Messe Düsseldorf reaches first milestones in reshaping its Asian business

Singapore, September 11th, 2024 – With MEDICARE ASIA, Messe Düsseldorf is creating an Asia-wide platform for the continent's growing medical technology and rehabilitation market, comprising seven trade shows in India, Singapore, Thailand and China. Marius Berlemann announced this milestone in strengthening Messe Düsseldorf's Asian business during today's joint opening ceremony of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA, Southeast Asia's largest healthcare trade shows of its kind, attended by Singapore`s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong.

Since April, Singapore serves as the headquarters of the “Messe Düsseldorf for Asia” network (MDfA), which is gradually integrating Messe Düsseldorf's Asian business. The success and leading position of Messe Düsseldorf in Asia are evident at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA: With 1,000 exhibitors and an international share of 91%, Messe Düsseldorf is organizing its largest edition ever, providing the perfect stage for this announcement. MEDICARE ASIA includes, in addition to MEDICAL FAIR ASIA (Singapore), also MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA (Singapore), MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND (Bangkok), MEDICAL FAIR CHINA (Suzhou), REHACARE CHINA (Suzhou), MEDICAL FAIR INDIA (Mumbai, New Delhi) and FAMDENT Show (Mumbai, Hyderabad).

Driving the Change
Marius Berlemann, Managing Director for Operations of Messe Düsseldorf Group, emphasizes the necessity of a strong position in Asia: “MEDICARE ASIA reinforces our global and strategic leadership in healthcare trade fairs. Building on the success of internationally renowned exhibitions like MEDICA, COMPAMED, and REHACARE in Düsseldorf, Germany, we are now leveraging our expertise in Asia to establish a strong trade show network in the region. With this step, we address the needs of the market and our customers, and secure Messe Düsseldorf's international pole position for the benefit of both our partners and our shareholders.”

Messe Düsseldorf has actively shaped the development of the Asian trade fair landscape for decades. Of its current 81 trade fairs outside Düsseldorf, 53 take place in Asia – and this number is growing. Additionally, Messe Düsseldorf operates five Asian subsidiaries in four of the world's largest economies: China, India, Japan and ASEAN/Southeast Asia. All these markets are characterized by high double-digit growth: According to the International Monetary Fund, India will grow by 81% between 2023 and 2030, Indonesia by 66%, China and Thailand by 46% each, Singapore by 36%, and Japan by 29%.

Focus on Healthcare
In particular, the healthcare market holds significant potential: Asia represents nearly half of the world's population, with increasing wealth and demands for healthcare services. In India, healthcare expenditures are expected to rise by 182.3% between 2022 and 2030, in Indonesia by 71%, in China by 52.4%, and in Japan by 35%. For this reason, "Messe Düsseldorf for Asia" has focused on healthcare exhibitions from the beginning. A team of highly specialized exhibition experts, guided by Shirley Lim, Portfolio Director of MEDICARE ASIA, centrally coordinates sales and visitor marketing from Singapore – for both the MEDICARE ASIA portfolio and the MEDICA, COMPAMED, and REHACARE exhibitions in Düsseldorf.

Shirley Lim explains the benefits of this network: “The demand for healthcare is increasing across Asia, and at the same time, the topics of care and inclusion are gaining relevance. We provide the marketplaces to meet this demand and advance these important issues. With MEDICARE ASIA, we will continuously enhance and expand this portfolio. Customers will benefit from harmonized offerings in Asia that are tailored to regional needs, central points of contact and even stronger business platforms – both in Asia and Düsseldorf.”

Initial Successes
An example of an initial cross-trade fair activity within the MEDICARE ASIA network is the collaboration between GITEX, the world’s largest tech and start-up show in Dubai, MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND.  The new partnership will see the “GITEX Digi-Health 5.0 Asia” conference being held in co-location with MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND in 2025 and MEDICAL FAIR ASIA in 2026. This collaboration fosters synergies: GITEX participants can explore medical innovations, while healthcare attendees gain insights into tech. This represents the future-oriented approach of MDfA: Opening up promising new markets for the healthcare industry, unexpected partnerships and synergies with tech/digital companies, exciting discoveries and inspiration.

All parties benefit from "Messe Düsseldorf for Asia" and MEDICARE ASIA. For local and national companies, the Asian trade shows are essential business and growth platforms. International companies get an opportunity to present themselves to targeted regional markets. Düsseldorf’s world leading trade fairs offer both groups a chance to meet the international industry. These diverse opportunities make Messe Düsseldorf's exhibitions particularly attractive and ensure their leading position in the future.