Brethertons were pleased to attend the Naidex Exhibition at the Birmingham NEC on 15th and 16th September – and the European Neuro Convention 21 which was run within the Naidex event.
Naidex is Europe’s most established event for ‘the independent living industries, welcoming everyone with health conditions or impairments, as well as anyone caring for or supplying to this community’.
The European Neuro Convention is Europe’s only trade event for brain and spine experts. Specialising in rehabilitation, mental health, brain stimulation and diagnostics, the event provides a unique platform to discover the latest innovations and CPD accredited education that will improve the lives of current and future patients.
Held in the vast space that is the NEC, Birmingham the event is quite something. With a rolling programme of half hour seminars and around 200 exhibitors it is difficult to imagine what facet of life might have been overlooked by those exhibiting products and services for people living with life changing injuries or conditions making life more challenging.
Wheelchairs in all their configurations; adapted vehicles of most makes and models; travel agencies; practical day to day aids; assistive and smart technology; clothing; beds and furniture; bathroom and kitchen adaptations; all manner of service providers; accessible sport providers; education and vocational rehabilitation specialists; lifestyle and hobbies companies from accessible gardening to Hot Octopuss (the first ‘sex tech’ company to exhibit at Naidex) – the exhibition surely has something for everyone.
As solicitors specialising in spinal cord injury claims it was an opportunity to get close to some of the services, products and kit that OT experts frequently identify in their reports as being reasonably needed by our clients. In turn those items are included in the schedules of loss we prepare when pleading how much compensation should be paid. For us the exhibition was at times like a 4d version of those schedules.
The exhibition was on such a large scale with so much to see and experience, we suspect it could easily overwhelm the first time private prospective customer. That said and particularly if you wanted to focus in on something specific it seemed a great place to find out more, test out, and explore the kit or tech you might want to buy now or later on. With so much under one roof it really is a place to discover new passions, experience the future of mobility, and browse the latest technology. Some of the technology moves on so quickly. We can still remember mechanical page readers to turn the pages of newspapers!
For OTs and case managers the exhibition might seem like something of a sweet shop. There is more than enough to attract the attention and interest of other professionals engaged in helping people in the sector from all sorts of backgrounds. We met and mingled with representatives from the charities, medical, rehabilitation, legal and financial services sectors during our time at the exhibition.
We were particularly interested in hearing Ralph Charlwood and Nigel Henderson’s seminar on behalf of Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research ‘Living with SCI Unseen Complications - The Role of Research’. Day to day problems for people living with spinal cord injury are 10% visible and 90% invisible…. Makes you think doesn’t it? For more on that read our companion blog here.
Naidex will be back on Wednesday 6th July and Thursday 7th July 2022.
Useful websites:
Naidex https://www.naidex.co.uk/
Neuro Convention https://www.neuroconvention.com/
SMSR https://www.lifeafterparalysis.com/
Brethertons https://brethertons.co.uk/site/services/life-changing-injury-solicitors/spinal-injury-solicitors/
To contact us if you need legal help after spinal cord injury call Jon Rees on 01788 557617 or email jonrees@brethertons.co.uk, or Sian Buxton on 01788 557578 or email sianbuxton@brethertons.co.uk. Follow brethertonsspinallaw on Twitter @neurolawyer
