OTWorld 2026: A Recap From Leipzig

Last month, our co-founders Sydney and Oleksiy traveled to Leipzig, Germany for OTWorld 2026, the world's largest trade show and congress for orthopedic and rehabilitation technology. This year marked the event's 50th anniversary, bringing together hundreds of companies, thousands of clinicians, and visitors from dozens of countries across three exhibition halls over four days.

This was Vessl's first time attending OTWorld, and the experience gave our team a much clearer picture of the European market, our industry as a whole, and what it takes for a company like ours to build a presence internationally.

The scale of the global O&P industry

The size of OTWorld was striking, even for a team that follows this industry closely. Hundreds of companies from around the world filled the exhibition halls, many with new products launching for the first time on the show floor. It was a strong reminder of how much innovation is happening across the global O&P market that simply isn't as visible from North America. For Vessl, it underscored how much opportunity there is to learn from, and eventually contribute to, that wider landscape.

Distributors and the realities of going global

One of the clearest themes of the trip was how central distributors are to bringing a product into a new market. Many companies had booths set up alongside their distributors, and some split their presence between their own booth and their distributor's, a practical way to support local teams while letting them lead in their own markets.

Reimbursement and insurance structures vary significantly from country to country, and what works for getting a product adopted in Canada or the US doesn't automatically apply elsewhere. The distributors Sydney and Oleksiy spoke with were generous in explaining how these systems work in their respective markets, insight that would otherwise take significant time to build independently.

This also prompted some valuable internal discussion at Vessl about what makes a distributor partnership successful from a manufacturer's side. What materials and resources does a distributor need from us? What training should we be providing to their teams ahead of launch, so they can speak to our product with the same confidence and clinical understanding as our own team does? Communication and collaboration came up repeatedly as the factors that separate strong, lasting distributor relationships from ones that exist on paper only.

A collaborative industry

Across the show, there was a real sense of collaboration, even among companies that compete directly. People made introductions to other teams worth knowing, and several founders and industry veterans offered advice based on their own experience entering new markets. It reflected an industry where shared progress is valued alongside individual success, something Vessl hopes to both benefit from and contribute to as we grow.

Clinicians at the center

Perhaps most notable was the number of clinicians on the floor, many of whom had traveled from far outside Europe. Their engagement went well beyond browsing. Clinicians asked detailed, thoughtful questions about how new products would translate into real clinical workflows and patient outcomes. For Vessl, it was a good reminder that the people closest to patients are also among the most informed and curious about what's coming next, and that their perspective should shape how we communicate about Kinn as we expand into new markets.

Looking ahead

OTWorld takes place every two years, and this trip was a strong starting point for building relationships in the European market. There are several other annual and biennial shows that can help us continue that momentum and grow our presence internationally.

Sydney and Oleksiy came back with new contacts, a deeper understanding of how international markets operate, and a clearer view of how connected this industry is across borders. We're looking forward to building on those relationships in the months ahead.

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