Arab Health and Medlab Middle East, the leading exhibitions for the healthcare and laboratory industries in the Mena region, generated AED767.7 million ($209 million) of new business deals during the live, in-person element of the show last month.

During the four-day showcase, the exhibitions welcomed 22,800 visitors from172 countries who connected with 1,700 exhibitors. A total of 61 countries were represented by exhibitors, which included 30 international pavilions.

Wouter Molman, Executive Vice President for Informa Markets, said: “Arab Health and Medlab Middle East have been a resounding success this year and underscored the importance, and perhaps, more importantly, the demand, to host live and in-person events once again. Our overarching goal was to create a platform that was conducive to facilitating business deals by providing an opportunity to make connections, network and ultimately to support global healthcare recovery.”

Deals completed during the event included a collaboration between American Hospital Dubai and Etisalat Digital to enhance the patient experience by utilising multiple digital technologies. The Ministry of Health and Prevention, the EHSE, the DHA and DoHalso signed a bulk purchase agreement for medicines and medical supplies.

Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital (AJCSH) announced a high-profile agreement with Illumina Netherlands BV, the world’s leader in next-generation sequencing, to provide technical expertise, reagents and analysis tools and training to the group.

Elsewhere on the show floor, Gulf Medical University signed an MOU with GEOTAR-Med LLC, a leading company in Russia providing complex turnkey solutions for medical education, to develop, produce and advance exciting simulation equipment for education in healthcare professions.

At Medlab Middle East, a series of deals were completed, including G42 Healthcare who announced a partnership with Seegene, a global biotechnology company specialising in molecular diagnostics, to offer fully equipped mobile diagnostics and testing laboratories across the Mena region. Further announcements included Unilabs new diagnostic solutions deal with Roche Diagnostics.

Vincenzo Ventricelli, CEO, Philips Middle East, Turkey & Africa, said: “We’ve been very pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received during the show. Not only have customers been willing to come to the event, but they are also happy to engage, discuss, and make decisions in a face-to-face environment. This means business is being done faster and better.”

As part of the online element of the show, 19,699 visitors attended from countries including Chile, Congo, Mauritius, Zambia, Bolivia, Costa Rica & Dominican Republic, totalling over 31 countries who were only represented online thanks to the virtual aspect of the exhibitions. A survey of online participants revealed that 47% of online attendees had never attended either show in the past.

“These results underscore the importance of our online event by providing an opportunity for an even greater audience to participate. While the physical events remain a strong and impactful platform, which resulted in millions of dirhams worth of business generated at the in-person shows, the online element has so far facilitated over 46,300 unique connections from around the world," added Molman.

The events, which took place under the theme of 'United by business, driving the industry forward’, was supported by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), Dubai Healthcare City Authority, Dubai Health Authority, and the Dubai Government.

As part of Informa Markets commitment to provide the highest hygiene levels at all events by ensuring attendees and staff safety, the event took place with protocols introduced via the company’s Informa AllSecure health and safety mandate. The enhanced measures include 35 guidelines covering all aspects of cleaning and hygiene, social distancing measures, and the use of PPE, screening, and a track and trace in conjunction with local authorities.

The 2022 edition of the show, which returns as a co-located event for the healthcare and laboratory industries, will take place from 24 – 27 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre. – TradeArabia News Service