It is hard to imagine that the Medical Design & Manufacturing West (MD&M West) show hit its 30th year, but with seeing the numbers across the entire UBM Canon event (35,000 attendees, 2,100-plus exhibits and 365,000 square feet of show floor space), it is clear just how far the show has come. 

Stephen Corrick, executive vice president and managing director at UBM Canon, which runs the show, said, “There is such an investment by all on a great show, including seeing such highly qualified audience members engage with the educational programs at the show.”

Roger Burg, vice president/Design & Manufacturing portfolio director at UBM Canon, added, “It is great to see attendees being so engaged. You can see how the audience is taking everything in, and the exhibitors bought their knowledge to the show floor.”

This year’s show, held Feb. 10-12 at the Anaheim Convention Center, focused on the convergence of technology to enable the user, as well as intelligent automation, and these areas were seen in the exhibits and the educational sessions.

“Last year’s education platform worked very well,” Corrick said.  “So this year, we kept the platforms intact, including the innovative tours, which are a huge hit.”

Exhibitor Cathy Powell, industry marketing manager – Robotics at FANUC America Corporation, said, “We have noticed a better educated attendee on the showfloor and more executive titles. Robotics is a hot topic in the industry, and we have had great interest by attendees in understanding this technology and how it can help the manufacturing process.”

Attendee Cheryl Hanslip, sales executive from Doc Johnson, said, “For us, it is about relationship building and engaging with other attendees and companies. I just arrived, but I have noticed the great engagement and always enjoy coming to this show.”

The speed networking sessions, for example, were quite popular at the show, with attendees taking advantage of the high-intensity event.

With the great weather in Southern California, many attendees were jumping outside to take in the sun. “We are competing against the weather here, but we are still seeing very qualified leads,” said exhibitor Dan Caballero, sales engineer from Videojet.

“The attendees have been interested in current industry trends, such as customization and automation of their product lines,” he added.

Attendee Rene Romandia, general director for Motocar Parts de Mexico in Tijuana, was very impressed with the exhibitor booths and information being provided. “I have been attending this show for a while, and coming up from Tijuana is well worth the drive. I am always impressed at the level of expertise and contacts we can make in this industry because of this show.”

MD&M West 2016 will be held Feb. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center.