The recent staging of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA, International Exhibition on Hospital, Pharmaceutical, Medical & Rehabilitation Equipment & Supplies, attracted more visitors than ever before: 6,011 attendees from 50 countries took part to view and order the latest equipment and supplies of the 370 exhibitors from 32 nations. The 10% visitor increase at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2008 indicates the growing need for an event dedicated specifically to the medical and health care sectors in Asia<. The trade fair was held concurrently with OS+H Asia 2008, 6th Occupational Safety + Health Exhibition for Asia.

“We are pleased to provide all involved in medical and health care in Asia and around the world with the most comprehensive and influential platform, and we expect even greater growth in the future in connection with the expansion and importance of this industry in this region,” commented Gernot Ringling, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia, the organizer of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2008. The trade fair provides the region with the best in medical and health care solutions and will grow in importance in the immediate future.

About 35% of the visitors at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2008 came from outside of Singapore. Southeast Asia (excluding Singapore) accounted for the majority of the overseas visitors with strong representation from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. On the exhibitor side, the trade fair included country group exhibits from Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Spain and Taiwan.

According to a survey, 85% of the visitors were pleased with the range of products and services on display at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2008. About 60% were likely to purchase some of the products/services on display and 66% indicated that they will place their orders at the exhibition or within one year.

The MEDICAL FAIR ASIA exhibitors were also satisfied with their participation in the trade fair. Young Bae Ryu of Yushin Medical Co. Ltd. regarded his participation as “a good chance for us to meet our local distributors regularly”, while Manoj Balakrishnan, Managing Director at Trident Pharm Pte Ltd., stated that “the show ran well and we achieved our objectives. We are also pleased with the team on site as they were efficient and easy to work with. We were very busy so for us the turnout was good.” HUTCHINSON SANTÉ from France exhibited for the first time and their Commercial and Marketing Director Patrice Fleau noted that “Our product is new and unique and it was important for us to be present at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA as the exhibition offers the opportunity for us to get into closer contact with distributors from the region. We met many distributors from the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia as well as from South Asia who have shown tremendous interests in our product. We are very happy with the number and quality of visitors who visited our booth and are very satisfied with our participation at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA.”

Overall, the feedback from the country group exhibits at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2008 was also very positive. At the Spanish Pavilion, Cristina Avallone who is responsible for the international affairs of FENIN, commented that “Exhibitors at the Spanish Pavilion were very happy with their participation in MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2008. Spanish companies are becoming more interested in the Southeast Asian countries. Singapore serves as an excellent meeting point for the Spanish exhibitors as the country is able to attract visitors from the region. We met many visitors, suppliers and distributors from Malaysia and Indonesia which are two of our key markets.” At the French Pavilion, Celine Robaux of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore pointed out that “It was important for the French companies to be present at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA. With its central location, the exhibition in Singapore was able to attract visitors from all over Southeast Asia. The French companies were not just looking for distributors but also OEMs and medical professionals and specialists. The quality of visitors was good. The French companies were generally pleased with their participation. The exhibition was also professionally run and we received very good co-operation from the show organizers.”

Ingeborg Biegler, Managing Director at Biegler GmbH who exhibited within the Austrian Pavilion, remarked: “We have received a lot of interest from potential distributors in Singapore. Overall, the quality of the visitors has been excellent and we are happy with our participation.”

MEDICAL FAIR ASIA will return to Singapore in 2010. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2010, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com. Or visit the web site http://www.mdna.com.

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