Has the Role of the Healthcare Conference Changed?

Healthcare conferences have always been great places to learn about the latest scientific breakthroughs, take in the newest drug information, and catch up with colleagues. In the past, conferences afforded life science professionals a rare chance to directly engage people from across industry. As technology increasingly connects professionals in real-time, conferences have evolved, in turn. If you’re looking to promote your life science product at a conference, here are some key takeways:

Educate First — A leading event-planning company reports that close to 80% of physician respondents say live conferences and seminars are their preferred medical education and training format. Additionally, “live” was the format they say the prefer most, according to the majority of respondents. At least one executive isn’t surprised. Glenn Laudenslager IV, president of Charge Ahead Marketing, notes that live conferences consistently rank as the most favored format of education. That means if you plan to promote, you should also plan to educate, and work in tandem with your education team to offer HCPs a seamless, positive experience on both sides of the booth.

There’s Still A Need to Stand Out — Even as marketing campaigns continue to go digital, life science manufacturers compete with one another at conferences to get their message heard. With so much visual stimulation, HCPs still manage to zero in on the booth with the “buzziest” product and booth design. Virtual and augmented reality, dynamic video presentations, and other unique approaches to booth design effectively draw eyes – and subsequently, interest. Do you remember the last healthcare conference you attended? Where did you spend most of your time? What stayed with you?

Get Serious — When HCPs aren’t attending sessions and meetings, they use their coffee breaks to engage with their peers and thought leaders on social media. Attendees use social media for many reasons: to discover the latest published research, weigh in on active conversations, and find interesting products being promoted.² Every interaction with their phone or tablet offers a chance for marketers to reach them. Develop a social plan that’s succinct, fun, and effective at getting people to your booth – and test what works. That way, at future conferences, you can pay to promote your most resonant messages and reap even bigger returns.

Whether you’re a product manager or marketing partner in the life science industry, we can help you get your message out to conference attendees. Reach out to us today and find out what the dedicated staff of Xavier Creative House can do for you.

References: 1. https://www.meetingsnet.com/continuing-medical-education/what-draws-clinicians-medical-meetings. Accessed January 17, 2019. 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/. Accessed January 17, 2019.