In May 2010, two of the foremost international O&P events will be staged together for the first time. The 13th World Congress of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) will be held from May 10-15 at the Congress Center Leipzig, Germany, and ORTHOPÄDIE + REHA-TECHNIK, a major product expo, will bring approximately 470 participant companies to the center between May 12-15.
According to the German Association of Orthopaedic Technology, the ISPO world congress will attract some 1,000 experts from all over the world to report on progress in research and development, training, and practical applications of technical orthopedics. The program will examine technical orthopedics from the viewpoint of clinicians, doctors, scientists, manufacturers and industry, and range from assistance systems for the elderly to neuro-orthopedics, orthotics, prosthetics, and sports medicine. The program was developed in cooperation with Austrian and Swiss O&P professionals and the ISPO executive board, congress committee, and science-committee chair.
“Apart from the free papers and the symposia, many of which will be hosted in conjunction with related scientific associations, plenty of scope has been allowed for the poster presentations, which will be enhanced by structured poster sessions and a poster prize,” the association stated in a press release. “Numerous forums, lectures, and workshops will serve the further training of German trade visitors. The forums will focus on specific topics such as lymphology, rehabilitation for children, podiatry, and also business issues such as marketing and distribution. New developments, types of therapy, and practical tips will be addressed at workshops. Information on the economic and political situations of the markets in Europe and North America will be available at the marketplaces, while forums and the exhibition itself will showcase new products and the latest research findings.”
Martin Buhl-Wagner, managing director at the Leipzige Trade Fair GmbH, said, “As far as product developments are concerned, businesses are concentrating on this unique combination of events-meaning we can look forward to an especially large number of new world firsts in May 2010.”
According to the association, the number of registered exhibitors has already risen by 15 percent over the 2008 ISPO congress and has grown to two exhibition halls with total gross space of 40,000 square meters.
For more information, visit www.ispo-2010-leipzig.com