Record exhibitor numbers at conhIT 2017

Aug 10, 2017

conhIT : Europe’s leading Health IT event

• Federal Minister of Health and patron Hermann Gröhe to open the event
• More than 500 exhibitors from around the world
• conhIT – Connecting Healthcare IT celebrates its tenth anniversary

Be it the paperless hospital, electronic patient file or health apps, at this year’s conhIT – Connecting Healthcare IT, the focus is once again on eHealth. conhIT will take place from 25 to 27 April in Berlin and is co-organized by the German Association of Healthcare IT Vendors (bvitg) and Messe Berlin. Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe is acting as patron of the event.

Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin: ”500 exhibitors from around the world will be showcasing their products and services at conhIT – that is a new record. Since conhIT first took place exhibitor numbers have more than trebled. Now that conhIT is celebrating its tenth anniversary we are particularly pleased with this success. Recent developments show that eHealth has become an increasingly important topic in the healthcare system. Berlin is the ideal venue for an event on Healthcare IT, not least due to the many medical facilities and companies representing both the health industry and information and communication technology. However, it is not only its size, but what it is about that makes conhIT unique. It combines Trade Fair, Congress, Academy and Networking Events and is recognized as Europe’s leading event for Health IT. This is where once a year everyone from established market players to startups, in short the entire industry, is gathered.”

Matthias Meierhofer, CEO of the German Association of Health IT Vendors (bvitg): “Nowadays, Germany’s healthcare system would be inconceivable without IT. Digitization opens up the way for better healthcare. At conhIT Health IT providers will be showing users and decision-makers the innovations and solutions the market has to offer. Policymakers have also recognized how important IT is for the healthcare system. Thus, the aim of the eHealth Law is closer communications among the relevant players and digitization of the healthcare system, which are steps in the right direction. However, there remains even more to be done. With the 2017 federal elections due to take place shortly we, the industry, expect the next federal government to redouble its efforts in order to push through digitization in the healthcare sector. The focus must always be on the needs of the patient. In order for innovations to take effect more rapidly in the healthcare system, particularly in the secondary health market, developers and users need planning certainty and a clear idea of future developments in healthcare. That is why bvitg expressly demands an eHealth strategy for Germany which can outline the direction future solutions will take and harmonize the legal framework.“

From the International Networking Lounge to the Health Security Pavilion
In recent years there has been a significant overall rise in international participation in conhIT. Switzerland, Austria and Estonia are represented with their own pavilions, for example. In addition to the USA, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Taiwan and Israel, other European countries are also exhibiting at this year’s event. A special area has been designated for international trade visitors at the fair. At the International Networking Lounge, co-organized by Germany Trade and Invest and conhIT, there will be workshops in English where foreign trade visitors can gain an insight into IT in Germany’s healthcare system, and where international industry players can present their own health markets. Other special areas at the fair include the mobile health ZONE, which showcases innovative solutions for connected and mobile healthcare, as well as the Health Security Pavilion. This is where trade visitors can get useful information on how hospital IT heads can take measures to protect against cyberattacks.

10 years of conhIT – Connecting Health and Innovative IT
Under the heading of ‘10 years of conhIT – connecting health and innovative IT’, topics at the Congress include digitization in the health industry and hospitals, eHealth and apps, IT strategies and IT management, information and IT security, intersectoral communications and the Internet of Things. In this year’s keynote speech Jeannette Huber of the Zukunftsinstitut will look at the impact of digitization not only on the healthcare system, but on society as well.

The program of congress events has been organized by the Congress advisory committee under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Paul Schmücker, vice president of the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS). “Interoperability, IT security, eHealth, mobile health, managing efficiency through processes, intersectoral information exchange, intelligent assistance systems – these are all very important topics that concern the industry. The 18 sessions at the Congress and the program of Networking Events target the advanced training requirements of this sector, and practically cover the entire range of Health IT topics that concern facilities in the healthcare system. They address every area of healthcare of importance to hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, nursing homes, health insurances, industry and science, in particular IT heads and CEOs of hospitals and nursing homes as well as doctors, nurses and newcomers to this sector. After conhIT visitors can check how forward-looking their own IT strategy is and incorporate ideas and information gained at conhIT into IT projects, IT solutions and IT operations.“

About conhIT – Connecting Healthcare IT
conhIT targets decision-makers in IT departments, management, in the medical profession, nursing, doctors, doctors’ networks and medical care centres who need to find out about the latest developments in IT and healthcare, meet members of the industry and make use of opportunities for high-level advanced training. As an integrated event, over a period of three days conhIT combines Fair, Congress and Networking Events that are of particular interest to this sector. Launched in 2008 by the German Association of Healthcare IT Vendors (bvitg) as the meeting place for the healthcare IT industry and organised by Messe Berlin, this event recorded 451 exhibitors and around 9,000 visitors in 2015 and has now become Europe’s leading event for the healthcare IT sector.

Preparations are already well under way for the next conhIT, which will take place from 17 to 19 April 2018. You can find more information at www.conhit.com.