The 19th Iran health expo opened in Tehran this week, with over 200 companies from Iran and several other countries including, India, China, Italy and France exhibiting their latest technologies and equipment.
This year’s show though was beset with some problems, at least for some of the exhibitors, whom Financial Tribune interviewed on the sidelines of the event.
The biggest foreign contingents by far were the Germans and Italians who bemoaned how they were huddled into side exhibition halls with no overseeing authority taking responsibility.
Some Iranian companies also complained that the organizers were more interested “in just filling spaces randomly without any logic to where they were putting up the exhibitors.”
But the bright spot was the sheer number of exhibitors.
Unlike the 2015 event, this year the Iran Permanent Exhibition Fairgrounds had to open up more space and create at least two extra pavilions for the additional companies that registered late.
One German company representative said they have seen a lot of interest from local hospitals and hospital-equipping companies in their range of products.
A local occupational therapy company official echoed his sentiments saying that compared with the previous exhibitions, “On day two, at least, we saw companies in significant numbers interested in our products.”
The 2016 event which ends on Wednesday may be a sign of the growing interest and influence of European companies once again in the Iranian market, as Chinese companies struggle to pull in their previous Iranian buyers.
One Chinese company owner, who asked not to be named, said they were far from happy as they are now facing tougher competition. “We have remained in the market, as our price and competition is tough for Europe[ean] companies.”
Ambulance Makers
One new trend at the expo was the growth in the number of European and Iranian ambulance makers with several models, both small and large, on display.
One local company which uses a modified Iran Khodro pickup truck for off-road emergencies showed off their own local talent with a representative saying they would be “happy to sell around the region.”
Other ambulance companies in several halls showed off their own versions, with some resembling American style box ambulances and others being the “first responder” motorcycle variety.
The motorcycle ambulance garnered a lot of interest as currently that particular emergency life-saving model is still not considered, but would work well in cities like Tehran where chaotic traffic is the norm.
The 20th version of the event to be held at the same venue next year, if going by the current estimates, is likely to see dozens of more countries represented, not there this year.
