HOUSTON, TX—The afternoon of Wednesday, April 30, marked the closing of the inaugural MEDICAL  WORLD AMERICAS Conference and Expo, which brought together a diverse group of medical professionals from 33 states and 32 countries. Some 2,017 registered attendees were comprised of hospital administrators, scientists, researchers, procurement and supply chain executives, physicians, nurses and healthcare policymakers. More than 120 exhibitors came from across the U.S. and 11 countries for the show, which is a partnership between the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB), Messe Düsseldorf, (organizers of MEDICA, the world’s largest medical instrumentation trade show), the Texas Medical Center and Houston First Corp.

 

Tom Mitchell, President of Messe Dusseldorf North America, explained, “The inaugural staging of MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS has set a foundation for the growth of the World of MEDICA brand in the Americas.” While the size of the first show was in line with expectations, he acknowledged that the first-year event is being viewed as a platform on which to build an even bigger, more robust trade show and conference in 2015. “Although the scale of the first staging was modest compared to that of world-renowned MEDICA, the quality of the programming and the exchanges that took place are a reflection of the vision for an event of this nature in the United States.”

Key to the long-term success of MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS is the partnership with the TexasMedicalCenter and the unparalleled content this delivers. Texas Medical Center CEO and MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS Executive Advisory Committee Chairman, Robert C. Robbins, M.D. stated, “I can say unequivocally that the level of education and the quality of our speakers would rival those one would find at any major international conference. We delivered a superior level of education, particularly for a first year event.”

Conference delegates were treated to world-class presentations from the likes of Doris Taylor Ph.D., the Director of Regenerative Medicine Research at Texas Heart Institute/CHI St. Luke’s Health, who spoke about breakthroughs in creating a bio-artificial heart, in addition to executives from Google and IBM/Watson who discussed how big data is revolutionizing medicine and creating the era of “personalized medicine”.

Participants also had the opportunity to interface directly with some of the finest minds in medicine, such as trauma surgeon Dr. Carl Hauser, who was at the epicenter of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, and Heinz Foundation award winner Dr. Sanjeev Arora, who created Project ECHO, a medical education program that expands the capacities of primary care clinicians to manage serious, chronic, complex conditions in rural and underserved areas which has expanded to more than a dozen states.

Not only did the clinical, academic and health policy content at MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS draw medical professionals and administrators, the first year event attracted notice from staff of five United States Senate and Congressional offices, as well as local public officials and staff.

Participants assembled from more than 600 organizations near and far, with just over half hailing from the LoneStarState. “As we had envisioned, Houston and our medical community provided the ideal platform for bringing together an international community of life science professionals,” shared Greg Ortale, President and CEO of the GHCVB. “In addition to the conference program, many of the attendees realized extremely valuable business connections, which highlights one of Houston’s great strengths as a host city.” He went on, “one of the advantages of holding this conference in Houston every year is that it will give our companies in the healthcare space a home-field advantage in reaching the rest of the world.”

To further underscore the business opportunities, several participants were able to arrange separate meetings at the show with medical institutions and hospital systems that will be investing over $3 billion on major projects and equipment over the next several years.

One of the world’s leading medical technology companies, Stryker, saw a significant return. Sales executive Brigham Buhler explained, “Medical World Americas was a great opportunity for Stryker to showcase our products and solutions for all areas of the hospital. The opportunity to meet face to face with so many customers was truly valuable. We look forward to next year’s conference and the opportunity to participate in this event again.”

 

MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS will return annually to the GeorgeR.BrownConvention Center in  Houston, with dates of April 27-29 set for 2015.

 

 

 

About MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS

MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS combines a high‐caliber, multi‐disciplinary conference program with an expo showcasing

the latest medical devices and cutting‐edge products. Modeled after MEDICA, the world’s largest medical tradeshow,

MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS is backed by a powerhouse partnership between top‐ranked TexasMedicalCenter and

Messe Dusseldorf, the global medical event organizer that produces MEDICA. MEDICAL WORLD AMERICAS’

comprehensive educational tracks and session topics are arranged around TexasMedicalCenter’s areas of expertise to

provide a wide range of specialized educational opportunities for all healthcare professionals, particularly hospital

administration, hospital executives, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, research technicians, scientists,

educators, procurement specialists and emergency responders. Premier Sponsors include Cardiocom, a Medtronic

company, and Stryker, Supporting Sponsors include CHI St. Luke’s and Opportunity Houston, and Biomet, Fortinet and

VCS are contributing sponsors.