What's on the stages at Med-Tech Innovation Expo?

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Olivia Friett, editorial content producer of Medical Plastics News speaks to Ian Bolland, group content manager for Med-Tech Innovation and Medical Plastics News about what to expect on the conference stages at the expo in June.

With the 2023 edition of Med-Tech Innovation Expo in Birmingham just around the corner as part of Manufacturing Week, it’s only natural to be curious what to expect. 

Whether you’re an intrigued buyer, an enthusiastic exhibitor or just want to come for the experience, there is something for everyone – especially in the medical plastics industry. Some recognisable names from the industry such as Boddingtons, Shawpak and BioInteractions are exhibiting on the show floor, while the Connect Lounge offers you the perfect meeting space for you to make connections that way.  

Besides speaking to people face-to-face, you can listen in on a seminar or panel session on one of the conference stages to hear experts discuss important topics throughout the course of the two days. 

There are two stages: Med-Tech Innovation Conference and Introducing Health-Tech Stage. Both stages will have back-to-back speakers throughout the event. The Med-Tech Innovation Conference stage will hold two keynote speeches on each day while the Introducing Health-Tech Stage will have the PITCH competition featuring start-ups on the Thursday afternoon. 

Med-Tech Innovation Conference 

At the Med-Tech Innovation Conference, there’s so much to look forward to on the first day alone.  

Ian Bolland, group content manager for Med-Tech Innovation and Medical Plastics News said: “We've got talks on supply chain strategy, medical device outsourcing and digital health is always a massive factor too. We've got a great presentation from ORCHA that's going to be delivered on the Med-Tech Innovation Conference stage.”  

The opening speech on day one will be the keynote speech by Heather Hobson, head of regulation and access, innovation and growth for Office for Life Sciences on the topic of the life sciences vision. The hour-long session will provide an overview of the Government’s 10-year strategy for Life Sciences, the Life Sciences Vision. It will provide an insight into government priorities for the sector as well as a progress update on the key themes of the Vision. 

There’s also going to be a seminar on the future of UK medtech by Mark Oakes, head of life sciences (exports) for the Department for Trade and Business. Of course, the future of medtech is always going to be on everyone’s minds and having someone who works in exports for life sciences will be beneficial for those in attendance. Oakes will articulate the Department’s range of levers to support UK medtech in the coming years and provide examples of opportunities to export to key markets such as the USA. He will also speak to how the sector is evolving and the potential the UK has to advance its leading position in research and innovation. 

The last seminar of the day will be presented by the headline speaker – Michelle Sullivan, head of public affairs, UK & Ireland, Boston Scientific (who are a finalist for the Connected Health award at Med-Tech Awards 2023) on how to make net zero healthcare a reality. So many companies in the industry now are trying to become eco-friendly so this seminar will be a must-see, especially for anyone in the medical plastics sector.  

On day two, according to Bolland, one thing to look out for is the talk on GlucoRx’s Bioxensor – a true, non-invasive blood glucose monitor by Professor Adrian Porch, professor at School of Engineering, Cardiff University. “I heard him speak about health and he was very impressive. So, I’m really hoping for a packed audience for that speech. I’m kind of expecting it too, so please come along,” said Bolland.  

Introducing Health-Tech Stage 

Regulation has been at the forefront of the industry for the past couple of years with the new EU and UK regulations being put in place. So, it makes sense for Ian Bolland to be bringing the Med-Talk Podcast to the live stage to discuss the latest in the medtech regulatory landscape for a second successive year. With Bolland talking to Professor Laurie Rowe, founder and CEO of Red Medtech, Fiona Maini, principal global compliance & strategy manager at Dassault Systems (Medidata) and Laura Friedl-Hurst, principal consultant & managing director at LFH Regulatory live on stage about the current regulatory landscape, it’s bound to be an incredibly insightful chat and not one to miss. 

There are so many talks throughout the two days on this stage covering all aspects of the industry; some topics are broad, such as sustainability, digitalisation, design etc and others are very specific to parts of the industry. A couple of the seminars that particularly stand out for people medical plastics industry are “The evolution of coatings: why coatings are the future for medical device OEMs” by Arjun Luthra, commercial director at BioInteractions and “The latest in medical adhesives” by Kevin Brownsill, head of technical, learning and development at Intertronics. 

The final session of the expo on the Introducing Health-Tech Stage is the PITCH. In my opinion, the PITCH is a staple of the Med-Tech Innovation Expo. The hour-long competition will see numerous start-ups share their pitches on stage to a live audience and judges. After listening to all the pitches, the judges will then choose a winner. 

“Every company has to start somewhere. These are the people with the budding ideas. They've got the ideas of tomorrow. It's really important that we hear what these new ideas are, and we should be celebrating new innovation.” Bolland said, “The PITCH sessions over the past couple of years have been very well attended. I think there's always interest from people who visit.”  

Overall, the conference is expected to be a huge success with a mix of experts within the industry. I implore everyone to come and hear what they have to say across both of the stages. 

Med-Tech Innovation Expo takes places on 7-8 June. Register for FREE at www.med-techexpo.com.