MEDICA 2026 dates, venue, opening hours and registration — Düsseldorf, Nov 16–19. Plus a 4-day plan for sourcing medical technology suppliers.
Planning to attend MEDICA 2026? This guide covers the dates, venue, opening hours and registration process — and goes further, turning four days in Düsseldorf into an efficient sourcing trip: planning your route hall by hall, judging suppliers on the floor, and continuing the comparison after the show closes.
Source policy: Dates, venue, opening hours and registration details are taken from the official MEDICA website. The organizer has not published whether tickets are free or paid, so check the official ticket shop before booking. Confirm final details on the official page before you travel.
MEDICA 2026 runs November 16–19 (Monday–Thursday) at Messe Düsseldorf (Messeplatz, 40474 Düsseldorf), Germany.1
MEDICA is one of the most important international trade fairs for medical technology, spanning everything from medical imaging and in-vitro diagnostics to digital health, hospital technology, rehabilitation and laboratory medicine.
Planning shows outside Europe too? Our 2026 medical equipment trade shows calendar covers CMEF, RSNA and Medical Fair Asia alongside MEDICA.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday – Wednesday (Nov 16–18) | 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Thursday (Nov 19) | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
MEDICA is a professional trade fair and is not open to the general public — you need to complete trade visitor registration to attend.1
Tickets and show catalogues go on sale from July 2026 through the official ticket shop (shop.messe-duesseldorf.de). The organizer has not stated whether tickets are free or paid, so use the ticket shop as the source of truth — and avoid third-party resellers.
Before you go:
MEDICA's organizer groups the show into 5 product areas; here they are regrouped into the sourcing scenarios buyers most often arrive with.1
| Sourcing scenario | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Medical imaging & diagnostics | MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, in-vitro diagnostics, POCT |
| Hospital technology, digital health & AI | Telemedicine, remote monitoring, AI diagnostics, hospital IT, patient monitors |
| Laboratory medicine & rehabilitation | Lab automation, immunoassay, clinical chemistry, rehab & home-care equipment |
Imaging (MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray), in-vitro diagnostics and POCT (point-of-care testing — tests run right next to the patient) are among MEDICA's strongest sections. When evaluating imaging systems on the floor, DICOM (the standard format for exchanging medical images between systems) and PACS (the archive system hospitals use to store and read images) are two quick signals of how mature a vendor's offering is.
Before you commit to a high-value imaging purchase, read our refurbished vs. new MRI & CT ROI buying guide — it compares total cost of ownership rather than just the sticker price. For ultrasound, our ultrasound transducer buying guide walks through probe selection in detail.
Want to compare available stock after the show? Search by brand, model and category on MedTrade and send inquiries directly — for example, browse MRI systems and message verified suppliers.
MEDICA's digital health section is what sets it apart from a conventional medical trade fair: telemedicine (remote clinical consultations), remote monitoring, AI-assisted diagnostics and hospital information systems all sit here.
Equipment reliability is what decides whether digital operations actually pay off — see our predictive maintenance, downtime economics & EaaS analysis.
Hospital technology (patient monitoring, anesthesia, OR equipment, hospital IT) is also the category with the highest inquiry volume from international buyers — after the show, you can search patient monitoring systems by brand and model and send inquiries to verified suppliers.
Lab automation, immunoassay, clinical chemistry, plus rehabilitation and home-care equipment, round out MEDICA's product areas.
MEDICA's halls are spread across the east and west ends of the fairground, and the show is big. Four days sounds like plenty, but without a route plan, half of it disappears into duplicated walking and low-value stops. This section gives you a working method.
MEDICA 2026 uses Hall 1, 3–7.0, 7a, 7.1, 10–12, 15–17. Three steps before you fly:
At every booth, log to a fixed template rather than grabbing a card.
| Record field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Product & model | Anchor for later quote comparison |
| CE / MDR status | Whether the device can legally enter your target market |
| Service coverage | Warranty and after-sales scope, often the real cost |
| Lead time & export markets | Feasibility of delivery to your country |
| Contact person | Direct route past the booth staff after the show |
This one table makes post-show comparison ten times easier.
Turn your floor list into a table, then verify each supplier online and send inquiries to several at once. Comparison is the core of a purchasing decision, and the floor atmosphere pushes you toward hasty choices. MEDICA lasts four days; the valuable comparison happens after you leave.
💡 Expert Insight: The biggest cost at a show like MEDICA is not the ticket — it is the follow-up you never do. A buyer who plans routes by hall and records booths to a template gets an actionable shortlist; a buyer who just collects cards gets a drawer of brochures.
The show is the starting point, not the end. Verification, quoting and comparison continue after you leave the hall.
After the show, continue your search on MedTrade — search medical equipment suppliers by brand, model and category, then send inquiries to suppliers carrying the Verified Supplier badge and compare the quotes you receive.
When you send an inquiry, include the model and quantity you need, your target country, the certifications you require (such as CE / MDR) and your expected lead time. Specific requests get useful replies.
⚠️ Watch Out: If a supplier's quote seems far below the market range, ask for the certification documents and a service-scope breakdown before you commit. A low price without CE/MDR compliance is not a bargain — it is an import problem later.
If you already own equipment, factor maintenance into the plan — see our ultrasound transducer failure modes & repair guide for the most common probe faults and how to diagnose them.
When is MEDICA 2026? November 16–19, 2026 (Monday–Thursday) at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany.1
What are the MEDICA 2026 opening hours? 10:00 AM–6:00 PM on Monday–Wednesday, and 10:00 AM–4:00 PM on Thursday.1
Is MEDICA 2026 free? The organizer has not stated whether tickets are free or paid. MEDICA is a professional trade fair requiring trade visitor registration; tickets go on sale from July 2026 at the official ticket shop. Check the shop for current pricing.1
What is the difference between MEDICA and CMEF? MEDICA is Europe's broadest medical technology show, with a strong digital health and AI section. CMEF is the window into Asia's medical device manufacturing ecosystem, with higher China supply-chain density. Both cover imaging, diagnostics and hospital equipment.
Can I keep contacting exhibitors after the show? Yes. Organize your booth list, verify suppliers online and send inquiries. MedTrade lets you search by brand and model and contact verified suppliers directly.
https://www.medica-tradefair.com/en/Visit/At_a_glance — MEDICA official visitor page: dates (Nov 16–19, 2026), venue (Messe Düsseldorf), opening hours (Mon–Wed 10–18, Thu 10–16), trade visitor registration requirement, ticket shop availability from July 2026, and the 5 product areas. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
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