Shows and Events – FIME under new management
July 26, 2016
Next to RSNA and HIMSS, FIME is one of the largest health care industry trade shows in the U.S. Now that it’s under new management, HealthCare Business News wanted to find out what the new owners had in mind for this Miami Beach-based event. As global life sciences trade show operators Informa plc go “full steam ahead” with their expansion into the U.S. with the acquisition of FIME Exhibition & Congress in Miami Beach, this could be a game changer for the popular medical trade exhibition, which attracts more than 20,000 attendees from across North America and Latin America. Informa’s track record of entering new markets and successfully translating their model of business into existing trade shows bodes well for the upcoming edition of the show, coming this August. Excited by the prospect of a “new” FIME, exhibitors and attendees alike are gearing up for a special edition of the show under new management.
FIME will be run by Dubai-based Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, which manages the health care portfolio of Informa’s Global Exhibitions Division, including 26 exhibitions and more than 100 conferences yearly, covering African, Middle Eastern, European and Asian markets. The largest of these is the Arab Health Exhibition & Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which attracts more than 130,000 attendees and 4,000 exhibiting companies from across the Middle East, making it the second-largest health care trade show in the world.
According to Simon Page, managing director, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, “Informa has a long-term strategic vision to continue to expand the Life Sciences’ exhibition business into the U.S. The recent acquisition of FIME fits in firmly with our goal of expanding our international trade show operations in the region and with our existing portfolio of life sciences events across the globe. FIME will generate substantial value for our customers and partners by driving further product innovation and deeper engagement in these specific markets, and it will send a positive message on the strength of commercial value opportunities within the medical device industry as a whole.”
While FIME’s primary focus will remain across four specific industry sectors — medical technology, medical products and supplies, medical services, and medical equipment — the new format and structure of the trade show means that attendees will be offered enhanced opportunities to expand their network of contacts in the industry and an improved platform to sign business deals. With 38 participating countries, the international scope of the event is apparent, with visitors able to source products and medical services from across all continents. The Dealers & Distributors Wall, an area dedicated to facilitating business relationships between visitors and exhibitors, will be a welcomed addition to the show with some visitors familiar with the concept having previously experienced it at Arab Health in Dubai.
“We are acutely aware that what our customers want is to stand out and make an impact in this industry,” says Page. “By ensuring that they have a chance to enhance their company’s visibility to a wider target audience, we are able to help them achieve their business goals with a maximized return on investment. Not only does our structured and integrated marketing campaign mean that we get all the right people to the same place at the same time, but we also understand the importance of facilitating effective commercial opportunities for the participants.”
Under Informa’s stewardship, FIME will now offer a multi-specialty workshop program in line with Informa’s motto of “Exhibition with Education,” providing an unrivalled knowledge-sharing and business networking platform for health care trade professionals in the region. The free-to-attend industry workshops and seminars will feature renowned international speakers, specializing in a variety of topics purposefully built to tackle current challenges and issues within the medical and health care industry worldwide. With clear signs that the U.S. medical device market will remain buoyant throughout 2016 and 2017, the workshop agenda will focus on rules and regulations governing medical devices in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as FDA compliance procedures, import and export processes and the challenges of dealers and distributors entering the U.S. medical device market.
Commenting on the importance of combining business opportunities with actionable skills through education, Page says, “We identified that FIME attendees would benefit from the addition of a strategic workshop program that would give them the right tools to be confident about their business strategy for expansion. In a market which is by far the world’s largest in terms of volume and purchasing power, it is important for those wanting to become part of this growth to have a clear understanding of the business trends that will ultimately shape their business.”
Some of the key speakers addressing the audience of C-suite executives, government officials, hospital management, clinicians, technicians and business development professionals include: Richard Vincins, vice president of QA/RA, Emergo, USA; Shelly Garg, attorney — FDA Practice Group, Sandler, Travis and Rosenberg, USA; Divya Khullar, managing partner, www. USAPatents.com, USA; Maggie Morales-Perez, president and CEO, Healthcare International Partners, USA; Juliana Negrini and Nathalia Medina, Vera Rosas Group, Brazil; and Lucas Rodrigues, Passarini Consulting, Mexico.
FIME will be run by Dubai-based Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, which manages the health care portfolio of Informa’s Global Exhibitions Division, including 26 exhibitions and more than 100 conferences yearly, covering African, Middle Eastern, European and Asian markets. The largest of these is the Arab Health Exhibition & Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which attracts more than 130,000 attendees and 4,000 exhibiting companies from across the Middle East, making it the second-largest health care trade show in the world.
According to Simon Page, managing director, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, “Informa has a long-term strategic vision to continue to expand the Life Sciences’ exhibition business into the U.S. The recent acquisition of FIME fits in firmly with our goal of expanding our international trade show operations in the region and with our existing portfolio of life sciences events across the globe. FIME will generate substantial value for our customers and partners by driving further product innovation and deeper engagement in these specific markets, and it will send a positive message on the strength of commercial value opportunities within the medical device industry as a whole.”
While FIME’s primary focus will remain across four specific industry sectors — medical technology, medical products and supplies, medical services, and medical equipment — the new format and structure of the trade show means that attendees will be offered enhanced opportunities to expand their network of contacts in the industry and an improved platform to sign business deals. With 38 participating countries, the international scope of the event is apparent, with visitors able to source products and medical services from across all continents. The Dealers & Distributors Wall, an area dedicated to facilitating business relationships between visitors and exhibitors, will be a welcomed addition to the show with some visitors familiar with the concept having previously experienced it at Arab Health in Dubai.
“We are acutely aware that what our customers want is to stand out and make an impact in this industry,” says Page. “By ensuring that they have a chance to enhance their company’s visibility to a wider target audience, we are able to help them achieve their business goals with a maximized return on investment. Not only does our structured and integrated marketing campaign mean that we get all the right people to the same place at the same time, but we also understand the importance of facilitating effective commercial opportunities for the participants.”
Under Informa’s stewardship, FIME will now offer a multi-specialty workshop program in line with Informa’s motto of “Exhibition with Education,” providing an unrivalled knowledge-sharing and business networking platform for health care trade professionals in the region. The free-to-attend industry workshops and seminars will feature renowned international speakers, specializing in a variety of topics purposefully built to tackle current challenges and issues within the medical and health care industry worldwide. With clear signs that the U.S. medical device market will remain buoyant throughout 2016 and 2017, the workshop agenda will focus on rules and regulations governing medical devices in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as FDA compliance procedures, import and export processes and the challenges of dealers and distributors entering the U.S. medical device market.
Commenting on the importance of combining business opportunities with actionable skills through education, Page says, “We identified that FIME attendees would benefit from the addition of a strategic workshop program that would give them the right tools to be confident about their business strategy for expansion. In a market which is by far the world’s largest in terms of volume and purchasing power, it is important for those wanting to become part of this growth to have a clear understanding of the business trends that will ultimately shape their business.”
Some of the key speakers addressing the audience of C-suite executives, government officials, hospital management, clinicians, technicians and business development professionals include: Richard Vincins, vice president of QA/RA, Emergo, USA; Shelly Garg, attorney — FDA Practice Group, Sandler, Travis and Rosenberg, USA; Divya Khullar, managing partner, www. USAPatents.com, USA; Maggie Morales-Perez, president and CEO, Healthcare International Partners, USA; Juliana Negrini and Nathalia Medina, Vera Rosas Group, Brazil; and Lucas Rodrigues, Passarini Consulting, Mexico.