AdvaMed Concludes Record-breaking MedTech Conference 2024

Washington, D.C. - AdvaMed, the MedTech Association, just concluded its largest annual MedTech Conference to date, with a record-breaking 4,350 attendees, representing 1,926 companies from 48 countries. This year's conference, the first to be held internationally, highlighted Canada's role as a medtech leader and a key life sciences collaborator with the United States and global partners.

"Everywhere I went, people were energetic and enthusiastic about the role of medtech in saving and improving lives," said Scott Whitaker, AdvaMed president and CEO. "The MedTech Conference 2024 was not only the highest attended in AdvaMed history, it also was comprehensive in the topics covered, diverse in the types of companies and medtech represented, full of hands-on demonstrations, and packed with insights about how to do business locally and globally to help as many patients as possible enjoy good health. Medtech Canada was an outstanding partner in helping AdvaMed execute this successful event. We're grateful to continue working together to better serve patients."  

Kevin Lobo, Chairman and CEO of Stryker, an AdvaMed Board member, and co-chair of The MedTech Conference, played a critical role in executing this record-breaking event. As a dual citizen of Canada and the United States, Lobo has been a leader in the medtech industry across both countries, bringing unique insights and leadership to the conference.

Joining him as co-chair, James Brodie, General Manager of Johnson & Johnson Medtech, leads its group of medical technology companies in Canada, further strengthening the medtech sector in the country. Brodie serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of MedTech Canada.

The event was 25% larger than any previous conference, featuring the largest representation of international delegations to date, including a strong Canadian contingent. See the coverage of the event here.

The MedTech Conference 2024 featured hundreds of companies on the Medtech Campus, emphasizing hands-on demonstrations under a "Medtech in Motion" theme. Central to the Campus was the "Tech in Motion Hub" which served as a tech showcase to a handful of AdvaMed member companies including BD, Baylis Medical Technologies, Boston Scientific, FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Inc., GE HealthCare, Hologic, Siemens Healthineers, Solventum, Stryker and Harvard MEDscience x Moonshot. The conference also boasted more than 2,500 scheduled partnering meetings (the highest in event history).

The Canadian Pavilion on the Medtech Campus was the largest in history and featured dozens of companies including robotic, manufacturing, imaging, economic development, and start-ups. Canada is the eighth largest medtech market in the world.

The MedTech Conference featured hundreds of sessions and company presentations from more than 400 speakers, representing medtech innovators, patients, investors, and policy experts. Sessions covered Business Strategies and Finance; Digital Health Technologies; Health Equity and Diversity; In Vitro Diagnostics Tests and Technologies; International; Legal and Health Care Compliance Best Practices; Market Access; Payment and Health Care Delivery; Regulatory, Quality and Good Manufacturing Practices; and Supply Chain.  

The programming reflected the recent expansion of AdvaMed to include two new divisions: Medical Imaging and Digital Health Tech. Those divisions include the leading companies applying artificial intelligence to enhance diagnoses and treatment. With the new divisions and the additional member companies they brought in, AdvaMed represents all sectors of the medtech industry as the largest medtech association. 

MedTech Conference 2024 highlights: 

• Whitaker welcomed attendees with remarks and a dynamic video, the Story of Medtech, highlighting medtech's remarkable advances in the 50 years since AdvaMed's founding and a preview of future innovation.  
• MedTech Color hosted more than 600 attendees at its annual breakfast, which featured Abigail Epane-Osuala (chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer and HR Strategic Initiatives at GE HealthCare), and awarded AdvaMed's DeChane Dorsey the 2024 MedTech Color Champion Award for her work in partnering with and supporting the organization in advancing its mission.
• In the Tuesday keynote panel, moderator Joanne Wuensch, Managing Director, Citi, convened Peter Arduini, president and CEO, GE HealthCare; Roy Jakobs, CEO, Royal Philips; and Michael Mahoney, chairman and CEO, Boston Scientific; to share the latest insights on how advances in technology, artificial intelligence, and data analytics are revolutionizing patient care, disease management, and overall well-being.  
• In the Wednesday keynote session, sponsored by Hologic, Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins sat down with tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who discussed leadership, resilience, and perseverance as elite athletes and more recently, cancer survivors.  
• AdvaMed awarded its Lifetime Achievement Award, its most prestigious honor, to Caroll H. Neubauer. Neubauer achieved a distinguished career spanning three decades with B. Braun, dramatically reversing the fortunes of the company's North American operations. At AdvaMed, he served on the Board of Directors for more than 15 years and was instrumental in growing The MedTech Conference into the largest annual medtech gathering.  
• MedTech Innovator gave out cash prizes and awards totaling $500,000 to five startup finalists; the winner of the Grand Prize, Samay Health, was selected based on a live audience vote and went home with the grand prize.
• MedTech Innovator and AdvaMed Accel announced SanaHeal as the winner of the 2024 MedTech Innovator Execution Award and the Virginia Shimer Rybski Memorial Award. 
• A record number of investors, more than 300, joined the Investor Forum to network with start-up and early-stage companies seeking capital, via programming including the MedTech Innovator competition, reverse pitches, partnering, and an Innovation Pavilion. 
• Over 700 participants, a record number, joined the Students and Early Career Professionals program, gaining industry mentoring and exposure to conference sessions and exhibits. Recruited from local universities and medtech employers, they engaged with the best of the medtech sector.
• Exhibitor and sponsor participation was at a record high and included: Abbott, BD, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Medtronic, Philips, EY, Hologic, IQVIA Inc., McKinsey & Company, Olympus Corporation, Pitcher, PwC, STERIS, Stryker Corporation, Water Street. Large exhibitors included Toronto Inc., MassMEDIC, MTP Connect - Australia, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) among hundreds of exhibitors and presenting companies.

AdvaMed, the host of The MedTech Conference, is the leading trade association for the medical technology industry, representing more than 500 member companies worldwide. Its members range from the largest multinational corporations to emerging startups, all dedicated to advancing patient care through innovative medical devices, diagnostics, and health technologies. AdvaMed advocates for policies that support the development and accessibility of life-saving technologies, fostering collaboration across the global medtech ecosystem.

The next MedTech Conference will be in San Diego, October 5-8, 2025.