Welcome to the Medical Equipment Design & Technology Exhibition & Conference
The European Union's principles of a harmonized marketplace, light-touch regulation, and third-party certification reach a milestone on 14 June 1998, when the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC) becomes mandatory. Replacing a host of sometimes conflicting national regulatory schemes with one harmonized system has brought Europe ever closer to the establishment of a true single market. The EU's novel approach to achieving this goal has had global impact: many countries throughout the world are in the process of incorporating elements of the EU system into their own regulatory structure or are considering doing so.
Europe's dynamic and influential industry and marketplace deserve an exhibition and conference reflecting the continent's spirit of innovation. The Medical Equipment Design & Technology Exhibition & Conference (MEDTEC), we believe, is just such an event.
On 2223 October, 1997, more than 150 of the industry's leading medical suppliers gathered at the RAI International Exhibition and Congress Centre in Amsterdam to display a comprehensive range of components, materials, equipment, and services for medical device manufacturers. The MEDTEC Product Preview in this section offers a glimpse of some of the innovative items that were on exhibit. One must-see area of the exhibition was the Design and Rapid Prototyping pavilion, where the top software providers, service bureaus, and suppliers of equipment showcased the latest developments within this rapidly evolving sector.
Beginning one day prior to the exhibition on 21 October, and continuing through 23 October, a series of conference sessions offered insights on critical technical and regulatory issues of paramount importance to device manufacturers. Several sessions were devoted to the practical aspects involved in compliance with the medical device directives. Gordon R. Higson, consulting director of QuintilesMedical Technology Consultants and author of a manufacturer's handbook on the medical device directives, and Michael C. Baker, director-general of the European Confederation of Medical Devices Associations (EUCOMED), were among the session chairs. EUCOMED and its major national member organizations--including ABHI in the UK, A.P.P.A.MED and SNITEM in France, BVMed in Germany, and UNAMEC in Belgium--sponsored the conference and assisted in the development of the technical programme.
MEDTEC was organized by Canon Communications LLC. More than 1500 suppliers and more than 20,000 visitors attend Canon's annual international exhibitions for medical manufacturers. MEDTEC is sponsored by European Medical Device Manufacturer.
