Monday, March 17, 2014
LAS VEGAS (March 14, 2014)—Just shy of 2,000 providers showed up for Medtrade Spring, the Spring version of the nation’s premiere HME trade show. Exhibitors reported steady traffic on the Mandalay Bay Convention Center floor, and educational sessions yielded solid attendance. “Medtrade Spring has been productive,” said Michael Schumacher, territory sales manager, Graham-Field Health Products Inc, Atlanta. “It was constant traffic on Tuesday, and I’ve had a chance to connect with my customers and see a lot of folks all in one place.” Much like last year, attendees who made the trip were looking to buy, and serious about surviving in the coming years. “Attendees weren’t just kicking tires,” said David Phillips, chief marketing officer, Goodmark Medical. “We were busy, and we got some good leads. We will definitely be in Atlanta this year for Medtrade [Oct 20-23, 2014], and that will be our third consecutive year at the show.” “The show has been fantastic,” enthused Wendy Miller, BOCO, CDME, director of Facility Accreditation, BOC USA. “Attendees have been very positive about the CDME Certification and its ability to show competency and professionalism [by passing the exam] to third party payors and referral sources.” “Medtrade Spring has been very good, and we’ve had an excellent show,” added Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE, president and CEO, BOC USA. It’s no so much the number of attendees, but the quality has been high. This is definitely a bump up from last year’s Medtrade Spring.” Aaron Goldsmith, president of Supernal Recliner Beds, a Transfer Master Product line, Postville, Iowa, commented: “Medtrade Spring has been very good for us. We had excellent engagement from the folks who visited our booth. They asked a lot of questions and agreed that our product was the right elixir for the ills of ObamaCare. We will definitely be in Atlanta for Medtrade [Oct 20-23, 2014].” Ritesh D. Patel, PharmD, of Assistive Design Concepts, makers of the DONN-IT-ON, Raleigh, NC, also expressed enthusiasm, while also making plans for Medtrade in seven months. “Medtrade Spring has been impressive. We had non-stop traffic on Tuesday. We just booked a bigger booth for Medtrade in Atlanta [Oct 20-23, 2014] and we are considering exhibiting again at Medtrade Spring in 2015.” Booth/Product Awards • Medela of McHenry, Ill, took home the coveted Best Booth Award. • EZ-ACCESS of Algona, Wash, earned the Creative Concept Award. Providers Choice Awards Sponsored by HomeCare Magazine • The iWalk2.0 Hands Free Crutch, by iWalk Free Inc, Long Beach, Calif, took home the Providers Choice Gold Award. • The Jordi-Stick by Jordi Airflow, Germany, earned enough votes to win the Silver category. • Finally, the Endevr StrengthTape by Utah-based Stander earned the Bronze.