FITCE 2023 to lead the conversation on investment in life sciencesFITCE 2023 to lead the conversation on investment in life sciences

Florida International Trade & Cultural Expo (FITCE) 2023 will open its doors from October 4 to 5 and welcome local and international companies for a unique opportunity to engage with key leaders and experts worldwide in international trade and foreign direct investment dialogues. Taking place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the event aims to expand awareness of Broward County as an import and export trading capital while helping to nurture existing businesses, establish new businesses and spur growth.

Broward County is the second largest county in the state of Florida, which is the third largest state in the United States. The medical device sector is one of the county’s important sectors as it reportedly has more medical device companies than other parts of the region.

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Paola Isaac Baraya, MSc, Economic Development Specialist – International Trade, Office of Economic and Small Business Development, Broward County, Florida, said: “FITCE is one of the largest shows organised by a government entity for multisectoral international trade in Florida. We also engage with private-sector collaborators to enhance the show. While it's multisectoral, we focus on a particular sector every year. This year, the focus is on life sciences, which includes pharma, medical device, MedTech, and biotech.

“As part of the government, we help companies to export to other markets and sectors. Medical device and life sciences are an important sector for us, and we want to focus on getting more opportunities for medical device companies.”

Baraya explained that FITCE brings together high-level government and business delegations from other countries for export opportunities and bilateral collaborations with Broward County. For instance, last year, the vice president of Honduras visited the show. Previously, former presidents from countries in Latin America, such as Bolivia, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Panama, have attended the show as the event acts as a gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. Dignitaries from Africa, Middle East and Europe also attend the show.

The event will also feature an American & International Buyers panel, featuring hospital buyers looking to buy medical devices and where attendees can learn about the purchasing process of large institutions. The event is also attended by several Ministers of Health. For example, the Minister of Health from Belize is attending this year.

Revitalising pharmaceutical supply chain

Co-located with FITCE is the Life Sciences Industrial Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Symposium (LSIPMS), a healthcare alliance focused on public health emergencies and restructuring the pharmaceutical supply chain disruption in the US nation and abroad. LSIPMS’s goal is to contribute to and build a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain and to bring and help develop innovative products, manufacturing, and strategies to help reduce the burden of pharmaceutical drugs and products in the market and make them more accessible to patients in need.

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Lina Garcia, Director of LSIPMS 2023, said: “We are offering a comprehensive agenda that can help us provide solutions to the pharmaceutical supply chain to come out of the disruption suffered during the pandemic. Over 60 countries are participating in the event, bringing together international decision-makers under one roof, from government to academia and regulatory compliance agencies.”

One of the main topics of the agenda is to shed light on public health emergencies and the supply chain disruption that will help define the next generation of pharmaceutical supply chains in the US and worldwide. The event will see companies within the medical device, diagnostics, R&D, and pharmaceutical manufacturing join forces to find solutions for the future.

“The event will create a roadmap for how we can better prepare for the next pandemic or public health emergency. Our goal is to bring awareness and build a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain for the next generation,” Garcia concluded.

For more information, visit: https://www.broward.org/EconDev/conferences/Pages/FITCE.aspx and https://lsipms.com/

Broward County is a supporter of Informa Market’s Florida International Medical Expo (FIME) and works together to promote growth and solutions in the medical and life science sectors. For more info on FIME 2024, click here.

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