Medical Trade Fair Exhibitor Lists: Finding Distributors

An exhibitor list shows the companies with a stand, not the visitors. At medical fairs they fall into four groups, and each group is a different sales opportunity:

Device manufacturer

Makes medical devices, diagnostics or consumables under its own brand. A customer for component and contract manufacturing suppliers, a competitor for companies in the same field.

Distributor

Sells to hospitals, clinics and laboratories in a country or region, often handling local registration, storage and technical service as well.

Component supplier

Provides materials, electronics, packaging, microtechnology or contract manufacturing. COMPAMED, held alongside MEDICA, focuses on this group.

Service provider

Sterilisation, testing laboratories, regulatory consulting, software and similar services.

Fair pages in our directory: MEDICA, COMPAMED, WHX Dubai and FIME. Names without a link have no upcoming edition in the directory yet. Always confirm dates and venue on the official website.

In medical products the end user (hospital, clinic, laboratory) is often not the one who buys. Public hospitals buy through tenders, private groups through central procurement, and in the US a large share of hospitals buy through group purchasing organisations. For a new manufacturer, entering these structures directly takes a long time.

The first target on a fair list is therefore usually a distributor that is registered in the country, bids in tenders and can provide technical service. A good distributor knows which product can compete in which tender and at what price; for the manufacturer, it is the door to the market.

Every market has its own registration or approval process for medical devices, and part of it often needs a local company to take responsibility:

• European Union: devices fall under the Medical Device Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and carry a CE mark. A manufacturer outside the EU must appoint an authorised representative in the EU, and importers and distributors have defined obligations of their own.
• Great Britain: the MHRA regulates medical devices; check its current guidance on UKCA and CE marking for the British market.
• United States: most devices need FDA establishment registration and, depending on class, a premarket notification or approval.
• Saudi Arabia: placing devices on the market requires authorisation from the SFDA.

A distributor that handles registration, post-market follow-up and complaints locally speeds up market entry. Naming your certification (CE marking, an ISO 13485 quality management system) and the countries where your devices are registered in the first message answers the distributor's first screening question. This section is general information; for your device class and target market, take specialist advice.

Showing 15 fairs. Every upcoming fair is in the health and medical fair calendar, and all fairs with a ready list are on the exhibitor lists page.

Medical fairs by country: Germany, United States.

• Eight weeks before: open the list in your account and separate distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. Put distributors in countries where you are already registered first.
• Four weeks before: send a meeting request that states your product group, certification and the cooperation you want (regional distribution, private label, component supply) in one paragraph. See our meeting request templates.
• Fair week: bring a summary of the technical file, copies of certificates and samples; distributors ask about registration time and tender eligibility at the first meeting.
• After the fair: send an offer and certificate pack within a week. Decisions take time in this sector, so a second follow-up a few months later is normal. See our follow-up guide.

These time frames are rough practical guidance, not measured figures.

In Expomatik the list is opened in your account, campaigns go to each company's general address and opens are not tracked; replies show the result. The price of a list is shown before you open it; see Pricing. Rules on emailing companies differ by country, and in Germany marketing emails to businesses generally need prior consent; see Is It Legal to Email Trade Fair Exhibitors?

Are hospitals on the MEDICA exhibitor list?

Hospitals usually visit fairs such as MEDICA rather than exhibit. The exhibitor list shows manufacturers, distributors, component suppliers and service providers. For a manufacturer that wants to sell to hospitals, the main targets on the list are the distributors that supply hospitals in each country.

Should I contact EU distributors before my device has a CE mark?

Most medical devices cannot be placed on the EU market without a CE mark, so an EU distributor will ask about it first. If your conformity assessment is still under way, say so openly and prioritise markets where your current approvals are valid.

Who benefits from the COMPAMED exhibitor list?

COMPAMED is the fair for suppliers of components, materials, microtechnology and contract manufacturing to the medical device industry. If you are such a supplier, the device manufacturers at MEDICA are your customers; if you are sourcing components, COMPAMED exhibitors are potential suppliers.

Whose address does a campaign reach?

Expomatik campaigns go to the company's general contact address, such as info or sales. There is no targeting of named decision-makers. At medical companies these addresses usually reach sales or business development; ask for your message to be forwarded to the right team.