Photograph from the 2012 International Trade Shoe and World Congress courtesy of Leipziger Messe/Uwe Frauendorf.
OTWorld, formerly the ORTHOPÄDIE + REHA-TECHNIK International Trade Show and World Congress, will be held in Leipzig, Germany, from May 13-16. For the first time this year, Russia will be the partner nation.
The World Congress will host more than 300 speakers from 30 countries who will provide up-to-date information and discuss the latest treatment options, together with current trends in the fields of prosthetics, orthotics, orthopedic footwear technology, technical rehabilitation, and compression therapy, as well as lymphology and podiatry. More than 500 exhibitors from about 40 countries will showcase their new products, and about 20,000 trade and professional visitors from 100 countries are expected to attend.
During the four days of the congress, more than 40 symposia and keynote speeches, involving specialists from all over the world, will examine the latest developments in science, technology, research, and practice-for the most part with simultaneous translations. Among the speakers are Stefano F. Cappa, MD, professor of cognitive neurosciences at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, and Hugh Herr, PhD, associate professor of media arts and sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
The majority of symposia, several of which will be held in collaboration with national and international organizations, will deal with topics related to specific, indicated treatments and interdisciplinary approaches. Experts from various specialties, including orthopedic technicians, orthopedic footwear technicians, physicians, and physiotherapists, will present their respective approaches to therapy. The spectrum ranges from osteoarthritis, rheumatic conditions, and diabetic foot and back pain, to sports medicine and the treatment of children, to the treatment of individuals with amputations as envisioned by the U.S. military, to the need for and value placed on orthopedic technology in Latin America. For the first time, materials research and the progress that has been made in terms of innovative products will also be on the agenda together with a consideration of hygiene, allergic reactions resulting from contact with metals or plastics, and multi-drug resistant pathogens (MDR bacteria), all of which are among the growing challenges facing orthopedic technology. Also on the agenda is a new lecture series organized by the British Chiropody and Podiatry Association.
Orthopedic technicians, orthopedic footwear technicians, and medical specialists in attendance will be eligible for professional development/training credits. Accreditation is being sought from the Swiss Association of Orthopaedic Technicians (Schweizer Verband der Orthopädie-Techniker); the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics; and the European Union of Medical Specialists.
The skills and expertise that will be required in the future will be showcased on the joint stand campus, where universities and research institutions will present their latest findings. In the innovations forum, the industry will report on some of today’s high-tech products, such as exoskeletons. Associations, organizations, and vocational colleges worldwide will have the opportunity to present themselves, their products, and their services in the Global Networking Area.
The international trade fair, held in conjunction with the World Congress, will span two exhibit halls. Attendees will be provided an overview of the most recent developments in the global medical aids market. Many new exhibitors and start-ups will also use OTWorld as a platform for their innovations.
