Less than one week until we kick off the conference in San Jose - time to familiarize yourself with all of our programming!  This year our Innovation Pavilion is home to five sessions hosted by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS, which will help you reach your medical device goals, teach you how to think outside the laboratory, and much more.

Here's a run down of the sessions:

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As someone who spent the last seven years working at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), I can tell you that the underlying relationship between a company and its review division really matters – from submission, through a potential Advisory Committee meeting, and beyond. Taking the time to develop a good relationship with FDA, and doing it in a strategic way, can make the difference between a relatively smooth path to approval or a long, frustrating road ahead.

With only a week or two left before The MedTech Conference is underway, it’s time to start planning your time in San Jose. Don't show up to the airport without a plan of what you'd like to cover during your stay in Silicon Valley! From coffee and food to day trips and more, we’ve got you covered.

Michael Lohan is Head of Medical Technology & Healthcare Services at IDA Ireland. In this role, he is an ambassador spreading the word about Ireland's opportunities to medtech and biotech companies around the world. IDA Ireland is proud to be a platinum sponsor of The Med Tech Conference since 2007. Come visit IDA Ireland at booth #323. In the second part of this two-part blog, Lohan concludes his discussion about why American medtech companies have been choosing Ireland as their European base of operations. View part one of this blog here. 

An industry with inexhaustible demand like medtech, where people always need innovative healthcare solutions, must also focus on business issues to maximize success. In the US, companies weigh the challenges of improving their R&D, yet expanding production efficiently, find qualified staff, navigate regulations and better reach key markets?   Many US medtech companies are looking to Ireland to solve these challenges. Addressing these concerns is why 13 of the top 15 U.S. medtech companies have chosen facilities in Ireland, with more than 300 medtech companies currently doing business in the country, up from 50 in 1993.

 While the medtech industry is thriving, with sales increases of 10% or more in 2016 over the previous year, this bullish market outlook is tempered with the usual bearish concerns over competition, funding, effective R&D and other business issues. With Europe and the United States being the key markets that medtech firms focus on, many US firms are finding that having an Irish operation not only delivers many advantages but gives their products access to a lucrative market and plentiful opportunities to drive value.

Companies such as Boston Scientific, Abbott, Vistakon, Medtronic, Teleflex, Stryker, Cook Medical, Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, Hollister and BD are just some of the existing medtech firms with expanding Irish operations. Ireland now employs more than 32,000 people in medtech, which is the highest number in Europe as a percentage of a population. One quarter of the world's diabetics -- 30 million people -- rely on an injectable device manufactured in Ireland, while half of all ventilators used by acute hospitals worldwide are also made there. Meanwhile, three quarters of global orthopedic knee products were produced in Ireland.

There are several important reasons why American medtech companies have been choosing Ireland as their European base of operations.

MedTech Connect, our partnering system available to all full-access registrants of The MedTech Conference, is live -- and we want to make sure you know how to use it to optimize your experience! If you need a refresher on MedTech Connect, check out our previous blog post: The 101 on MedTech Connect.

One-on-one partnering meetings at The MedTech Conference take place in the MedTech Connect Zone within our Exhibit Hall. The MedTech Connect Zone is open from 9am to 5:15pm on Tuesday, September 26, and from 8am to 12:30pm on Wednesday, September 27. When you book a meeting, you can base it off of the mutual availablity of the participants as well as the availablity of partnering suites.

As of today, we have just 40 days until The MedTech Conference powered by AdvaMed kicks off in San Jose! There is so much to look forward to during our time in Silicon Valley...one of which is that we will be in a region world-renowned for its entreprenuerial spirit, tech start ups, investor community and more. 

The MedTech Conference has plenty to offer -- from networking to educational sessions, plenary speakers and a bustling exhibit hall. What else does it offer? Receptions! They're the perfect way to unwind with your colleagues and friends, meet other medtech professionals and reflect on your time in San Jose. 

This year, we've added an extra reception to our lineup: a closing reception on Wednesday evening after all programming ends! Given that many of our attendees are coming from the East Coast or other far-flung locales, we know lots of you are staying in Silicon Valley on Wednesday night (rather than flying home that evening like you might in a different location), and we hope this will be a great way to end your conference experience. 

When we conducted our post-conference survey after AdvaMed 2016, 67% of respondents noted that networking with peers is one of their primary reasons for attending in the first place.

You may want to arrive early in San Jose if you’re interested in expanding into pediatric devices or learning how to test a pediatric version of your adult medical device. This year, the 5th Annual Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium is co-locating with The MedTech Conference and will take place on September 24, 2017 - the day before The MedTech Conference begins.