03 December 2022

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IDS organizers expect up to 160,000 to attend 2023 convention

World’s largest dental show to be held March 14 to 18, 2023 in Cologne

Mary Guiden

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The International Dental Show (IDS) marks its 100th year anniversary in 2023, and convention organizers provided a preview for media on Nov. 28 at the recent Greater New York Dental Meeting. They expect to have at least 160,000 attendees, like the numbers in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Markus Heibach, managing director of VDDI, Verband der Deutschen Dental-Industrie e.V., said the initial vision for the IDS — launched in 1916 in Berlin — was to allow every customer, dentist and dental technician to meet with members of the dental trade and pursue new customer relationships. 

This cosmopolitan approach enables competition within an industry, a theme that continues today.

The first IDS had 29 exhibitors and was so successful that organizers decided to hold it every year until 1928. World War II — from 1939 to 1945 — disrupted events like the dental show and, much later, in 1992, VDDI decided to give the IDS a permanent home. 

In 1999, conference organizers saw increasing numbers of exhibitors outside of Germany, a trend that has continued. IDS is the only convention that is truly international, with an opportunity for visitors to see and exhibitors to showcase the top technologies in one place, Heibach said. 

In recent years, the IDS has seen an increased interest in sustainability, following market trends. 

At the 2023 IDS, Heibach said to expect a focus on digital workflows and more applications of artificial intelligence.  

“We will see further developments in scanners,” he said. “We will see specialized scanners – you can choose whether you prefer to scan several sections of a jaw,” Heibach said. Another trend is to have a second scanner in the dental office specialized on other treatments. 

Markus Oster, head of trade fair management at Koelnmesse, which organizes and manages trade shows and events in Cologne and around the world, said the IDS has experienced 30 years of constant growth. 

The show expanded from 700 exhibitors in 1992 to more than 2,000 in 2019, he said. 

IDS 2023 will function as a hybrid event based on positive feedback from a similar format in 2021. Having said that, Oster said the 2023 convention should take place under “nearly normal” conditions in terms of public health precautions. 

“Almost all relevant key players have confirmed participation,” he said. “To date, we have more than 1,500 exhibitors and 12 country pavilions with over 400 companies.” 

IDS 2023 will take part in an expanded space covering 180,000 square meters. 

Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany, also has a unique infrastructure, making it easy to reach the IDS grounds from the airport, Frankfurt and Brussels. 

“We have perfect conditions for visitors coming from abroad and reaching our fairgrounds,” said Oster.  

IDS attendees can also use their badges to access public transportation and the railway system in Cologne. 

Fred Freeman, vice president of member services at the Dental Trade Alliance, said there’s nothing like the IDS. 

“If you’ve not been there before, it’s hard to describe,” he said. “It’s at a completely different level. My best surprise is not who I’m expecting to meet that makes it a successful meeting for me. It’s who I wasn’t expecting to meet.”  

Registration is now open for the IDS: https://www.english.ids-cologne.de/trade-fair/tickets/buy-tickets/