Trade shows are expensive, time-consuming, and frequently disappointing. Yet medtech companies continue attending them because exhibiting is treated as a cost of doing business rather than an investment that must produce a measurable return.

In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti examine why 86% of companies rate their conference ROI as poor or fair and what the successful 14% do differently. They discuss how shrinking provider travel budgets, fewer decision-makers on the show floor, and more informed buyers have changed the value of the traditional booth strategy.

The conversation explores how medtech companies can select the right conferences, identify and contact decision-makers before the event, create compelling reasons for attendees to engage, and shift spending from oversized booths toward meetings, demonstrations, speaking opportunities, customer appreciation, and pre-show marketing.

Trade shows still have a place in medtech. However, companies can no longer simply arrive, build a booth, and expect the right customers to appear. Success requires a strategy that begins before the show, creates meaningful face-to-face interactions during it, and continues with disciplined follow-up afterward.