Ian Bolland looks ahead to this month's Med-Tech Innovation Expo.
If I were to reflect on one thing I have struggled with during my career in editing and writing, it would be my headlines not being succinct enough. For this one I haven’t got a problem with just the two words I’ve used to convey a simple message.
You guessed it! This is a plug for the Med-Tech Innovation Expo. It has been a while, but I don’t think I will ever be as glad to see the NEC in Birmingham as I will be on the morning of the 28th of September when we host our first in-person event again for the first time in over two years.
I’ll not use this column to be a preview of the show, at best a preview-lite, but it’s fair to say that a lot has changed since we last gathered in the late spring of 2019.
Our industry has been in the spotlight like never before in living memory as we have grappled with COVID-19 and perceptions of how technology can be used to take care of ourselves has probably changed. The wider public is perhaps more confident at self-management of conditions as many firms in the sector pivot towards this seeming change in strategy being seen in the UK and elsewhere. If anything positive has emerged from the pain and suffering of the pandemic, it is that we are more conscious about our own health, and each other’s, and more tech literate when it comes to taking care of ourselves.
The Expo with which this publication shares its name will inevitably highlight the changes of different parts of the sector over the last two years, but it’s an opportunity to recognise the work goes into the creation of these innovations. Whether it is those with the ideas, the material makers, the manufacturers, the designers, consultants – the list can go on.
It is also an opportunity, in some case, to recognise the work that some of the companies do elsewhere as TCT 3Sixty and Interplas will attest to, as a trio of Rapid News Group shows run in tandem. One example of the crossover is that you’ll be able to catch me on the afternoon of Day One at TCT 3Sixty, discussing with my colleagues and guests about the impact 3D printing has had on medtech and pharma during a live episode of The MedTalk Podcast.
But I am confident that there is something for everyone at the NEC as we explore all facets of the supply chain across our three stages, covering the different needs that medtech provides for. I’m looking forward to learning about potential developments away from COVID, whether that be new breakthroughs, new ways of working or, indeed, new devices. The world is a different place to when we last met, and I’m sure our two days together in Birmingham will reflect that.
When not moderating on one of the stages that hosts our array of brilliant speakers, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible on the 28th and 29th of September. It’s good to be back – now on with the show!
Register for Med-Tech Innovation Expo at med-techexpo.com.
