In its eighth biennial edition IDEM Singapore is the “must-attend” event of the year for dental practitioners and professionals in the Asia-Pacific looking for the latest cutting edge technology and innovations in dental solutions and services. It runs from April 4th to 6th with a pre-congress day on April 3rd at the newly renovated SUNTEC Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The trade exhibition has already broken the previous edition‘s records with a 30% increase in floor space to a massive 16,000sqm and with some 500 exhibitors showcasing their latest dental solution to the Asia-Pacific dental community. Every aspect of the dental industry is catered to, from high-tech dental chairs to patient record and practice management software, and from the latest advances in CAD/CAM technology to the world’s first endodontic cement manufactured using nano technology. Visitors should be able to find everything they want and probably quite a few things they did not even know existed at IDEM Singapore 2014.
Over the years, IDEM Singapore has increasingly become the preferred platform for companies looking to introduce their dental solutions to Asian buyers for the first time, to expand their business into Asia or seeking agent or distributors in the region. This year, exhibitors such as Industrie Biomediche Insubri (IBI), Align Technology, Sun Medical, Delcam, Asa Dental, Cerkamed, Euronda and IONYX, among others, will debut their products to an Asian audience, for the first time.
Among the many technological advancements on display this year, digital dentistry is one of the areas that has captured a fair amount of attention among dental practitioners and the dental industry. Many of the visitors at this year‘s IDEM Singapore will be attending to see the latest digital technology from fields such as CAD/CAM, intraoral and extraoral radiography and computer-aided implant dentistry, so they can gather all the information they need to make informed decisions about which technologies will best prepare their practices for the future.
South Korea is an example of Asia’s rapid adoption of new digital dentistry technologies in both dental practices and labs. Tim Mitchell, Delcam’s Vice President of Healthcare Division predicts more Asian countries will follow suit, “Last year more than 50 percent of Delcam’s dental product sales were to Asian countries. With the predicted growth in the dental markets in South East Asian countries, we expect that percentage to increase over the next few years.”
IDEM Singapore has already established itself as the most important dental conference and exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region and as the eyes of the world increasingly turn towards Asia - especially the ASEAN region - to drive business growth. It’s not just the West that is looking to Asia for new business opportunities; IDEM Singapore is also increasingly seen as the gathering point for different parts of the East to meet each other.
The two new country pavilions from China and Japan are indications of the growing interest in the developing ASEAN markets from both Eastern and Western manufacturers. The new Japanese pavilion will include returning exhibitors such as Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc, Trimunt Corp, Yamamoto Precious Metal Co., Ltd. and new exhibitors such as YDM Corporation, all under one roof. Other Asian pavilions include Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan who will be joining the big players from the West such as France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
First time IDEM Singapore exhibitor Sun Medical Company, is typical of IDEM’s Asian exhibitors when it says that it is keen to increase its trade in the Asia-Pacific region. Company spokesperson Sukefumi Tanakubo, the assistant director of the International Department in the Global Business Strategy Division says, "We are looking to break into the Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese markets because there is much more room for expansion in the ASEAN region, compared to the European and American markets which have stabilised and become saturated."
Another first time exhibitor is PerioChip, brought to IDEM Singapore by their new Asia-Pacific distributor Amedius Tec. Eric See, Amedius Tec's General Manager for Regional Business Development in Asia-Pacific, says, “We consider IDEM Singapore the perfect platform for launching PerioChip to Singapore and ASEAN; it allows us to reach out to dental professionals from all over the Asia-Pacific at one venue.” PerioChip are so confident that IDEM Singapore is the right platform for them that to enhance their presence at the exhibition, they have also engaged one of the New Dentist Forum speakers, Dr Edwin Heng, to present a Brunch Talk, Targeting Chronic Periodontitis in Singapore – Directly, Effectively and Safely, which will look at PerioChip’s role in both traditional periodontal work and increasingly with implants.
Joint first time exhibitors Cipta Dental Lab (CDL) and Creation Willi Geller International (CWG) also see IDEM Singapore as the gateway to Asia. CDL spokesperson Ms Tania Mirella explained, “This is our first time exhibiting outside Indonesia. Recent advances in digital dentistry have made it possible for us to offer an export service; these days we can process digital impressions, model scans, and using various materials, mill a range of prosthodontic prosthetics for overseas clients."
Austrian-based CWG, a dental porcelain and lab materials company, decided IDEM Singapore was the right choice for their first serious exploration of ASEAN markets. CWG founder Willi Geller says, “Our strength lies in our oral design community, a group of dental technicians that spans the world and shares their expertise and experience.” One of the celebrities of that community, Mr Naoki Aiba, will be delivering a lecture at the Dental Technician Forum and will also conduct live demonstrations at the CWG exhibition stand.
It’s not just exhibitor numbers which are growing, IDEM Singapore 2014 also looks like it will see more than a 10 percent increase in visitor and delegate attendance to over 8000 - clear evidence of the importance of the rapidly growing dental industry in the region.
The conference theme this year is “Dentistry - The Future Is Now” with its Scientific Programme focusing on the future of dentistry, addressing the different challenges in the various fields of dentistry. The Scientific Conference is also creating new milestones having introduced three new tracks, the New Dentist Forum, the Dental Technician Forum, and the Dental Hygienist and Therapist Forum. These new tracks have proved so popular that some, like the New Dentist Forum are sold out and a waitlist has been started for interested attendees while plans are underway to increase the present room capacity.
Delegates will also get to partake of a variety of lectures, courses and roundtable discussions conducted by leading voices of authority in dentistry. Ray Williams will be lecturing on the Oral Health-General Health Connection: A 2014 Perspective and moderating a roundtable discussion entitled Dental Implants the Forefront - 2014 and Beyond. Ken Hargreaves will be giving three SDA Masterclass Presentations entitled Regenerative Endodontics, Successful Management of Acute Dental Pain as well as Issues in Managing the Persistent Endodontic Infection. Gordon Christensen will be conducting a Pre-Congress Day lecture on Making Real World Practice Productive and Enjoyable. The latest session to be announced is Dr Barry Freydberg’s, Oral Cancer Doesn’t Make a Sound. Detect It – Before It Affects!
Visitors to IDEM Singapore can also look forward to a series of new innovations to help them maximise their time at the exhibition. The launch of a new mobile app will provide attendees with the most up-to-date information on the exhibition and conference, while at the event. With the introduction of an online exhibitors list with appointment scheduling capabilities, as well as a list of exhibitors seeking agents and distributors in Asia, visitors are encouraged to pre-book appointments with the exhibitors.
Singapore’s popularity as both a MICE and tourist destination has soared in recent years with the opening of a myriad of leisure and tourist facilities. Delegates will definitely want to extend their visits to take in some of the sights and entertainment that the city has to offer including casinos, concert halls, theatres, world-class zoos, the breath-taking Gardens by the Bay, museums of art and history, and of course Singapore’s world famous shopping and food centres.
For more information and to book your tickets, visit http://www.idem-singapore.com.