IFEMA and FENIN present EXPODENTAL 2018 to the businesses in the sector.

On the morning of 7 June, Feria de Madrid welcomed more than a hundred leading companies in the dental sector to present EXPODENTAL 2018, International Event for Dental Equipment, Products and Services organised by IFEMA in collaboration with FENIN, Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies, which will hold its next edition from 15 to 17 March 2018 (Thursday to Saturday).

The secretary general of FENIN, Margarita Alfonsel; the Dental Sector president at FENIN, Juan Molina; director of EXPODENTAL, Mª José Sánchez, and the president of the Organising Committee of EXPODENTAL, Luis Garralda, all spoke at the ceremony and announced the features and strategic lines the organisation has in mind for the event, as well as the most significant market data from the last financial year.

In relation to EXPODENTAL 2018, which in this is edition is being presented under the slogan Innovation, Technology and Digital Future in line with its cutting-edge content and new opportunities which open digital transformation for the sector, participation and occupation predictions point to it maintaining the high levels reached last year. In this regard, the fair will again be held in halls 3, 5 and 7 at IFEMA, which in 2016 hosted 325 direct exhibitors, a 5.5 por ciento increase, and 612 companies were represented in a total area of 19,221 m2, an increase of 16.9 por ciento. The number of visitors grew 12 por ciento, with 30,364 professionals attending.

Also, in response to the growing development of technology and products related with oral hygiene which makes ongoing training for industry professionals increasingly necessary, EXPODENTA will feature, as in the last edition, the Training Sector, which will offer a frame of reference and expert information on today's academic offerings—graduate level, postgraduate level, masters, MBAs, clinic management and dental sector specialities—with the participation of universities, training centres, scientific societies, professional associations and companies.

EXPODENTAL's orientation toward the world of education will be completed with the traditional Students Day, on Thursday 15 March, when 4th and 5th year dentistry students will be permitted access to the fair along with future hygienists and dental technicians.

What's more, in parallel with the commercial exhibition, there will be a programme of presentations by exhibiting companies which will take place at the Speakers´ Corners at EXPODENTAL. Here, some of the most innovative technologies, solutions and treatments developed in the past two years will be revealed.

Special actions
Another new feature at this upcoming edition will be the Canary Islands as Guest Autonomous Community, an initiative which includes a number of advantages aimed toward making it easier for professionals from the islands to visit the fair. Specific campaigns are also being worked on aimed at encouraging attendance by professionals from Catalonia, and on an international level, Portugal, as well as a trade mission with the United Kingdom.

EXPODENTAL 2018 will bring together a complete offering of products and innovations from the following sectors: prosthesis fittings and equipment, clinical instruments and consumables, orthodontics and IT services. It will thus once again become a showcase for excellence in the industry and a key meeting point for professionals and companies dealing in dental equipment and products.

Spaces are set to be allocated on 27, 28 and 29 September 2017.

New Ethical Code
FENIN used the opportunity to remind businesses of the upcoming entry into force in 2018 of the new Healthcare Technology Ethical Code which transposes the one approved by the European association Medtech Europe. FENIN has worked intensely on adapting the new code to the particularities of the sector in Spain. These efforts focused attention on training for companies and the scientific societies for each speciality.

Market
According to preliminary data from the sector study by FENIN, the dental sector represents 9 por ciento of the total Healthcare Technology market in Spain, and has been growing continuously since 2012. In the 2016 financial year a turnover of 684.5 million euros was recorded, 4.7 por ciento more than 2015. The market is distributed into groups as follows: dental equipment requiring installation (excluding software), 106.5 million euros; software, 4 million euros; other equipment, 56 million euros; consumables, 283 million euros; teeth, 10.5 million euros; implants, 215 million euros, and technical support, 9.5 million euros.

Caption: EXPODENTAL 2018 presentation

From left to right, the president of the EXPODENTAL organising committee, Luis Garralda; the director of EXPODENTAL, María José Sánchez; the CEO of IFEMA, Eduardo López-Puertas; the secretary general of FENIN, Margarita Alfonsel, and the dental sector president of FENIN, Juan Molina, during the presentation of EXPODENTAL to businesses
Photo: Javier Jiménez DM