How to Plan a Medical Device Demo Day (Step-by-Step)

Who Should Run a Demo Day (and Who Shouldn't)

Demo days work best for devices that require hands-on experience to appreciate. Energy-based aesthetics devices, surgical instruments, diagnostic equipment, therapeutic modalities. If your device is primarily software or a pharmaceutical, the demo day format probably isn't right. Stick with a lunch and learn or a KOL dinner instead.

You should also have enough product breadth or enough depth within a single product to fill 3-5 demo stations. A single-device company can still run a demo day, but you'll need to create multiple stations around different applications: one for the core procedure, one for a secondary indication, one for before/after case review, and one for business model and ROI discussion.

Multi-device companies have a natural advantage. If you sell four body contouring modalities, each station can feature a different device with a different clinical application. Attendees rotate through all four and self-select which ones fit their practice.

Step 2: Equipment and Logistics

This is where demo days get complicated. You're not shipping a projector and a box of brochures. You're moving medical devices that may require specific electrical configurations, temperature control, or calibration.

Equipment Checklist Per Station

• The device itself: Confirm shipping timeline, insurance coverage during transit, and who is responsible for setup and calibration. Most manufacturers require a trained biomedical technician for initial setup.
• Power requirements: Some devices need dedicated circuits. A body contouring device pulling 30 amps on a shared circuit with the hotel ballroom's lighting will trip breakers during a demo. Get the venue's electrical specifications in advance and bring power strips rated for medical equipment.
• Consumables and disposables: Applicators, tips, gel, gloves, gauze, protective eyewear. Bring 2x what you think you'll need. Running out of disposables mid-demo kills the momentum.
• Display materials: Tabletop retractable banners, specification sheets, clinical study summaries. Keep these clean and professional but secondary to the device itself.
• Wi-Fi and A/V: If any station uses a screen for before/after photos or data presentation, test the venue's Wi-Fi and have a backup plan (offline presentation loaded on a tablet).

Shipping and Setup Timeline

For a Saturday demo day, equipment should arrive at the venue no later than Thursday afternoon. That gives you Friday for setup, calibration, and troubleshooting. Do not plan to set up the morning of the event. Something will go wrong with a device, an outlet, or a display, and you need buffer time to fix it without attendees watching.

Assign one person as the equipment coordinator. This person owns the shipping tracking, confirms delivery, manages setup, and is the single point of contact for any equipment issues during the event. Having three reps each "partly" responsible for equipment is how devices end up in the wrong room or without the right consumables.

Step 4: Consent Forms and Compliance

If any demo involves contact with a human subject, whether that's a volunteer, a model, or an attendee who wants to try the device themselves, you need consent documentation. This is non-negotiable and it's the step most first-time demo day organizers forget.

The FDA's medical device guidance requires that any demonstration involving human subjects follows informed consent protocols. Even for cleared devices being demonstrated within their approved indications, the person receiving the demonstration treatment must understand what's being done and consent to it.

What Your Consent Form Should Include

• Description of the device and the demonstration procedure
• Duration of the demonstration
• Known risks and side effects, even minor ones like temporary redness or sensitivity
• Statement that participation is voluntary and can be stopped at any time
• Photo/video consent (separate checkbox) if you plan to capture demo footage for marketing
• HIPAA-related language if any health information is collected during the demo
• Signature, printed name, and date

Have your legal team review the consent form before the event. Have printed copies at the registration station and at each demo station where live demonstrations occur. The registration coordinator should ensure every demo participant has signed before they sit in the chair.

Step 6: Sample Demo Day Agenda

Here's a proven agenda template for a half-day demo day with five stations and 30-40 attendees:

Time	Activity	Notes
7:00 AM	Staff arrival and final setup	Equipment check, test all stations, confirm catering
8:00 AM	Registration opens	Coffee and light breakfast available
8:30 AM	Welcome and overview	10-minute introduction, agenda overview, group photo
8:45 AM	Rotation 1	Groups assigned to starting stations, 20 min per station
9:05 AM	Rotation 2	Transition signal, groups move to next station
9:25 AM	Rotation 3
9:45 AM	Break	15 min, refreshments, informal networking
10:00 AM	Rotation 4
10:20 AM	Rotation 5
10:40 AM	Open floor	Attendees revisit any station, 1:1 conversations
11:15 AM	Closing remarks and next steps	Follow-up process, in-office demo scheduling
11:30 AM	Lunch and networking	Informal, stations remain accessible
12:30 PM	Event ends	Staff begins breakdown

Adjust timing based on your station count. Three stations can run in a compact morning session (8:30-11:30 AM). Six stations need a full day or you'll rush each rotation below the 15-minute minimum that physicians need to engage meaningfully with a device.