Medical Technology Ireland 2024 took place on 25-26 September at Galway Racecourse, delivering a successful event for 300 Irish and international exhibitors and a record number of quality visitors. There was a good buzz of activity across all floors at the Racecourse, with exhibitors reporting an excellent quantity and quality of meetings and leads. Visitors numbers continue to increase each year with a 20% rise this year.
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Ireland: A MedTech Hub
Ireland is one of Europe's largest medtech hotspots and, as a globally recognised centre of excellence, is home to over 300 medtech companies, employing more than 32,000 people. Nine of the world's top ten medical device manufacturers have operations here and Ireland employs the highest number of medtech personnel per capita in Europe.
Galway: The Location for Medical Technology Ireland 2024
Galway itself has a vibrant hub of medical technology startups, multinationals and research centres that employ over 8,000 people, making it the ideal location for Medical Technology Ireland's Exhibition and Conference.
The Conference: Key Insights and Topics
Included as part of this was the free, two-day Conference which enhanced the visitor experience with a high-level programme, delivering insights and intelligence from a wide range of blue-chip users, government officials, and industry experts, which took place in the Conference Theatre on the 2nd Floor.
The Conference was opened by Eoghan Ó Faoláin, Director of Irish MedTech, who gave an Overview of the Irish Medtech Sector. Highlights also included Gerry Kilcommins, Former VP Global Platform Manufacturing for Medtronic discussing a Changing Medtech Landscape and a panel debate hosted by Ibec on Talent Development in MedTech and Manufacturing.
The Women in MedTech Forum drew a large audience with speakers from Zimmer Biomet, TE Connectivity and Becton Dickinson, ably chaired by Fiona Neary from the University of Galway, followed by a lively discussion.
Other speakers on the programme included Tom Kelly, Divisional Manager, Industrial & Lifesciences, Enterprise Ireland talking about Enterprise Ireland's Support for R&D Start-ups; João Ricardo Gonçalves, Chief Operating Officer, Vangest on Enhancing Patient Safety through Precision Manufacturing of Medical Parts; Björn Bothur, Manufacturing Engineer and Key Account, camLine talking on Conclusions and Outlook for AI in Medical Device Manufacturing; and Tom Torres, Director of Sales, David Schnur Associates with New Developments in Catheter Manufacturing.
Medical Technology Ireland 2024: A Hub for Innovation
Medical Technology Ireland 2024 is Europe’s second largest and fastest-growing MedTech Exhibition and Conference, reflecting the dynamic medical device sector in Ireland. This year saw national and international supply chain companies across four floors with over 16 countries represented, including more than 80 exhibitors from the US, 45 from Germany, and 90 from Ireland. Exhibitors were showcasing the latest breakthroughs in technology, research and development, manufacturing, and design.
Networking and Business Opportunities
Visitors came together for the insight, education, innovation, and most importantly, to do business. This created an event that was bursting with energy, and I am delighted that you could share it with us. Across four floors in the exhibition, it was possible to see the entire spectrum of advanced technology, materials, and solutions for the design and manufacturing of medical devices, including packaging, moulding, automation, medical electronics, medical plastics, sterilisation, components, testing and inspection, sensors, surface technology, manufacturing equipment, and contract services.
Exhibitor Feedback and Rebooking for 2025
Jason Moss, Event Director, said, "We are delighted with the positive feedback we've received from exhibitors at the show this year. This is backed up by 90% of exhibitors rebooking their stands for 2025 during the show! The quality of visitors is outstanding with engineers from all of the key Irish medical device manufacturers represented."
Impact of Medical Technology Ireland 2024
Medical Technology Ireland 2024 proved to be a huge success in terms of both attendance and the quality of networking and business generated. With strong support from exhibitors and visitors alike, the event is already looking forward to the next edition in 2025, continuing to strengthen Ireland's position as a global leader in medical technology.
