China and Germany dominate Arab Health

With the Middle East healthcare budgets set to reach $60 billion annually by 2025, an ever increasing number of country pavilions are participating at Arab Health 2011 the Arab world’s largest gathering of healthcare professionals.

The two largest pavilions this year are China and Germany. China has witnessed substantial growth since last year’s Arab Health event, recording an increase of 44 per cent in exhibition space to 5,200 square metres with 422 participating companies, 173 participants (41 per cent) above last year.

Most of the companies come from China’s manufacturing centre in the south east of the country, Shanghai being the major port and commercial hub of the region. With over 6,000 manufacturers of technology-led products, competition is fierce in China and many companies have two divisions, one to serve domestic demand and one to drive export markets.

“Chinese companies are very aware of the market potential in the Middle East. They are not trying to compete with the precision and quality of technical products available in Germany, US and Japan. However, the quality of Chinese products is improving rapidly and today they represent exceptional value for money, especially in the primary healthcare sector,” said Anna Li, MD, IIR Exhibitions in China. 

Major manufacturers represented include Wandong Medical Equipment, Mindray, Neo-soft and Edan Instruments. Li also commented on the improved quality of Chinese marketing, a fact borne out by the number of creative stands at Arab Health this year.

Over at the German pavilion, the participant numbers are equally impressive. Including the independent companies, the Germans covered almost 5,000 square metres, with 325 exhibiting companies. Out of the 16 German states, 9 states were represented including Saxony, Hamburg, Berlin and Bavaria.

“The German representation is as strong as previous years, despite the recession in other parts of Europe. Companies producing operating equipment and technology, sterilisation and emergency medicine are dominant. Indeed we have noticed a marked increase in the number of companies producing the latest in prosthetic technology,” said Michael P. Loffler, MD of Tradex Services, the organiser of the German pavilion.          

Elsewhere the UAE, United States, United Kingdom and Italy, are all well represented with well over 150 participating companies. Other national pavilions from France, India, South Korea and Taiwan with upwards of 100 companies each were evident.

“It is clear that the exceptional market potential of the Middle East region is drawing greater numbers of companies wanting to exhibit at Arab Health. The combined size of the Chinese and German pavilions could fill many exhibition centres on their own,” said Simon Page, Divisional Director of the Life Sciences Division of organisers IIR Middle East.

The four-day Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, which runs until Thursday 27 January 2011, is the biggest event of its kind in the Middle East and has taken all available exhibition space at the Dubai World Trade, featuring more than 2800 exhibiting companies from 60 countries covering 85,000 square metres.

Arab Health provides over 65,000 visiting healthcare professionals a unique opportunity to bring their knowledge and understanding up to date with over 480 hours of continuing medical education (CME). Working closely with Cleveland Clinic, the content in all 18 conferences is approved by the American Medical Association.

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