Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre expands portfolio of medical-therapeutic events
Messe Karlsruhe acquires rights to IRMA - greater reach and in-depth customer dialogue possible
Karlsruhe, 05.11.2024. With its upcoming edition in Bremen from 26 to 28 June 2025, the rehab and mobility trade fair IRMA will be organised for the first time by Messe Karlsruhe in cooperation with Escales GmbH.
‘By organising three related trade fairs at two additional locations in future - REHAB, IRMA Bremen and IRMA Hamburg - we can expand our geographical reach and our field of expertise nationally, tap into new target groups and intensify the dialogue with the industry. This will also benefit Karlsruhe as a trade fair and congress location, increasing its national appeal,’ says Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe.
Medical-therapeutic events have a long tradition at Messe Karlsruhe. With the European Trade Fair for Rehabilitation, Therapy, Care and Inclusion REHAB, which was founded in Karlsruhe in 1980, and the CON.THERA congress for therapists, which has been held in parallel since 2022, Messe Karlsruhe creates a unique platform every two years for both private and professional visitors from the fields of therapy, medicine, care and rehabilitation and orthopaedic technology. Numerous event organisers also choose Messe Karlsruhe as a partner when organising their medical congresses, such as the 40th annual conference of the Society for Vascular Medicine, due to its high level of service and in-depth expertise. They benefit from a large network with numerous renowned institutions in Karlsruhe as a research location, which Messe Karlsruhe has maintained as an organiser for many years.
Annika Gehrmeyer, Team Lead Medicine & Health at Messe Karlsruhe, adds: “Our aim is to further expand IRMA's existing strengths and to continue to increase its relevance for the target group in the north as a trade fair close to home. In addition, the interaction with our REHAB offers numerous benefits for our exhibitors and partners, such as an increased reach through our presence in northern and southern Germany, in order to reach the right visitor target groups in each case”.
With Messe Karlsruhe as the organiser, IRMA will continue to take place annually, alternating between Messe Hamburg and Messe Bremen. The Escales GmbH team will remain closely involved with customers and partners for IRMA 2025 and will take over the organisation of the trade fair as usual. Pascal Escales, Managing Director of Escales GmbH, adds: ‘The team at Messe Karlsruhe knows the needs of the industry extremely well and shares the same customer-centred philosophy as we do. We are grateful to have found such a competent partner.’
About Messe Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre
Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH, or Messe Karlsruhe for short, is a subsidiary of the City of Karlsruhe. Around 300 events, including more than 40 trade fairs with almost 8,000 exhibitors, attract up to 800,000 visitors every year to the nine halls at the two locations in the city centre and on the exhibition grounds. Whether for art lovers, digital enthusiasts, commercial vehicle fans or companies from the recycling industry - Messe Karlsruhe offers its guests from the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion, Germany and the world a diverse programme. With the takeover of IRMA, Messe Karlsruhe is organising a trade fair at a different location for the first time.
About REHAB
REHAB Karlsruhe provides impetus and showcases technical developments to improve the quality of life and participation of people with disabilities. It has been firmly anchored in the industry's diary for almost 45 years and is the most important platform for high-quality mobility aids and paediatric aids from Germany and other European countries every two years. This is where the various specialisms in the assistive technology industry meet for an interdisciplinary exchange and to discover the latest trends, therapy offers and innovations in the industry. At the last edition in 2023, the trade fair attracted around 12,000 trade and private visitors. Over 300 exhibitors from 17 countries presented their products and services from the rehabilitation, orthopaedic and medical technology, care and therapy sectors in three exhibition halls. The next REHAB will take place from 22 to 24 May 2025.
About IRMA
IRMA is a trade fair for people with disabilities, wheelchair users, senior citizens, people in need of care and their relatives. It offers people in northern Germany products and services to improve their quality of life and increase their independence. The trade fair is held every year, alternating between the Hamburg and Bremen exhibition centres. Most recently, the organiser Escales GmbH counted 130 exhibitors with around 9,500 participants at Messe Hamburg. The next IRMA Bremen will take place from 26 to 28 June 2025, IRMA Hamburg from 18 to 20 June 2026.
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