Secure your place in the Australian MedTech Conference delegation

09 July 2019

Pictured: MTPConnect Managing Director & CEO Dr Dan Grant with GM Stakeholder Engagement Dr Alfredo Martinez-Coll at the 2018 MedTech Conference in Philadelphia.

MTPConnect encourages you to join the Australian delegation to the 2019 MedTech Conference in Boston. 

To help you get the most out of your visit, we’re developing an exciting suite of value-added activities in and around Boston which you can only access as part of the MTPConnect-led delegation and which you can see on our dedicated page.

JOIN THE AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION

Robert Klupacs is the CEO of Bionics Institute. His team is developing a new device to help improve the quality of life for deaf infants and children; and he’s signed-up to be part of MTPConnect’s delegation to Boston. 

He joined us on our most recent podcast episode and says the MedTech Conference is a must for any Australian medtech innovator.

“For me trying to get a booth for the Bionics Institute at MedTech was going to cost me thousands,” he noted. 

“So to be part of the larger booth with the Australian delegation and get pretty much the same at a significantly less cost made huge economic sense.

“Getting leverage and being a part of the activities of the Australian delegation and all the knock-on effects of all the other people coming through… will be awesome. But also the fact that MTPConnect has been able to organise visits, links and tours there’s no way we could get into, so it’s a win win win for us.”

Mr Klupacs says the camaraderie of the Australian group is another important element which delivers tangible benefits.

“You go to these conferences and you’re from a very small institute in Australia on your own… and being around the Australian booth you get more input then I otherwise would’ve gotten,” he points out.

“If they don’t remember me, then they remember Australia. And I think the nice thing about what we’re doing and being part of an Australian-branded booth with a really good story to tell, I think is the way to go and we’re really proud to be a part of it.”

In an earlier podcast episode, ‘Opening up International Markets: How to Break into the United States’, our delegation leader and GM Stakeholder Engagement, Dr Alfredo Martinez-Coll, discussed some of the complexities of the getting a foothold in the US market.

“You need to do your homework,” Dr Martinez-Coll said.

“That homework is not just requesting to meet with the Vice President of a global business development person from J&J, you need to know exactly what J&J is looking for and how your product or service fits into that criteria,” he explained.

“So you have to think about how your product differentiates from the competition, you need to have a very clear value proposition that you can present and then you go through that partnering system and request those meetings.

“You should also have an understanding of what the company is already developing and that way you can address where your product can fit in perfectly with your strategy around what they are doing.”

Frank Jaskulke also chatted with us, sharing his insider knowledge as VP Intelligence for the influential Medical Alley Association of Minnesota. MTPConnect shares an MoU with Medical Alley to help facilitate collaboration between Australia and the United States, exchanging information on key issues and trends, and supporting inbound and outbound missions.

Mr Jaskulke says it’s important for conference delegates to do their research on potential partners before they get on the plane to Boston.

“You need to take the time to figure out their strategy and how can your product or service help them execute their strategy better and give them a competitive advantage,” he suggested. “I see far too often from companies in the US and around the world who they assume because they have a device that is treating a heart condition that Medtronic, J&J or Austin Scientific will be interested in it.

“But if it doesn’t fit in their strategy to go to market, they’re not going to rewrite their strategy to accommodate your products, so doing your homework to understand what they’re trying to accomplish and then figuring out how you fit in that will dramatically increase your chances of being successful in getting the meetings and building those partnerships,” Mr Jaskulke said.

To be part of MTPConnect’s delegation to the MedTech Conference, please contact Libby Pearce.