Pharmaceutical and medical industry meeting planners are under more scrutiny to stay compliant with the latest codes of conduct. The stakes for non-compliance are increasing – from fines of up to £1 million and in some circumstances, even jail time.

In addition, medical professionals are not enjoying the time they spend at conferences as much as they should. A recent survey of 237 physicians across 11 global markets showed that 95 percent of them expected engaging and impactful meetings, but 39 percent said that they didn’t have a positive experience at the meetings they had attended recently.

To help the industry cause, we’ve outlined several meeting planner fundamentals that help address common pain points associated with successfully executing meetings, training and events in the pharmaceutical industry.

Fundamental #1: A Desirable Location

Industry collaboration is more than just organizing attendee logistics from one or cities; it’s often a worldwide planning endeavour. Choosing a meeting location that’s readily accessible and near the most number of direct flights and trains for local and overseas guests is crucial. Also, setting up near local restaurants, shopping, cultural institutions, and landmarks is beneficial for out-of-town attendees that want to experience the city.

Central London no only offers a large concentration of healthcare professionals (nearly 20,000 medical professionals in Zone 1 alone) but is also close to three major airports and offers a plethora multiple public transportation options, numerous hotels, top restaurants, and tourist attractions; Oxford Circus, Bond Street, Fenchurch Street, Tower Hill etc!

Fundamental #2: Maximum Group Privacy

With new research to share, important ideas to exchange, and complex problems that need to be solved, the last thing any medical meeting planner wants to confront is having a tourist strolling in wearing flip-flops, a wedding party raiding the buffet, or competitors snapping photos or recording research findings.

Hiring 10+ guards may seem like overkill as well. Group privacy within a reasonable budget can be had. Look for buildings and venues that already include a “lobby registration or security” as part of their standard operating procedure. In addition, by creating a simple digital registration process upon check-in and within meeting rooms, attendees are able to bypass complicated check-in lines while also maintaining the security standards needed at each door.

Meetings with strict compliance policies like investigator meetings (when healthcare professionals get together for training on participating in clinical trials that will move their drugs and devices forward) require maximum privacy. Venues that offer “full buyouts” is a common solution that Convene’s clients ultimately choose, especially when content is sensitive or confidential in nature.

Fundamental #3: Informative and Engaging Segments

Pharmaceutical and medical meetings often feature a variety of well-accomplished participants (not just speakers), which provides the perfect opportunity for planners to spotlight each of them not only for the professional accomplishments but their personal ones too.

Inclusive, social-first activities within the programming should become part of the agenda. Whether the format is focused on listening to a presenter in a traditional conference setting, introducing a new product line, or sharing patient stories, each of these activities needs a specific social setting to be more interesting and engaging.

Therefore, it’s important to consider a minimum of three separate spaces to complement the most parts of your programming: presentation space, networking and/or meal space, and exhibitor space. This allows all of the participants to maximize the number of “casual collisions” that make productivity, friendship, and memories so important for any successful meeting, training and event. The common area should create a natural flow so attendees don’t get lost during break times!

Fundamental #4: Find a Partner, not a Vendor

Avoid headaches long before the event by spending time upfront searching for a conference partner, rather than just a space, a caterer, and an AV company. A conference partner offers integrated solutions to common and complex problems planners often have, especially if they are familiar with your industry.

• Branding & Design: Conference partners should offer “white-box” design capabilities, especially when it comes to product launches and road shows. The right partner should allow planners to design for your brand only, and not let that be overshadowed by the host space itself. The ability to brand every digital screen and offer signage options are also important. Additionally, dedicated yet flexible breakout space and gallery spaces for exhibitors are needed to ensure that attendees are able to experience the best of what your brand or your sponsors can offer.

• Tracking: Conference partners should help you track the transfer of value (TOV) between a company and a healthcare professional, and understand that one pharmaceutical company may manage their internal reporting in a vastly different way from how another medical device company does it.

• Food: Conference partners should ideally offer their own on-site chefs and kitchens to maximize your program’s food quality and freshness. The best partners will often help design and create custom menus branded to your event needs – particularly when it comes to meal caps.

• Technology: Conference partners should ideally have the latest on-site technology built-in or within their own inventory. This minimizes the chances of day-of snafus, but also ensures that your confidential content is fully secure. The best partners often have their own AV/IT staff on-site and are available at a moment’s notice.

• Planning and Production: A planner’s life is already hard enough. Your conference partner should not only be helping you up to game-time, but offering highly trained day-of staff to make your life immensely easier when planning and executing your sales training, district meeting, investigator meeting, or town hall.

Purpose-Built for Pharmaceutical and Medical Meetings

If you haven’t been able to find a conference partner that checks all of those boxes yet, then look no further! Cavendish Venues amazing space at 44 Hallam Street London W1W, the former home of the General Medical Council is the perfect choice for your next industry event.

“With food and beverage guidelines at the forefront for so many pharma planners, Cavendish’s meeting packages make it incredibly easy to work with these budget requirements. Also, Cavendish’s rooms include the latest technology, so meeting budgets don’t have to be blown away with tech setup, breakdown, and high equipment rentals that so often apply when planning with a hotel. Working with a partner like Cavendish that integrates all meeting planning touch points – from breakouts to dietary restrictions and more – into one package makes a planners life so much easier.”

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