BANGKOK — Messe Düsseldorf’s Medical Fair Thailand broke records this year, welcoming 14,474 attendees from 70 countries Sept. 10-12 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC).
The event, established in 2003, is part of Messe Düsseldorf’s MEDICARE ASIA portfolio, which includes nine healthcare exhibitions, and serves as a regional hub for sourcing, collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Trade Show Executive (TSE) connected with Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia and Vice Regional Head, Messe Düsseldorf for Asia, to discuss Medical Fair Thailand’s stellar growth — even amidst international headwinds — what’s unique about organizing a trade show in Thailand and what’s next for this supercharged event.
ANDREW: What drove this record-breaking growth?
GERNOT: Our growth was powered by a clear sense of purpose — to create a business platform that’s genuinely reflective of Southeast Asia’s healthcare transformation — and also backed by an established history in the region.
That growth came from listening closely to what the industry needs — and that of our exhibitors and visitors. Across Southeast Asia, governments are investing heavily in healthcare infrastructure and digitalization, while private healthcare groups are expanding rapidly. Over the years, we continue to shape the exhibition’s content and zones around these priorities — from medical manufacturing and digital health to elder care and rehabilitation.
In addition, our partnerships with industry associations from Thailand and the region, national agencies and the Ministry of Public Health, as well as tertiary institutions created strong local and regional anchors, while our international network under Messe Düsseldorf connected exhibitors to buyers and distributors across Asia. This combination of relevance, relationships and reach was key to achieving such a successful outcome.
ANDREW: How did you continue to promote international participation in this event, even as political headwinds are intensifying?
GERNOT: Our focus has always been on building trust, value and consistency — and that continues to resonate across borders. This year, 40% of our visitors came from outside Thailand, led by strong participation from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. We also welcomed 19 national and country group pavilions, reflecting a truly global representation on the show floor.
Southeast Asia continues to emerge as one of the world’s most dynamic growth regions, with investment, manufacturing and healthcare innovation expanding rapidly. The region’s progress complements established markets in Europe and North America, contributing to a more connected and resilient global healthcare ecosystem.
As one of the region’s most established exhibitions, Medical Fair Thailand has benefited from that confidence. The internationality of the show, underpinned by the global Messe Düsseldorf network and now MEDICARE ASIA, continues to be one of our strongest assets.
We also worked very deliberately to ensure participants felt connected and supported throughout the cycle. Our global offices and representatives maintained open lines of communication with exhibitors and buyers, while targeted initiatives such as the Hosted Buyer Programme and our enhanced Business Matching app helped participants achieve tangible business outcomes — generating more than 13,000 meeting requests and over 1,000 confirmed onsite meetings.
These are the kinds of measurable results that transcend geopolitical uncertainty. When companies see real opportunities and meaningful engagement, they continue to show up — and they return.
ANDREW: Were there any new organizing strategies this year?
GERNOT: At the strategic level, we also deepened our partnerships across Thailand’s healthcare ecosystem. This included stronger collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, the Nurses Association of Thailand, leading universities such as Mahidol University’s MIND Center and innovation partners like the Plastics Institute of Thailand.
These partnerships ensured that the exhibition went beyond being a marketplace — it became a knowledge and collaboration hub that reflected Thailand’s real healthcare priorities. Ultimately, our goal was to extend the conversation beyond products and technologies — to include the broader themes of innovation and patient care.
After all, healthcare innovation doesn’t end at the exhibition hall; it’s about how ideas translate into better outcomes across hospitals, clinics and communities.
ANDREW: What aspects of this year’s show will impact its next edition?
GERNOT: The 2025 edition demonstrated how far Southeast Asia’s healthcare ecosystem has advanced — not only in scale but in sophistication. What stood out most was the region’s appetite for knowledge exchange, cross-sector collaboration and practical innovation.
For instance, our neurorehabilitation and gait training workshops featuring live patient demonstrations — led by one of Thailand’s most respected rehabilitation specialists — drew over 200 clinicians and were among the most well-attended sessions. This reaffirmed that today’s healthcare professionals seek hands-on learning, real-world case studies and applied technology, not just product showcases. That insight will certainly shape the direction of future editions.
Looking ahead to Medical Fair Asia 2026 in Singapore, we will build on this momentum by further strengthening the connection between healthcare technology, rehabilitation and medical manufacturing — integrating these verticals within one cohesive platform.
Next year will also see the launch of REHACARE ASIA — the first Southeast Asian edition of one of Messe Düsseldorf’s leading global brands dedicated to rehabilitation, care and inclusion.
Its introduction could not be more timely. With populations across Asia aging faster than anywhere else in the world, there is rising urgency around rehabilitation medicine, preventive care and technologies that support independent living and active aging.
Hosting REHACARE ASIA in Singapore — a nation recognized for its forward-looking policies in healthcare and active aging — is both a strategic and symbolic decision. The event will broaden the conversation from clinical care to community care, connecting solutions that empower individuals to recover, reintegrate and live well.
This continuity — alternating between Bangkok and Singapore — ensures that the Medical Fair series remains regionally inclusive yet globally connected, delivering year-round value for exhibitors, visitors and partners alike. In many ways, the success of Medical Fair Thailand 2025 has set the tone for what comes next: a more integrated, insight-driven and future-ready healthcare ecosystem for Asia.
ANDREW: What is unique about organizing a trade show in Thailand that an organizer from another country might not know?
GERNOT: Thailand offers an extraordinary mix of industrial development, regional accessibility and cultural warmth. Strategically located at the heart of Southeast Asia, it is within a short flight of every major Southeast Asian capital — making it an ideal meeting point for regional buyers and decision-makers.
That proximity translates into real commercial opportunity: from Thailand, you can easily reach markets like Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam — all of which are expanding rapidly in healthcare, manufacturing and industrial technologies.
The Thai healthcare sector is ambitious, tech-forward and highly collaborative. Business in Thailand is personal and it is built on trust, continuity and shared outcomes, not just transactions. That’s why our partnerships with the Ministry of Public Health, the Federation of Thai Industries and leading industry associations such as the Private Hospital Association and the Thai Medical Wellness Tourism Association, are so vital.
They ensure that every edition of Medical Fair Thailand is not just an international showcase but a platform grounded in the country’s real healthcare priorities … strengthening hospital networks, medical tourism, [and] advancing local MedTech production and research collaboration.
Equally important, Thailand’s MICE infrastructure is world-class. Venues like BITEC in Bangkok deliver operational excellence, accessibility and hospitality that rival any major exhibition center globally. That gives international participants confidence that their experience will meet international standards while retaining Thailand’s trademark warmth and business friendly environment.
From a broader perspective, Thailand also serves as a key hub for our other industry-leading trade fairs under the Messe Düsseldorf Asia portfolio, spanning packaging and printing (PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL and CorruTec Asia), wire, tube, foundry and metallurgy (wire and Tube Southeast Asia, GIFA and METEC Southeast Asia), plastics and rubber (Plastics & Rubber Thailand) and occupational safety and health (CIOSH Thailand).
Together with Medical Fair Thailand, these events reflect Thailand’s diversified industrial base and its growing relevance as a strategic springboard into the wider Southeast Asian market.
In short, organizing in Thailand means working at the intersection of regional opportunity, local expertise and genuine partnership — a combination that continues to make the country one of Asia’s most dynamic and rewarding destinations for international exhibitions.
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