It was recently announced by Informa that the location for FIME 2017 has been moved from the Miami Beach Convention Center to the Orange County Convention Center/West Concourse, Orlando, Florida, and the show dates were changed slightly so that FIME 2017 will take place on August 8-10.
HCB News sat down with Dave Panther, Vice President Global Sales, from Informa to find out how this change would impact exhibitors and attendees alike.
HCB News: What prompted the change in venue for FIME 2017?
David Panther: This year marked the first year that Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions forayed into the U.S. healthcare exhibitions market and the success of FIME 2016 generated substantial value for our customers and partners by driving further product innovation and deeper engagement in specific markets.
With 25 percent growth in visitor numbers in 2016 and 85 percent of exhibitors already re-booking their booths for next year’s show, FIME 2017 is set to be the largest show to date; both in terms of number of participants as well as the expansion of innovation and technology offering and clinical education.
As the show continues to grow under Informa’s stewardship, our focus now is to ensure that FIME continues to deliver on its promise as the largest medical trade fair in the biggest medical device marketplace. With the Miami Beach Convention Centre undergoing a $515 million complete renovation over the next three years, the decision has been taken to relocate FIME to its temporary home at the Orange Country Convention Centre in Orlando in order the accommodate the increasing scope of the show.
The Orange County Convention Centre is a world-class event facility and will serve as the perfect venue for FIME as it continues to welcome attendees from across Northern and Latin America. Orlando has two major airports within city limits and is well connected to both the traditional FIME audience and the new audiences the show hopes to attract in the coming years. We are also excited to form new partnerships and to knowledge-share with the vast medical community in Orange County adding to the exceptional mix of specialties of the 20,000 attendees from across the region.
HCB News: Are you planning on bringing FIME back to Miami Beach when the work on the convention center there is completed?
DP: Once the renovation at the Miami Beach Convention Centre has been completed, the venue will position itself among the most prominent and advanced convention centers of the world. The intention is for Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions’ to bring FIME back to Miami in 2019 once the renovation work is complete so that we can fully utilize the 150,000 sq. ft. of new space at the Miami Beach Convention Centre.
