables, information and communication technology, medical furniture and specialist furnishings for hospitals and practices.
A new feature this year is a new allocation of themes in the exhibition halls. Due to the increasing convergence of software and hardware, especially in the field of medical technology, the MEDICA segment of information and communication technology will be moved from Hall 15 to Hall 13, directly connected to the halls for medical technology and electromedicine.
Manufacturers of surgical instruments will leave Hall 13 to move thematically closer to providers of imaging technology, as well as complete solutions for modern hybrid operating rooms in Halls 10 and 11.
The exhibitors in the laboratory technology and diagnostics area, including Abbott and Euroimmun, will be placed in the newly built Hall 1 for the first time.
In connection with digital health applications and the corresponding medical technology, start-ups deserve special attention. The number of start-ups at MEDICA has grown constantly over the past few years. Now, several hundred young and mostly digitally driven companies come to Düsseldorf to meet their international specialist audience and present their ideas and innovations.
Pioneering innovations will also be part of the live presentations in the MEDICA DISRUPT program (held within the scope of the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM in Hall 13). The pitches, for example, deal with new solutions from start-ups for diagnostics and health monitoring - for blood pressure measurement, `Lab-on-skin´ technologies or biomarker analyses.
Other topics will include modern antenatal classes for parents based on eLearning modules with experts available online for advice and exemplary implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to classify and document ulcers and wounds.