49,500 visitors flocked to REHACARE International 2005 in Düsseldorf

People with special needs and those requiring care are prepared to invest in order to improve their quality of life. This conclusion was reached at the end of the 16th REHACARE International trade fair's four-day run which ended on Saturday, 15 October in Düsseldorf.

 
© Messe Düsseldorf

Intelligent, high-quality assistive devices were the focus of some 49,500 professionals, users and their families (2004: 49,887) who visited the international marketplace showcasing the full spectrum of options in rehabilitation and care. Hailing from 31 countries, 853 exhibitors took the floor with their innovative products and services.

Growing demands on comfort, mobility and living enjoyment as well as demographic shifts in the population are providing strong stimulus to the assistive devices industry. As chairman of the REHACARE workgroup, Richard Isselhorst noted that people with disabilities "are increasingly ready to reach into their own pockets to cover costs beyond those taken on by insurers if the product is right for them and promises greater quality of life”.

The fact that the REHACARE exhibitors' offerings lived up to these expectations was already apparent during the fair's run. "Our exhibitors offer impressive quality, ideas and service,” explained Wilhelm Niedergöker, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf. "And the proof of this is not only in the commercial success enjoyed by exhibitors at the event but also the tremendous interest in the fair's comprehensive information and service offerings.” A good one in two visitors indicated in a representative survey that they had placed an order at the fair or intended to do so afterwards. Almost half of the visitors also took advantage of self-improvement opportunities presented by the roughly 100 seminars and workshops, or gathered information and advice from the more than 120 associations and organisations for the disabled.

 
© Messe Düsseldorf

Trade visitors made up 73 percent of attendees at the fair. Forty percent were involved in making purchasing decisions. Almost half of the visitors were themselves disabled or had disabled individuals in their families.

REHACARE's position as the world's leading event for the rehabilitation and care industry was further vindicated by the 7,500 trade visitors attending from abroad. They travelled from a total of 40 countries and included high-ranking delegations from such countries as Japan, China, Taiwan and Russia.

It's all in the mix! This is what Gunter Schumann, head of Marketing Services at Otto Bock Healthcare, discovered to his satisfaction when it came to the visitors at the fair: "Here in Düsseldorf we can reach our target groups, users as well as international buyers”. For Siegfried Kipke, Managing Director and CEO of Handy Tech Elektronik GmbH, a manufacturer specialising in technology for the blind and visually impaired, REHACARE is the key event for professional buyers and opinion leaders. "REHACARE serves as the polysectoral information platform that provides technical consultants to health insurers, medical services and regional authorities with an overview of the current range of assistive devices.” Another take on REHACARE is offered by Roland Arnold, Managing Director and owner of Paravan, which retrofits cars for the disabled, who believes that his company's participation in the fair is an absolute must: "Here we have the chance to present end users as well as retailers from around the world with detailed information on our products”.

Visitors this year were particularly interested in vehicles and wheelchairs (49 percent). Second on their lists were walking and mobility aids as well as daily living aids. Favourites among the theme parks and special presentations were the comprehensive information offerings on children with disabilities as well as the innovations exhibition which trained the spotlight on 68 award-winning products from ten countries.

As the showcase for new developments in the assistive devices market, REHACARE is highly respected around the globe - more than one in two visitors make the trip to Düsseldorf to scout out the latest products and services.

The next staging of REHACARE will open its doors in Düsseldorf from 18 to 21 October 2006.