Digital edition of IDEM 2020 has ended

Dental Tribune International

Fri. 21. August 2020

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SINGAPORE: The digital 11^th International Dental Exhibition and Meeting (IDEM), held from 19 June to 19 August, has ended. The event, which was organised by Koelnmesse and the Singapore Dental Association, attracted 3,615 attendees from 54 countries and sparked critical dialogue about the trends shaping the future of dentistry amid a new normality.

Diverse learning opportunities

The IDEM conference featured 28 local and global speakers who delivered 27 live and on-demand scientific sessions to registered attendees. The sessions addressed social and technological trends and the topics covered included dentistry for ageing populations, how to conduct remote consultations and how artificial intelligence is being applied to the business of dentistry. Those who attended the sessions earned continuing education credits.

Attendees have expressed positive opinions of the online platform, especially regarding the flexibility of being able to watch the recorded scientific sessions. “The digital platform has enabled me to enjoy the sessions in my own time and at my own pace, allowing me to strike a great balance between work and family,” said Dr Shirlyn Ong, an attendee of IDEM 2020.

Sponsorship made the IDEM 2020 digital conference possible, and support came from 3M, Colgate-Palmolive, Dentsply Sirona, Dental Monitoring, exocad, GC Asia, Ivoclar Vivadent, KaVo Kerr, Dental Protection, Pharmaforte Singapore and ResDent.

The exhibition: A virtual first

Like the conference, the IDEM exhibition was digital—a first for the series. Over 300 exhibitors from 36 countries showcased their latest innovations and solutions, exclusive promotions, discounts and bundle offers for IDEM attendees.

“I would like to recognise the efforts of the IDEM organisers for putting together IDEM digital in such a short time frame,” said Teddy Lin, project manager at Taiwan Excellence. He added: “Through our participation in the digital event, our company gained new insights and experiences. It helped enhance our company’s digital presence.”

An exhibition brings people together, and the IDEM 2020 digital exhibition was no different. Via an online chat feature, visitors to the digital booths could converse with the exhibitors. To meet potential business partners, exhibitors and participants alike were able to use an online business matching tool to set up profiles to discover, match and connect at pre-arranged online meetings. These essential tools helped forge new partnerships and create business opportunities.

Social activities were not curtailed either. Three separate networking nights held over the course of the two-month event brought old and new colleagues together. The networking nights featured themes pertinent to the dental community, such as the future of dentistry, the impact of COVID-19 on the dental industry and visions for the next edition of IDEM.

In a statement, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Mathias Küpper expressed his gratitude to the organising team and the global dental community for coming together to make the very first digital edition of IDEM a success. “In a world where it is difficult to gather physically, continued learning and networking remain of vital importance. Our attendees recognise this, and they were very receptive, kindly embracing the new digital format.”

IDEM 2022 will revert to an in-person format at a new venue

From 8 to 10 April 2022, IDEM is scheduled to return to its established physical format at a new venue, the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

“While I am encouraged to hear much positive feedback on the digital platform for IDEM 2020, we are looking forward to interacting with the international dental community in person in 2022. It is heartening to know that our efforts to rapidly pivot and deliver a flexible and interactive online event in 2020 have proven effective,” said Dr Lim Lii, chairperson of IDEM 2020.

“Our attendees have been very patient and responsive to the introduction of the digital platform and have been actively learning from the live and on-demand sessions over the past two months. I hope the topics discussed have inspired them to put their new knowledge into practice for the challenges and trends ahead,” she added.