Medtrade Announces Show Consolidation Amidst Higher Medtrade West Numbers

• By Laurie Watanabe
• Apr 11, 2022

The Medtrade series of events for the home medical equipment (HME) industry will now be a single yearly show known simply as Medtrade.

That announcement came April 4, as Medtrade West was opening in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Medtrade East show will take place as scheduled in 2022, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta in October.

But starting in 2023, there will be just one Medtrade show, with its timing and location to be announced later this year.

In the April 4 announcement, Medtrade Show Director York Schwab said, “This change is motivated by feedback from attendees and exhibitors. Medtrade is ultimately a reflection of the industry, and changes over the last decade make the move to one show the logical thing to do.

“One show in a central location better mirrors the current state of the HME industry, and it represents a chance to unite the east and west under one banner.”

Over the years, the individual events have had different names, including Medtrade Spring for the show now known as Medtrade West. Medtrade officials said the 2022 Medtrade West show saw a 21-percent jump in qualified attendance versus the 2021 Medtrade West event, which was also held in Phoenix.

Sarah Varner, VP of Marketing for Medtrade, said of the new show structure, “Our mission is to stage events that unite the HME industry, and having one annual event will help bring together buyers, sellers, and educators under one roof for the ultimate product- and information-sourcing event. The move to one show is exciting. This is an opportunity for all stakeholders to channel their efforts into one event that can be much more impactful than two. It’s not a loss. It’s definitely a gain for everyone involved.”

Medtrade officials said 2023 Medtrade will be either three or four days. “We realize,” Schwab added, “there are crucial details still to be ironed out. The main takeaway is that the majority of attendees and exhibitors wanted one central show as a rallying point for the industry. We listened, and we are looking forward to a new era in 2023.”

Tom Ryan, CEO/President of the American Association for Homecare said the change “makes Medtrade stronger. I am confident this move will bolster attendee and exhibitor participation, and will also lead to even stronger educational and networking opportunities at a single event on the calendar.”