HealthCare Business News interviewed Gernot Ringling, managing director of Messe Dusseldorf Asia Pte Ltd., regarding Medical Fair Asia.

HCB News: This year’s Medical Fair Asia is being held at a new venue. What went into that decision?
GR:Medical Fair Asia has been growing immensely since the first staging in 1997 and continues to expand well into its 11th edition. Our biggest challenge right now is locating a large enough space to strategically develop our future editions, especially more so with the co-location of our other concurrent event, Medical Manufacturing Asia. This change in venue presents an opportunity for us to put in place our plans for the future.

We will be moving to the new venue, the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore, for the 2016 edition, scheduled to be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. The event will present an exhibition space of 15,000 square meters (161,458 square feet), which is a 40 percent increase from the previous installment in 2014.

HCB News: To what do you attribute the show’s growth? How many exhibitors and attendees do you expect?
GR: I would say that the first and most important factor has been our ability to adapt and adjust to the dynamic Southeast Asia health care landscape, characterized by the diverse nature of the region’s health care systems, which are at varying stages of evolution, and offer both our exhibitors and visitors the best possible response to their needs. We work closely with our exhibitors. We know their products, solutions, strategies and target audience. We also comprehend the visitors’ needs and their expectations.

With this understanding, we are able to link up exhibitors with relevant distributors, suppliers and agents and vice versa, and cater to the different solutions and visitor needs across the various specializations and broad health care channels.

The Southeast Asia medical and health care industry is also riding on a strong growth momentum. The increasing awareness of quality health care, rapidly aging populations, higher life expectancy, rising trend in medical tourism and booming economic development are among the factors contributing to this growth. Governments in this part of the world are also driving initiatives to create a more robust health care sector to meet their citizens’ escalating needs, further fueling the region’s industry growth. Strategically positioned as a “central” exhibition for Southeast Asia, connecting all countries in ASEAN with a total population of 600 million, the show rides on this growth and provides the fitting platform for industry players to tap the unprecedented business opportunities in this region.

Medical Fair Asia 2016 is expected to attract 1,000 exhibitors from 45 countries and 15,000 quality trade buyers and decision makers.

HCB News: Did anything surprise you about the last event?
GR: The 2014 edition posted better-than- expected growth, with a 50 percent increase in the number of exhibiting companies compared to the previous edition in 2012 and a record-setting 15 national and group pavilions from Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and USA. The show also recorded a 20 percent increase in visitor attendance from the previous edition, which included a strong lineup of government-level delegations and hospital management personnel from Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam.

We are surprised that amidst the declining business dynamism and economy slowdown in 2014, the show’s exhibit space growth and attendance growth have managed to outpace each other. We are expecting this positive growth to continue in 2016.

HCB News: Who should exhibit at this show? Do you have a North American or U.S. pavilion?
GR: Companies looking to tap the burgeoning growth in the Southeast Asia health care market should definitely exhibit at Medical Fair Asia, specifically U.S.-based companies, as there is a link between the U.S. health care industry and Asia, and a growing number of potential buyers in this region. The show is also the ideal platform to launch the latest medical technology and innovations, and showcases a wide range of exhibitors in the areas of hospital, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, medical and rehabilitation equipment and supplies for this region.

For the 2016 edition, we are expecting 20 national pavilions and country groups, including a U.S. pavilion as well as a U.S. group participation led by Enterprise Florida.

HCB News: What will be some of the themes and highlights at this year’s exhibition?
GR: The event, taking the theme “where health care connects with technology,” aims to bring the latest medical technology and industry happenings to the region. The special highlights for the 2016 edition include Digital Healthcare and Sports Rehabilitative Care platforms, and an inaugural Medicine + Sports Conference Asia featuring new sports medical therapies, and innovative products for prevention, recovery and population health management.

HCB News: What advice would you have for first-time exhibitors to make the most of their time at the show?
GR: My advice would be for first-time exhibitors to actively market and promote themselves to seize the interest of attendees prior to the event. At Medical Fair Asia, we offer a suite of complimentary publicity opportunities to help exhibitors publicize their participation. Our marketing communications team regularly shares news and information about the event with the international trade media. I would definitely encourage first-time exhibitors to share their latest news with us so that the information may be featured in the event’s press releases, emailers and other publicity platforms.

I would also advise first-time exhibitors to deepen their understanding of the attendee demographics and specific product interests in order to target them more effectively. I would recommend that exhibitors, especially first-time participants, proactively use our complimentary Business Matching platform to receive recommendations on who they should meet as well as to schedule meetings before and during the event.

HCB News: What should exhibitors know about Singapore, its customs, special attractions — and what languages are spoken there?
GR: Singapore is definitely one of the easiest places to do business in Asia, especially in the Southeast Asia region. It is a great place to establish yourself first and to act as a stepping stone onto other markets, making it an ideal location to understand market trends and responses across the various countries in the region. The city state is a multiracial melting pot where English is most commonly used amongst the four official languages together with Mandarin, Tamil and Malay.

Singapore is also a fun and entertaining place to be, and certainly one of the world’s most vibrant and exotic cities to visit. Not only is it home to beautiful architecture, it also boasts a divergent cultural heritage, knockout cuisine, a burgeoning bar scene and a heart-stopping skyline at night. My top picks would definitely include the Botanical Gardens, which has recently become a UNESCO World Heritage site, the “Singapore Flyer” for the breathtaking sights of Singapore, and of course the buzzing Clarke Quay and Boat Quay to sip drinks and indulge in some of Singapore’s best culinary treats by the Singapore River.

HCB News: Is there anything else that people should know that we’ve missed?
GR: Medical Fair Asia is held concurrently with the 3rd Medical Manufacturing Asia, an exhibition and conference focused on manufacturing processes for medical technology. Both trade fairs are organized by Messe Düsseldorf Asia and are modeled after the world’s largest and leading medical trade fairs, Medica and Compamed, organized by Messe Düsseldorf in Germany.

For more information please visit www.medicalfair-asia.com or contact medicalfair-asia@mda.com.sg