Dallas, March 2, 2024. CryoCon 2024 is here! Thank you to Kelly Carden, Lars Lofstrand, and Christa Eckman of CINA for bringing together the cyro industry for the 4th time!
The idea for the Cryo Chamber Manufacturers Initiative (CCM) started at CryoCon, and we have spent the last year meeting weekly to build the foundation, including bringing on an executive director, registering as a non-profit trade association, bringing several manufacturers and scientists together for the first time in Dubai, creating an industry pledge, drafting standards, developing a membership model, defining a 3-year roadmap, and, as of today, publishing product data on the CCM website as a first step toward greater transparency in the industry.
We want to reflect on what has been built so far, while also inviting you to chat with all CCM members at CryoCon and beyond.
But first, be sure to catch CCM members speak at CryoCon:
Saturday, 9:10 am: State of the Industry panel with Enrico Klauer of MECOTEC GmbH
Sunday, 10:30 am: Meet the Pros roundtable, “Created Equal? Differentiating between Cryo Modalities,” with Marcus Wilson of CryoBuilt , Omar Maani of °CRYO Science , Enrico Klauer, and Sebastian Rüßmann of L&R Kältetechnik GmbH & Co.KG / Art of Cryo
Sunday, 2pm: Future of the Wellness Industry panel with Marcus Wilson
Can you tell the difference? Cold is a megatrend driving the introduction of new cold modalities, which means people can experience cold in different ways. It also means that cryo enthusiasts need greater savvy in differentiating between modalities and between cold and ultra-cold. Not all modalities offer the same benefits, so operators need to be clear about which modalities can deliver the specific benefits they want to offer users. Likewise, users need to know which applications are optimized for their treatment goals.
We welcome every new beneficial cold application that puts people first by being safe, being transparent about what they can and cannot deliver, and helping operators serve users in a way that supports business health. CCM members will discuss this topic at Sunday’s Meet the Pros roundtable.
Transparency. CCM exists to foster an industry that operators and users can trust by stressing quality, safety, transparency, and understanding. Today, CCM is taking a step toward more transparency by publishing member-company product data, including room and wind chill temperatures, sessions per hour, pre-cooling time, certifications, and more. The four current CCM member companies represent over 2,600 installed WBCs worldwide, so publishing their product data greatly increases transparency in the market.
The data is self-reported by members. That’s step one. Step two will be to validate self-reported data by a neutral 3rd party. The idea is that operators and users have straightforward facts. No grand claims about being the best, coldest, or most revolutionary, which only confuses the market and can undermine trust. It’s also an invitation to be held accountable - by each other and by you. See https://www.cryomanufacturers.org/product-data.
Training. For CCM, safety starts with the chambers our members produce and ends with the operators who put people inside them. The former requires technical integrity, whereas the latter requires training. As individual manufacturers, our sphere of influence when it comes to training is limited to our own customers. That’s not enough. That’s why we are partnering with the leader in operator training and CCM advisory member, Antra Getzoff of Get Results. In April, CCM will launch Antra’s online training program, opening another path for operators to discover and access her training.
The Horizon. Now that the structure for the first WBC trade association is in place, CCM will work on realizing a 2024 road map that will include the following:
Build out the CCM website and communication channels
Establish a scientific advisory board
Expand membership and create a pathway for smaller manufacturers filling the cold chamber (vs ultra-cold) market niche
Collaborate with CINA on its association model by leading the manufacturers working group
Connect: We invite you to share your ideas or concerns to take our industry to the next level or to inquire about membership by connecting with any of the CCM members or with CCM Executive Director, Felice Wilson (no relation to Marcus Wilson) in Dallas.
We look forward to more people discovering ultra-cold and cold in 2024 through all of our efforts!