Show draws 21,000

MEDTRADE - Towering infrastructures, one enormous bariatric chair, pulsing backbeats, wide-screen video monitors, graffiti, games, hoopla, and lollapalooza greeted 21,000 Medtrade attendees last month as they waded into acres of shiny wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators and all things home medical. Exhibitors pulled out all the stops to lure attendees to their booths. But, despite the glitz of this year's show floor, attendees say it is new products and technology that remain the big draw. “I'm always looking for the latest, newest and, hopefully, hottest products,” said Robert Burgy from Auto Control Medical in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. “If we pick up one new product at a show like this, we have done pretty good.” With 950 exhibitors in an area that has grown nearly 3% over last year's show, finding that right product requires some strategy. “There are certain places I know I have to hit,” said Melinda Smith from Pretty Please in Decatur, Ga. “I have an A-list and a B-list, and everyone else is on the C-list.” Medtrade organizers also worked to make the show more accessible and easier to traverse, most noticeably in having the show floor in one room as opposed to separate wings. “Coming back to Atlanta, we had some obstacles to overcome,” said Cory Smith, the Medtrade show manager. “It's great to have everyone under one roof.”