3,163 visitors from 25 countries at the new medical technology trade fair / First-rate contacts and positive feedback regarding the concept and accompanying programme
3,163 trade visitors, 16 per cent of whom came from abroad, were registered by the organiser Messe Stuttgart at the première of T4M – Technology for Medical Devices, the new trade fair for medical technology in southern Germany. Visitors travelled to Stuttgart from 25 countries – primarily from the important medical technology locations of Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. Just under one fifth of the German visitors to T4M came from Bavaria (16 per cent). The majority of trade visitors came from the main region for medical technology, i.e. Baden-Württemberg.
Messe Stuttgart was satisfied with the outcome of T4M. "The trust which the industry placed in T4M lays the foundations for the future of the new medical technology trade fair in Stuttgart. The organisers are aware of this responsibility. "We take the remit from the industry seriously. We have the power and stamina to establish Stuttgart as the hub for medical technology in southern Germany," said Ulrich Kromer von Baerle, CEO of Messe Stuttgart. The date for the next T4M has already been fixed: it will be held from 5 to 7 May 2020, i.e. again concurrently with Control, International Trade Fair for Quality Assurance. "We want to extend the synergies between the two trade fairs still further and harmonise the concepts more closely. We are already looking forward to the continuation of T4M and will use the time up until then to actively improve the trade fair together with our exhibitors, all interested parties and supporters," said Kromer von Baerle.
Pioneering spirit and optimistic mood The innovative capacity of the industry and the optimistic mood in the companies could clearly be felt at T4M. Modern, high-quality stands and exciting exhibits featured prominently at T4M. The more than 250 German and international exhibitors at the début event therefore demonstrated the importance they attach to the new trade fair for medical technology in Stuttgart. A clear statement in this respect was made by Dr. Jörg Lässig, Managing Director of SITEC Industrietechnologie GmbH from Chemnitz: "The size of our stand here at T4M is affirmation that we believe in the success of this trade fair. I am also convinced that we should fly the flag. If we only ever watch and observe, nothing can be achieved. We must become actively involved. And even though the trade fair is still in its infancy, I believe that it has the potential to become a large international event."
Quality of the contacts as a success factor Valuable new business contacts were forged on the exhibition stands during T4M. Jacek Nowinski from the International Sales Department of CARL HAAS GmbH confirmed that quality is the most important aspect in regard to contacts: "The leads which we generated here are extremely valuable. This is more important to us than a large number of contacts in which, ultimately, not one is really any good. We generally see high potential for our company in medical technology, and our attendance here at T4M was successful. This was confirmed to us by a great deal of positive feedback."
1 trade fair ticket covered everything The admission ticket for T4M included the varied offerings in the accompanying programme comprising technical talks, guided tours, workshops and a daily XING breakfast. The highlights also featured presentations by more than 50 start-up companies in the T4M Start-Up World in the centre of the exhibition area. "The positive aspect of T4M is that a great deal of interaction takes place here. Visitors do not just come here to talk to business partners. They can also increase their expertise," said Helge Hinniger, Corporate Communications Manager at the American company FORT WAYNE METALS. "The accompanying programme directly in the hall also encouraged interested parties to visit the stands."
Jointly organised, varied range of information The precise orientation to the needs of the industry was achieved through close cooperation with representatives from companies, cluster organisations, research institutes and trade associations. For example, a 21-strong trade fair advisory panel started collaborating to organise T4M in May 2018. "Thanks to my work in the trade fair advisory panel, I gained interesting insights into the development of T4M," said Michael Götti, Vice President Corporate Marketing & Communications of the Swiss CICOR Group. "In particular, it was exciting to see how the T4M Team created such a first-class trade fair in a very short space of time. The opportunity to actively co-design the trade fair and the accompanying programme also proved valuable to us. We could well imagine taking part in the trade fair again next year."
