Fall is almost here and that means the annual MEDICA trade fair is just around the corner. As it does every year, the event will take place at the Messe Düsseldorf fair grounds in Germany. From November 12 - 15, medical equipment stakeholders from around the world will convene for the massive event to network, make deals and catch up with old colleagues.

HealthCare Business News checked in with Horst Giesen, global portfolio director Health & Medical Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf, to find out what he's most excited about for this year's event, how the show has evolved over the years, and what role global affairs have in the actual experience of MEDICA.

HCB News: Can you tell us about your role within MEDICA and how long you have been involved in the event?
Horst Giesen: For over 25 years I have been the project manager responsible for MEDICA. In addition to managing the work of the project team, key aspects include the ongoing content alignment of MEDICA with current trends and its worldwide marketing.

This requires close cooperation and coordination with many partners. At MEDICA 2017 we introduced our new umbrella brand MEDICAlliance. This incudes all healthcare events organized by the Messe Düsseldorf Group globally. As Global Director Health & Medical Technologies, I am also responsible for the strategic alignment and uniform marketing of these events.

HCB News: In retrospect, which memories or topics made the biggest impression at last year’s event?
HG: At MEDICA, visitors are always offered the entire spectrum of innovations for outpatient and inpatient care, with a variety that has no equal and is unique worldwide. And yet there is one subject in particular that fascinates the industry, has already had a strong influence on the last MEDICA and will once again provide much to talk about in November 2018 – digital transformation! It shpes the healthcare industry worldwide, has changed processes and business models, in soem cases radically. We’re staying on top of this hot topic and are examining it from different perspectives in our forums as well as the accompanying conferences.

HCB News: Is there anything you are particularly looking forward to at MEDICA 2018?
HG: I look forward to the appearance of our new Federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn. He has only been in office for a few months and has already made it clear that he wants to "step up the pace" with regard to the digitalization of the healthcare industry in Germany. Jens Spahn will open MEDICA 2018 and the 41st German Hospital Day on the opeing day (November 12).

HCB News: In what way is MEDICA influenced by the global economic crisis and political climate? Do political conversations make up a large part of the event?
HG: The market for medical technology and medical products is and always has been a growth market. However, in many sectors the current tendencies towards more restrictions in trade policies, certain political tensions or exchange rate fluctuations are not beneficial for business. This is also true of the medical technology sector. The increasingly strict regulations for product approvals on a transnational level present a challenge. This effects manufacturers and their suppliers equally. Particularly small and mid-sized companies struggle intensely with the obligations of increasingly extensive documentation and reports as a result of a multitude of EU regulations and guidelines, for example the Medical Device Regulation or REACH (Registration Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals).

Due to such market characteristics, visitors and exhibitors to our MEDICAlliance trade fairs, which are organized worldwide, are faced with many questions in order to put their own business on the right track internationally and to get together with the right partners. We offer them the communication and information platforms tailored to their specific needs. For example, the MEDICA TECH FORUM provides information on legal aspects of product approval, interesting export markets including the consideration of political developments or, among other aspects, current issues in connection with data protection and cyber security.

HCB News: What percentage of visitors and exhibitors came from the USA last year and what feedback did they give you?
HG: Of the total 5,115 exhibitors at MEDICA 2017, over 400 came from the U.S. This is one of the nations that traditionally count among those with the most registrations, behind Germany. This year we are expecting a comparable amount of registrations. The rate of returning exhibitors is very high, which indicates how satisfied the American exhibitors are with MEDICA. Last year, just over 4,000 of the total 123,000 visitors came from North America.

HCB News: Do you have any tips for new exhibitors at the trade fair?
HG: Every exhibitor, whether he has been at MEDICA for years or for the first time, should "drum up advertising" for his MEDICA participation. We offer a wide range of services to support exhibitor promotion and inform all participating companies well in advance of the start of MEDICA.

HCB News: In all the years you’ve been involved in the MEDICA, how has the show changed and developed over the course of the years?
HG: In the earlier years of its more than 40-year history, MEDICA was a trade fair and congress event that focused primarily on physicians from the private practice sector and, incidentally, was more nationally oriented. Over the years, MEDICA became more and more popular on a transnational level and through conceptual changes, for example the integration of INTERHOSPITAL, it also expanded its target group spectrum on both the visitor and exhibitor side. In addition to medical specialists, the clinic management, the specialized medical dealers and the medical technology industry itself are now also strongly represented among the visitors. The latter is mainly due to the fact that since its launch in 1992, the concurrently held supplier trade fair COMPAMED has developed into the leading international platform and thus a visitor magnet for industrial audiences.