REHAPROTEX
14.-17.5. 2013

The gates of MEDICAL FAIR BRNO and REHAPROTEX trade fairs closed after four days, in which thousands of visitors familiarised themselves with new products and trends in health care, rehabilitation, social services and care for the elderly. The fairs were attended by 175 exhibiting companies from 20 countries, apart from the Czech Republic mainly from Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain. A supporting programme with conferences, seminars and lectures reaching out to professionals, as well as the general public, was part of the fairs.

Dozens of interesting novelties attempted to capture the visitors’ attention. The best exhibits competed for the traditional Medical Fair Brno Award and also, for the first time, for the Rehaprotex Award. The professional jury headed by Professor Jan Žaloudek awarded five exhibits in total. In the category of Technology for diagnosis and treatment" succeeded the companies BTL medical equipment (a high-performance laser system for non-invasive physiotherapy) and Madisson (Intelect RPW shockwave). Three awards of the Rehaprotex Award were awarded in the category of "Aids for walking, mobility and transport" and were received by the companies Josef Hurt (a unique Czech wheelchair loader to swing away car doors), Proormedent (THERA-TRAINER e-go for practicing the correct standing up and walking designed particularly for neurologically affected patients) and HORIZON-NARE (a self-service TOPCHAIR stairclimber which combines an electric stairclimber with a wheelchair). A special award of the Satisfied children project was received by the company PATRON Bohemia for the rehabilitation BeSafe iZi Up X 2 child car seat.

On the opening day of the fair the traditional Day of healthcare of the Czech Republic, where the Deputy Minister Ferdinand Polák introduced to the public a new concept of aftercare and long-term care, took place. The two-day conference eHealth Days 2013 took place during the trade fairs again, dealing with current issues of healthcare electronisation. The conference of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs with the topic “Removing Barriers in the Context of the Contribution to a Special Aid” also had a large number of visitors. Approximately 150 staff of employment offices, who are newly competent of assigning new contributions, were introduced to not only the methodology, but also to a range of specific aids for the disabled. Other events of the supporting programme were devoted, amongst other things, to the issue of sCards, podiatry, or wheelchair-accessibility.

In addition to health care and rehabilitation the trade fairs aimed at a new target group: seniors. Companies with a range of spa and wellness services or programs for the University of the third age presented themselves within the project Senior, a series of lectures for the elderly was also part of the programme. Another novelty was the Centre of Mobility with an illustration of an ideally equipped apartment for a handicapped person and a consultancy centre. The traditional project For Your Smile combined a presentation of non-governmental non-profit organizations and protected workshops with an advice and sales centre.

What they said about the trade fairs

Jan Čížek, product specialist, MADISSON Ltd.:
We see this year's Medical Fair fairly positively, we won one of the awards with our Shockwave and we are certainly satisfied with the attendance. On Thursday, a lot of people came and we had a lot of important customers here, especially in the field of rehabilitation, both from hospitals and rehabilitation centers etc. Some of them we specifically invited here, to show them our devices and especially novelties that they can see in detail here and try them out. For us it is advantageous that there in the course of a few days we can reach out to a lot of customers who we would otherwise have to visit, which is not even possible with so many products. We talked about specific orders, so the fair makes sense for us also from the business perspective.

Pavel Procházka, sales representative, VECOM lifting equipment Ltd.:
We attend the Rehaprotex trade fair on a regular basis and in our opinion it is necessary for us, we want to be seen. Tuesday had weaker attendance, but a lot of people came on Thursday, mostly from employment offices, but also private individuals and end users. They were serious customers, who consulted their needs with us, gathering information and contacts, so in this respect we are satisfied.

Štěpán Dařbuján, project manager, ERILENS Ltd.:
We attend the Rehaprotex trade fair regularly with an active stand, so that everyone can try out our products - ceiling lift systems - directly. We work projects directly to the specific device for the customers, and then, on the basis of this project, the client asks the employment office for the contribution. That's why we actively participated in the trade fair conference of employment offices and we are very satisfied with its course, because here officials could look at specific aids to which they contribute, and see what the differences between them are. If I had to compare this year’s fair with the last year’s, this year the attendance is weaker. It's probably due to the change of the traditional date and perhaps even the current situation in the health and social services.

Oldřich Víšek, holder of procuration, SIVAK medical technology Ltd.:
The spring date is good for two reasons. For the disabled the weather is better in the spring, and because the novelties have premiered at the world's trade fairs in autumn, thanks to the new date we can introduce the them half a year earlier. Before the trade fair, we sent out hundreds of invitations, and many of these people came. In the two month horizon we will see what will result from these negotiations. We invited several institutes, hospitals, etc. and such deals always take longer, but we have started negotiations about a number of things. If we manage to realize these deals, we will be satisfied.

Petr Šika, specialist in inclusive mobility and the creation of an accessible environment:
Trade fairs such as Rehaprotex are, in my opinion, beneficial, because there is a significant scope for interaction between exhibitors and visitors, the professional public have an opportunity to try exhibits out themselves, discuss, comment on, rate them... I had the opportunity to compare the Brno fair Rehaprotex with foreign events and our exhibitors seems pretty passive to me. Personal meetings with potential customers gives them an opportunity to offer everything the internet can’t, but not all are aware of this fact and only a small part of them can use it to their advantage.

In relation to the medical fairs the congress Medical Summit Brno will take place in the period from the 20th to the 26th October 2013 on the Brno exhibition grounds, with a number of credited congresses, symposiums and seminars with international participation.