Pfizer Extends Sponsorship Agreement, and Connecticut Governor Rell Visits Hartford Event

MEDi 2008 (www.MEDi2008.com), the leading conference and exhibition for the worldwide medical device industry, was held last week at the Connecticut Convention Center, attracting nearly 1,000 conferees and attendees and with a sold-out show floor showcasing 70 exhibiting companies.
 
Highlighting the 2008 event was an announcement by keynote speaker Dr. David K. Rosen, head of Worldwide Business Development for Pfizer (Pfizer.com, NYSE: PFE), who told the audience; "Pfizer is committed to MEDi, now and in the future, therefore, Pfizer will once again be a sponsor in 2009." This announcement was then followed by a visit an hour later by Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell.
 
Joseph Bronzino PhD, PE, President of the Biomedical Engineering Alliance & Consortium (BEACON, BeaconAlliance.org), the event's producer, called the sponsorship pledge by Dr. Rosen and Pfizer "a vitally important step in helping MEDi be positioned and viewed as a leader.  When Pfizer, ranked 47th on the Fortune 500, is a key sponsor, others step up more quickly," he said.  "And everyone at MEDi was energized by and appreciative of the visit by Governor Rell on our opening day,"
 
"Now, with Pfizer as a sponsor for 2009," said Dr. Bronzino, "we have taken a very important step in positioning MEDi as a 'must-attend' industry event."
 
MEDi 2008 featured conference tracks on Research/Scientific, Clinical Applications, Manufacturing and Commercialization and an exhibit floor showcasing new companies and international participants.  MEDi was staged after a two-year absence, including postponement of the 2007 event when the outsourced event management firm closed its operations.
 
"We understood that postponement can often be a death sentence for an event, but knew the importance of MEDi to the medical industry and to the I-91 corridor, which is home to so many medical device companies," said Dr. Bronzino. "BEACON retooled for 2008, and worked with Designing Events of Owings Mills, Maryland, who joined forces with us to sell, organize and floor the show.
 
"Coming back was an uphill fight, but a fight we fought well and won... setting the stage for MEDi to become an annual event to fill a growing need in a growing industry," he said.
 
Dr. Bronzino said BEACON will shortly announce details about MEDi 2009.