Messe

News

expopharm 2021 cancellation: A persistently uncertain planning situation and unforeseeable implementation risks mean that the expopharm 2021 trade fair in Düsseldorf cannot be realised

Eschborn (20 May 2021) – After close consultation with ABDA (Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists) as well as its partners, Avoxa – Mediengruppe Deutscher Apotheker has decided to cancel expopharm 2021. Despite massive efforts since October 2020, the current situation makes planning for Europe’s largest pharmaceutical trade fair nearly impossible.

‘Unfortunately, there are still no reliable official guidelines that would make large events like the expopharm trade fair with 30,000 national and international visitors feasible in autumn’, says Metin Ergül, CEO of Avoxa Mediengruppe. ‘We take our partners’ concerns very seriously’, explains Ergül, ‘especially with regard to the desire for early planning certainty. So far, projections regarding re-opening have been changing rather quickly and potential restrictive conditions are completely unpredictable. That’s why we have no other choice.’ Right now, trade fairs are still prohibited in all federal states. ‘After feeling optimistic at the beginning of the year, doubts and concerns grew among many of our exhibitors and visitors in the last few weeks as to whether the necessary preparations for a successful trade fair can be carried out with justifiable cost risks’, Ergül continues. The slow progress in controlling the pandemic makes safe planning impossible. However, many national and international exhibitors have to make decisions right now that may irrevocably involve expenses for participation in the fair.

‘We’d like to thank our exhibitors and market partners who’ve supported us in recent months and encouraged us to continue making risk-adapted preparations for the trade fair. ‘The decision to cancel is very difficult for us. However, our partners feel that the current precarious condition unfortunately prevents safe and successful planning for this year’s expopharm trade fair’, says Madlen Bürge, Division Manager of Avoxa Trade Fairs and Congresses.

‘To facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information between pharmacies and their market partners, we’ll provide innovative ideas and suggestions for the advancement of the pharmacy market through selected topics during the digital expopharm Impuls event from 12 to 16 September’, Bürge elaborates.

expopharm will return in 2022 and take place as usual in Munich from 14 to 17 September. Exhibitors can start registering for it in July 2021.

Furthermore, Avoxa Mediengruppe will continue to support knowledge transfer in the pharmacy market with high-calibre training formats. Two free events are planned in June: pharmacon@home from 30 May to 4 June and ‘PZ inquiry: e-prescriptions in everyday pharmacy life’ am 15. Juni.

Background

Last year, the expopharm trade fair already had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, in order to advance the pharmacy market, the organiser Avoxa Mediengruppe developed the digital format expopharm Impuls.

Download press release

Thursday, 20. May 2021|Aussteller, Messe|

expopharm 2020 cancellation: It is not possible to hold the pharmaceutical trade fair at the beginning of October whilst ensuring a reasonable level of risk

Eschborn (22nd May 2020) – After close consultation with ABDA (Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists), DAV (German Association of Pharmacists) and lots of exhibitors and visitor groups, Avoxa Mediengruppe has decided to cancel expopharm 2020, which was to be held from 7th to 10th October in Munich. Unfortunately, the current situation still does not provide a reliable basis for planning in order to continue hosting expopharm 2020 whilst ensuring a responsible level of risk for everyone who is involved.

“In order to minimise potential expense and default risks for all market partners and provide planning security, it was important to us to make a responsible decision at an early stage,” said Metin Ergül, Managing Director at Avoxa – Mediengruppe Deutscher Apotheker GmbH. “This decision has been particularly difficult for us because this year’s expopharm, after the restrictions on personal contact brought about thus far by the COVID-19 pandemic, was believed by all market partners to be the ideal communication platform and exhibition opportunity to discuss the current challenges faced by the pharmacy market, present solutions and work together to develop future-ready approaches.”

However, factors which go far beyond the question of the viability of hosting the event from the current perspective were critical in influencing the decision made by Avoxa. In particular, the concerns of the representatives of the professional associations that pharmacists and their employees, as key workers with important roles to play in the pandemic, would be placed at additional risk as a result of participating in a large-scale event need to be taken very seriously. This could potentially place the provision of nationwide care at risk.

“Acting responsibly is the principle behind this difficult decision for us. Due to the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, which we have to assume will continue in the remaining time up to the planned dates for expopharm, it would therefore not be reasonable to continue to hold a large-scale event with over 30,000 participants,” explains Metin Ergül, Managing Director at Avoxa Mediengruppe. “This is because the uncertainty surrounding whether it would be possible to hold expopharm would continue right up to the very last minute for us all.” The discussions held between Avoxa and Messe Munich also brought to light the fact that it is currently not possible to ensure sufficient safety standards to make it viable to host the event under reliable and predictable framework conditions.

“Therefore, we are working together closely with lots of dedicated pharmacists and market partners to create alternative opportunities for exchange and dialogue. In order to make this possible, a range of new digital formats have already been planned for the coming weeks. Experts will be able to get involved in this as part of a ‘call for ideas’ as early as at the start of June,” comments Madlen Bürge, Trade Fairs and Conferences Division Manager at Avoxa Mediengruppe.

The next expopharm will take place from 22nd to 25th September 2021 in Dusseldorf.

Press contact:

Elmar Esser
E-Mail: presse@avoxa.de

You can download this press information here.

Friday, 22. May 2020|Messe, Presse, TOP News|

inspirationLAB | Overview of Europe’s Medical Cannabis Market

This session introduces the European medical cannabis market, including key patient trends and regulatory developments that have propelled the conversation around cannabis as a therapeutic alternative forward. Particular focus is devoted to the patient interest in medical cannabis and practical problems faced by pharmacists who are interested to learn more but cautious as to the source of information. Nick Pateras also addresses consequential insights from Canada’s experience and how medical professionals in Europe can apply those learnings to their own approach towards medical cannabis.

