MEDICA 2026 is the world's leading trade fair for the medical industry, held on 16–19 November 2026 at the Messe Düsseldorf exhibition centre in Düsseldorf, Germany, organised by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH under the motto "Meet Health. Future. People."
MEDICA brings together international stakeholders from medicine, technology, industry and policymaking, with exhibitors from around 160 countries. The focus is on integrated solutions that address the challenges of modern healthcare systems and on exchanging knowledge about how to implement them in practice. The 2026 hot topics are the Smart Hospital, AI in diagnostics and imaging, point-of-care diagnostics, telemedicine and remote monitoring, and resilient health systems. Exhibition areas span medical technology and devices, digital health, laboratory and diagnostics, physiotherapy technology and disposables.
According to the organisers, MEDICA 2026 "marks the start of a new chapter", with a new thematic structure, redesigned exhibition areas, new programme formats and more networking opportunities. Highlights announced for 2026 include:
- MEDICA Main Stage (new in 2026): the event's central stage, with international keynotes, high-profile discussions and visionary insights from leaders in medicine, business, science and politics.
- Hospital of the Future (new format): instead of individual stands, visitors walk through an integrated hospital environment covering the entire patient journey, with connected technologies shown in real-life scenarios.
- 1st German Health Resilience Conference (new): leading stakeholders working on concrete solutions for a crisis-resilient healthcare system and cross-sector collaboration.
- WT Conference Europe & Pavilion: international experts on wearables, digital health and "Hospital at Home", combining scientific insight with practical applications.
- MEDICA START-UP PARK and the wider forums and stages programme.
The supporting programme of forums and conferences with international speakers is free of charge for trade fair visitors. MEDICA runs alongside COMPAMED, the international trade fair for the medical technology supplier industry.
Who should attend: hospital leaders and procurement teams, clinicians interested in medical technology, biomedical and clinical engineers, laboratory professionals, digital health and health IT specialists, physiotherapy professionals, health-system planners and industry representatives.
Notes: MEDICA is a trade fair rather than an accredited scientific congress; CME credits are not published. The detailed session-by-session program and speaker overview are published progressively on the official site. Tickets are sold through the official MEDICA ticket shop.
