ORLANDO, FL – For Medtrade attendees who walk through the 5,500-sq-ft Retail Design Center on the show floor of the Orange County Convention Center, the message will be clear: merchandising matters and the right products can spark revenue.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a full scale model is worth at least 10,000 sentences,” says Kevin Gaffney, group show director, Medtrade. “The Retail Design Center, presented by The VGM Group and sponsored by KC Store Fixtures and Philips Respironics, will give you ideas on retail products that perform and display options that engage your customers.”

Once again, Medtrade is working with experts at VGM, including Rob Baumhover, director of Retail Programs at the Iowa-based member group, to replicate the ideal showroom floor—complete with product categories and different vignettes to showcase products in their environment.

“We want to depict what a newly remodeled HME accessibility provider’s showroom would look like,” says Baumhover. “It could be a typical DME with undergarments and oxygen concentrators, but another side could be focused on retail cash items. It might resemble a bathroom or bedroom.”

Jen Anderson, marketing program manager, American Standard, says the Design Center is an ideal way for attendees to experience safe and accessible products (such as the Outward Opening Door) in a realistic environment. “Too many times, people see our walk-in bath products and wonder how they will function in an average bathroom,” she says. “We hope attendees will learn more about our products and the dedication that American Standard has for creating a safe and functional bathroom for aging-in-place consumers.”

Officials at Philadelphia-based SCA Personal Care are also introducing new marketing initiatives and determined that Medtrade’s Retail Design Center was the perfect venue. “We were planning to launch new planograms at Medtrade,” says Gina Spinelli (pictured, left), marketing manager, SCA Personal Care. “What better way to do that than to display them in a retail environment?”
 
SCA will be introducing new TENA Starter Kits for HME/DME companies. The kits allow customers to order just one item number and receive all the products needed to get started as a TENA dealer. “I hope attendees learn about the importance that merchandising plays in creating a customer-friendly environment,” adds Spinelli.

Retail Innovation Awards
As always, attendees can also search for fantastic retail opportunities on the show floor. This time, however, attendees will get a little extra help from experts such as Jim Greatorex, owner of Black Bear Medical in Portland, Maine.

With the help of other experienced Medtrade presenters, Greatorex will sort through the latest products to find the best of the bunch. With the aim of bringing in vital new revenue streams, products will be judged on functionality; quality/durability; aesthetics/style; environmental sustainability; ease of retail set-up and pricing.

Five products will be chosen as winners and featured in a retail products roundtable conference session called The Best New HME Retail/Cash Opportunities, moderated by Greatorex, on Wednesday, 10/9/13, from 1:30-2:30. Winning manufacturers will be allotted 5 to 7 minutes to discuss their product with the audience.

Winning products will be featured in a window display in the expanded Medtrade Retail Design Center on the show floor. “I, and many others, go to Medtrade looking for the next great cash opportunity,” says Greatorex. “This year providers will have a chance to expand their business and in some situations be one of the first to promote a product.”

Whittling down the bounty of products to just five is a tall order, but Greatorex and the other panelists will cull based on the biggest opportunities. “We will look for products with large potential markets,” he explains. “Perhaps a new diabetic product where the demographic is sizable. Manufacturers also have to tell us about their direct-to-consumer marketing plan, because if they are not going to be part of the marketing process in helping drive awareness, the chances of success are diminished.”

Like all educational sessions, The Best New HME Retail/Cash Opportunities, is included with the regular conference fee. To register and see more information about these and other educational offerings, visit medtrade.com