An dieser Stelle finden Sie einen externen Inhalt von YouTube, welcher unseren Artikel ergänzt. Zur Anzeige dieses Inhalts müssen Sie den Datenschutzeinstellungen für externe Medien von YouTube zustimmen.
Mehr erfahren.Cookie Einstellungen öffnen

Video laden

YouTube immer entsperren

Thursday, 7. May 2020|Messe|

expopharm 2019: Information, orientation and inspiration

expopharm 2019 ends in Dusseldorf

Dusseldorf / Eschborn (28.9.2019) – Today the expopharm 2019 came to an end in Dusseldorf. For four days, the largest pharmaceutical trade fair in Europe with more than 500 exhibitors and more than 29,000 trade visitors from Germany and abroad offered information, orientation and inspiration for the pharmacy market. At the same time, the German Pharmacists’ Day took place at the Dusseldorf Exhibition Center, where numerous trendsetting resolutions were passed.

In 2019, expopharm presented itself as the central marketplace around the pharmacy with a greatly expanded lecture and discussion program. Thematically, the focus was on digital customer loyalty, the medical cannabis, the formulation as well as on personnel and pharmacy management. Over 250 lectures and events such as podium discussions and workshops by more than 130 speakers provided a comprehensive program not only for pharmacy managers, but also for store managers, young pharmacists, pharmaceutical technicals and students.

“The pharmacies find themselves in times of great challenges. Therefore, our goal was to provide knowledge and orientation while at the same time creating many opportunities for exchange with colleagues and speakers,” explained Metin Ergül, Managing Director of Avoxa – Mediengruppe Deutscher Apotheker, which is hosting expopharm. “In order to implement the new formats in a practical and realizable way, Avoxa has held many discussions with pharmacy owners and employees since the last expopharm. Based on this, we have developed new formats that complement the range of our exhibitors.” In addition, the exhibition organizers have also looked beyond the pharmacy market and integrated technologies and concepts from other industries into the program.

Besides the already well-known pharma-world as the pharmaceutical heart of the fair, the new inspirationLAB with its two stages and numerous workshop rooms was well accepted. The Newcomer Area, where start-ups presented their products, services and business ideas for the first time at expopharm, met with lively interest from trade visitors and exhibitors. The first Rhineland-Pitch “expopharm special”, in which five young companies presented their business ideas in the final on Thursday, has been won by the start-up “Biomes”, which specializes in intestinal flora diagnostics.

This year, especially those pharmacists got stage and reach, who were innovative and ready to share their ideas, experiences and solutions with colleagues and thus finding more peers. Metin Ergül specifically called on other “lighthouse pharmacists” to get in touch with Avoxa. After all, pioneers are also being sought for expopharm 2020. The intention behind is to hand over the expopharm successively to the pharmacists. “The expopharm should and will therefore provide even more information, orientation and inspiration on future topics and challenges,” says Ergül.

Next year, the expopharm will take place in Munich from October 7th to 10th.

Saturday, 28. September 2019|Messe|

This year`s focus: Cannabis, personnel and digital customer loyalty

Once again, expopharm and the German Pharmacists’ Day set an important date for pharmacists and the pharmaceutical industry: from 25th to 28th September, Europe’s largest and most important trade fair for the pharmacy market will be presenting the latest pharmaceutical and trade policy topics in the halls of Messe Dusseldorf.

This year the lecture program (most lectures only in German) will be significantly expanded. The topic “Digital customer loyalty” is present in various formats at the fair. In the preparation, exhibitors, pharmacists and pioneers participated in a “Call for Ideas”. As creative minds who want to make a difference in the market and share their experiences, they have joined in the four-day stage and workshop program. Amongst others, there will be keynote speeches, workshops, roundtables and live coaching. A first insight into the extensive program can be found here.

In addition, expopharm explicitly promotes innovative founders this year. Numerous start-ups present themselves at the Newcomer Days for the first time to the professional audience. On Thursday, September 26th, the expopharm “Rhineland-Pitch Special” will also be held. At this largest start-up competition in Germany, five entrepreneurs have the opportunity to convince an international professional audience of their business idea on the big stage of expopharm. The Rhineland-Pitch takes place in cooperation with the Start-up Incubator and Accelerator “Startplatz”.

Many pharmacists are concerned with the question of how to find new employees and keep existing ones. Therefore, the topic “staff” is the focus of numerous lectures. In relation to “pharmacy management”, the setting-up of pharmacies will be thoroughly illuminated on a special theme day. Of course, the pharmaceutical content will not fall short: more than 30 top-class scientific lectures (lectures only in German) will be offered over four days at pharma-world. On Friday, September 27th cannabis will be a main topic, on Saturday, recipes are on the program.

Since March 2017, medical cannabis may be prescribed to patients. By 2018, pharmacies had already delivered around 95,000 prescriptions containing more than 145,000 units of cannabis-containing preparations. For pharmacists and PTA a completely new complex of topics arises here – and many urgent questions. The most important answers will be given on Wednesday, 25th in the inspirationLAB and on Friday, 27th at the pharma-world. Presentations, discussions and workshops ensure security in dealing with companies, products and legal regulations. An insight into the cannabis program can be found here.

Look forward to the expopharm 2019 and a comprehensive and exciting lecture program, which is still being constantly expanded.

For visitors to the expopharm, all lectures, tours, workshops, discussions and seminars are already included in the trade fair ticket. Please note that due to limited seats at some events such as guided tours, early reservation through the ticket shop is recommended.

Tuesday, 6. August 2019|Messe|