To provide a meeting forum and participatory access to Medica, the world's largest medical exhibition, to small and medium-sized companies who would otherwise not be able to exhibit.

Event Description:

The Commercial Service (CS) Düsseldorf and the USDOC Export Assistance Center regional team coordinators are organizing the major annual Corporate Executive Office (CEO) at Medica '98. Medica is the world's largest and most prestigious medical equipment and diagnostics show in the world, with over 2,000 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors from 63 countries. It attracts thousands of visitors from Central and Eastern Europe and from Asia. This Medica CEO is the Tier One event in Europe for the strategic medical sector under the Showcase Europe program. As the only effective alternative to exhibiting or simply visiting Medica for US exporters, the CEO program targets new-to-market US companies in this sector which have not previously exhibited at Medica. The CEO program affords lower-cost access to Medica allowing small and medium-sized businesses to participate in the world's largest medical exposition in which they would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate because of price and cost. The CEO at Medica is intended as an alternative to exhibiting. This CEO consists of a package of services including: pre-show counseling; access to buyer delegations organized by medical specialists throughout CS posts in Europe; presence and base of operations on show premises with shared office suite, equipment, and services; market research and formal briefing in-country by CS medical sector specialists; exposure through entry into the show catalogue and electronic search system; assignment of a multilingual personal assistant/escort; scheduling of meetings with potential partners, agents and buyers; and post-show assistance and follow-up with contacts. The CEO at Medica will be staffed by CS Düsseldorf personnel and contract assistants and regional DOC Export Assistance Center coordinators (identified below), who may accompany participating companies from their respective areas.

Commercial Setting

Medica is the single most important venue for commercial and information exchange for U.S. exporters in the medical equipment and diagnostics field. It offers not only the unsurpassed forum for access to the German market but also an excellent means to explore and penetrate virtually all European markets, as well as other foreign markets. The German market for medical products is estimated at $20 billion. For medical equipment alone, the US has about 30% of a market of over $8 billion in Germany. The EU market for medical products exceeds $47 billion and the world market (excluding the U.S.) is estimated at $90 billion.

Despite recent efforts to reform the public health care system in Germany and to retard the rapid increase in public health care expenditures, demographic trends, the aging German population and advances in medical technology are predicted to maintain the German market as the largest and fastest growing market in all of Europe. The German market is very receptive to high quality advanced medical equipment, technology, and diagnostic products from the U.S. Similar trends may be observed in other parts of Europe. The newer democratic markets of Central and Eastern Europe as well as the former republics of the Soviet Union offer long term potential for U.S. exporters, as those regions strive to achieve comparable standards of health and medical care enjoyed in the West.

Because Medica attracts buyers and experts in the field from all ends of the globe, it serves as a barometer of trends, an indispensable source of market information, and the most efficient available tool for establishing contacts and selling or preparing for sales to all world markets.

In the future, U.S. medical device manufacturers will be allowed to submit a certification which will be recognized by European regulations when U.S. medical devices are exported to the European Union, pursuant to the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) signed in 1997. This should somewhat ease the bureaucratic burden that manufacturers face in the overseas marketing and sales of medical devices.

Mission Goals:

The goal of the CEO at Medica is to facilitate a productive presence for companies who would otherwise not be able to participate in Medica 98. The CEO program enables U.S. medical companies to familiarize themselves with this important trade fair, to conduct market research and to explore export opportunities through pre-arranged meetings with potential partners and investigation of market conditions and discussions conducted at the show without the high costs of first-time exhibition. Importantly, the CEO allows U.S. companies to have a presence at the show, providing them with an enhanced image and level of engagement, an office infrastructure environment, and the support of knowledgeable CS staff and personal assistants focused on furthering company-specific objectives. Access to German, European, and other international markets and business partners is made possible through the CEO in a manner which cannot be matched by simply attending the show as a visitor.

Mission Scenario:

Participants will be counseled by Export Assistance Center trade specialists. Company information and literature will be forwarded by the companies to CS Düsseldorf and distributed for familiarization to assigned assistants in advance. Participants will arrive in Düsseldorf on their own schedule but report to the CEO office at Medica at the start of the show. At this time, they will be briefed by CS staff on program features, personally introduced to assigned assistants and greeted by Fair officials. Company literature and promotional material will either be shipped to the U.S. Consulate in Düsseldorf or brought by participants. No exhibition or larger demonstration items are permitted or appropriate. CS staff will be available for information and assistance throughout the duration of Medica. Buyer groups for CEO participants organized by third-country CS posts will be received and desired meetings held. CS information booths in the USA Pavilions will promote and refer interested parties to CEO partic

ipants. One evening during the show, a reception will be organized for CEO participants. Prior to the participants' departure, CS staff will advise and counsel on appropriate follow-up actions to be taken.

Timetable:

Participants arrive according to their own schedules, but all assemble at the Düsseldorf Trade Fair in the Medica CEO at the beginning of the show, November 18, 1998. According to the plan selected, participation will end after 4:00 p.m. on November 21.

Medica CEO participation promotion will be conducted by CS Düsseldorf and by CS regional coordinators in Export Assistance Centers and will include, but not be limited to, publication in local German, as well as domestic trade publications and associations newsletters, mailings from internal and purchased mailing lists, and through posting on ITA's home page. Recruitment will close November 1, 1998.

Conditions for CEO participation:

• Acceptability of product area/sector for exhibition in Medica according to trade fair rules.

• Timeliness of company's completed application and payment of participation fees.

• Timely and adequate provision of company and product/service information and literature, in order to be able to enable communication of company's objectives and scheduling of appointments.

• Certification that the company meets Departmental guidelines for participation.

• The company is seeking to export products with at least 51% U.S. content.

• Submission of the $2,800 participation fee, the participation agreement, and certifications.

• Any partisan political activities of an applicant, including political contributions, will be entirely irrelevant to the selection process.

Contact information:

Deborah Sykes
Int'l Trade Specialist
U..S. Department of Commerce
3131 Princeton Pike, Blg. # 6
Suite 100
Trenton, NJ 08648
Tel.: 609-989-2020
Fax: 609-2395

Mid East Region:

Mark Cooper
Int'l Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce
11405 Pennsylvania St., Suite 106
Carmel, IN 46032
Tel.: 317-582-2300
Fax: 317-582-2301

Mid-West Region:

Patrick Hope
Int'l Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce
517 E. Wisconsin Ave., Rm. 596
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Tel.: 414-297-3473
Fax: 414-297-3470

Western Region:

Allen Christian
Int'l Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce
One World Trade Center, Ste. 242
Oregon, Portland 97202
Tel.: 503-326-3001
Fax: 503-326-6351

Düsseldorf:

Anette Salama
Commercial Service
U.S. Consulate General
15-17 Kennedydamm
40476 Düsseldorf
Germany
Tel.: 011-49-211-47061-33
Fax: 011-49-211-431 431