PHOENIX, Arizona (February 24, 2020) -- In an effort to reduce costs and boost attendance, Medtrade Spring will move from Las Vegas to Phoenix, Arizona, next year, show officials announced Monday.
The show, which will also be renamed "Medtrade West," will run April 12-14, 2021, and will also undergo a shift in format, with much less time overlap for the educational sessions and the expo.
“Las Vegas has continued to be expensive for us as a show producer, as well as for attendees and exhibitors,” said Show Director Mark Lind. “Phoenix showed up as one of the cities of interest in our survey, and it’s a great city to host a tradeshow.”
After an outside firm conducted a comprehensive survey, organizers considered eliminating the spring show altogether. But home medical equipment (HME) providers, vendors and others from the West Coast who attend the show wanted to keep a western option open. Medtrade Fall will remain in its home base of Atlanta.
“Folks from the west don’t want to travel to Atlanta, and vice versa,” Lind said. “If we only went to one show, we would be neglecting the west coast.”
The decision to move to another desert location isn't just about reducing costs, Lind said, adding that the survey indicated there has been some "Vegas fatigue." Medtrade, the largest HME trade event in North America, was established in 1979, and has held a spring show out West--and almost always in Las Vegas--at least since 2002.
“Phoenix has fewer distractions than Las Vegas,” he he said. "But Phoenix is still a vibrant city. As a whole, the show supports the industry and our partner associations. We still have to support east coast and west coast--not just one.” Sarah Varner, senior director of marketing, said the two shows will have a different approach.
"We're hoping that exhibitors and attendees understand that these shows are attended by different people—and the two different groups of people [from the east and west] want two different shows,” she said.
“New leadership across the board supports this decision,” Lind added. “I think it's going to continue to be a solid show that is needed. As a whole, the show supports the industry and our partner associations. We still have to support east coast and west coast—not just one.”
