Important impulses and the latest technical solutions

REHAB impresses as a showcase for innovations in the assistive technology sector

Impulses, innovations and interdisciplinary exchange: REHAB 2023 received a lot of positive feedback - from visitors and exhibitors alike. After just one year, the European Trade Fair for Rehabilitation, Therapy, Care and Inclusion opened its doors again at Messe Karlsruhe from June 15 to 17 due to a previous postponement caused by the coronavirus. For three days, the possibilities and opportunities offered by new technologies for people with disabilities to improve participation and self-determination were impressively demonstrated.

Around 12,000 trade and private visitors came to Karlsruhe to get personal advice and find out about current trends and the latest aids. In three barrier-free halls, 300 exhibitors from 17 nations presented their diverse innovations in rehabilitation, orthopaedic and medical technology, care and therapy, as well as qualified advice services, including from self-help groups.

“Our REHAB concept is working,” says Project Manager Annika Gehrmeyer. “We were able to score points with exhibitors by increasing the proportion of trade visitors by ten percent to 71 percent. Weekdays are particularly popular with trade visitors. At the same time, we also establish valuable contacts with end consumers for our exhibitors.” Thomas Gast, Managing Director at Össur Deutschland GmbH: “This is our first time at REHAB and we are delighted with the great, positive feedback. We met a lot of therapists here who were very interested in the possibilities offered by our products. There were also a lot of users at the stand.” Renowned industry giants such as Ottobock were particularly impressed by the mix of visitors at REHAB, which enabled them to explain complex products and services clearly and personally to both trade and private visitors. “Presenting Ottobock at REHAB in Karlsruhe was of great importance to us. Together with our experts and users, we were able to explain our holistic NeuroMobility fitting concept to many interested visitors, including those from the fields of medicine and orthopaedic technology, and how the associated aids can help them achieve a more self-determined everyday life,” says Alexander Hardt, Market Manager NeuroMobility at Ottobock HealthCare Deutschland GmbH.

According to the visitor survey, the focus for many trade and private visitors was on getting to know and testing new products as well as exchanging ideas and building up knowledge. 96% of those surveyed praised the quality of the exhibitors and emphasized their satisfaction with the wide range of products on offer.

Numerous manufacturing companies brought brand new innovations with them to present them live at the trade fair to a specific specialist audience and the general public, such as the German wheelchair manufacturer Meyra. “For us, the results are outstanding. We are having a very good trade fair here, naturally also driven by our new product launch yesterday in the Forum. There is a lot going on at our stand and we are having lots of very good discussions across the market with many specialist dealers, therapists, facilities, health insurance companies - and also with many new customers, which is of course also very important. We are extremely satisfied so far and will be back in two years' time,” says Stefan Schäfer, Managing Director Sales and Marketing DACH at Meyra.

REHAB Karlsruhe has been a fixed date in the industry calendar for over 40 years. This is where the various specialist areas of the assistive technology sector meet for an interdisciplinary exchange. According to a visitor survey, more than two-thirds of visitors only attend REHAB and no other trade fair. “As always, REHAB is an important meeting place for many important stakeholders in the market, such as specialist retailers, purchasing groups, therapists, health insurance companies, the press and politicians, with whom we maintain a direct and personal exchange. The number of visitors to our trade fair stand confirms this. We look forward to continuing to use this platform in the coming years,” confirms Dr. Raphael Ujlaky, Vice President Sales, Permobil EMEA.

In 2023, REHAB will be the most important platform for high-quality aids for children and young people. Torsten Schuchmann, Managing Director of Schuchmann GmbH, a market leader in the field of pediatric rehabilitation, sums up: “The response to our products has been very positive. The trade fair is consistently very well attended by end customers, cost bearers, therapists and specialist retailers. As things stand at present, we will be planning to attend the trade fair again in 2025.”

Two top-class specialist events, the CON.THERA specialist congress and the 47th advanced training conference of the Association of Bobath Therapists in Germany, took place parallel to REHAB and attracted over 300 experts from all over Germany and neighboring countries to Karlsruhe. Close networking and interlinking of different disciplines is particularly important in the therapy environment in order to achieve holistic success. The combination of first-class, certified and interdisciplinary training paired with an exciting market insight at the trade fair is precisely tailored to the needs of the specialist therapeutic audience. “The interdisciplinarity, i.e. the combination of science and therapy, which makes up the CON.THERA congress, is the decisive factor for me as to why I registered. Of course, in combination with REHAB, to find out about the latest new findings in the field of assistive technology and everything that goes with it. And in combination with the congress, it's just perfect,” explains Anna Engel, physiotherapist and responsible for rehabilitation and aftercare at the German Stroke Foundation.

REHAB Karlsruhe is returning to its two-year cycle and will take place at Messe Karlsruhe from May 22 to 24, 2025. During this year's REHAB, many regular customers have already registered again, such as Marco Hessler, Managing Director of the Danish company Wolturnus: “We are very satisfied with this year's REHAB and the visitor clientele. This is our fourth time here, this time with a larger stand and an expanded portfolio. We'll be back in two years, we've already signed up.” Project Manager Annika Gehrmeyer is delighted with the high demand for 2025: “The major trend topics of IT-based, digital aids and individualization will become even more important in the future, and this will also be the case at REHAB 2025. The high level of satisfaction among exhibitors is also reflected in the fact that more companies than ever before have already booked their stand for 2025.”