Pharmaceutical Meeting Planning: 9 Tips for Pharma Events

From investigator meetings to product launches, pharmaceutical industry events require extensive planning. Between coordinating with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and complying with regulations, each event demands attention to every detail.

With the right strategy and the right tech, preparing for both routine and one-time events becomes a little more straightforward. In this article, we'll cover tips for better pharmaceutical meeting planning and suggestions for the best event software.

Why is good pharma meeting planning so important now?

For the pharmaceutical industry, meeting schedules certainly aren't slowing down. If anything, pharma events are becoming more common.

In fact, a Smart Meetings study reveals that 44% of respondents anticipated more pharma meetings in the next year. An additional 44% believed the number of meetings would stay the same, while only 12% thought this figure would decrease.

These trends may come as no surprise when you consider the number of drugs in development. In the biopharma industry alone, the number of drugs in development nearly doubled from 2012 to 2022.

Since the average drug development timeline is 10 to 15 years, that equals a lot of meetings over many years. Because compliance issues may arise and roadblocks often get in the way, every pharma meeting requires careful planning well in advance of the event date.

Types of pharmaceutical event planning to consider

No two types of pharmaceutical meetings and events are alike. If you're involved in coordinating pharma meetings, here are some of the most common formats you'll encounter.

Investigator meetings

An essential component of the research and development process, investigator meetings take place in stages. The first investigator meeting for a particular drug may be relatively small. But as the number of clinical trials increases, investigator meetings can get much larger and involve more external participants.

These meetings often take place in person and may occur in various locations around the world. As a result, it's essential for meeting planners to understand local regulations and compliance requirements.

Advisory board meetings

In contrast, advisory board meetings aren't strict requirements for pharmaceutical companies. However, advisory board meetings offer substantial value for companies seeking to collaborate with HCPs and other external experts.

While advisory board meetings may happen in person, they can just as easily take place online. With the right video conferencing tool, your event planning team can easily coordinate with external experts.

Product launches

When you reach the end of the drug development cycle and get ready to bring your product to market, you'll be ready to announce a launch. A successful pharma product launch often has a hybrid format with a mix of:

• Digital teaser campaigns
• Live in-person events
• Live streamed virtual events
• Field marketing events

National sales meetings

Once you've launched a new pharma product, you'll need to coordinate the sales strategy. National sales meetings typically call for hybrid events that allow attendees to join in person or online.

These meetings often focus on internal sales and marketing team members, but they may also include external HCPs. Since many national sales meetings include hundreds of attendees, they require in-depth planning.

Pharma congresses

As industry conferences, pharma congresses allow professionals from many different organizations to gather and share knowledge. They're essential for professional development and networking.

A typical pharma congress includes a number of conference sessions, including panel discussions and academic seminars. While many happen in person, hybrid events accommodate higher attendance numbers.

With virtual events, you can welcome an even larger and more diverse audience. For example, Starmind used Livestorm to host a post-conference webinar after CPHI Europe, the premier pharma industry conference.

9 Tips for successful pharmaceutical meeting planning

Simplify pharma meeting logistics and create better event experiences using these tips.

1. Clarify meeting goals and set KPIs

Start by working with your team to set goals for the event. Get clear on the main objective you need to achieve. Here are a few examples to consider:

• Achieve certain attendance numbers
• Involve specific key opinion leaders (KOLs) or HCPs
• Improve awareness of your company or a specific drug
• Drive interest in or sales of a certain drug

Set key performance indicators (KPIs) to confirm how you'll measure the results and determine whether you've hosted a successful pharmaceutical event.

2. Decide on a virtual or hybrid format

After setting goals and confirming the main objective for the event, choose the optimal format. Base your decision on the type of event you plan to host, the size of the audience you need to accommodate, and the budget your team has to spend.

Keep in mind that while in-person events may make sense in some situations, this format has become less popular overall. For the average pharma company, hybrid meetings are now the norm.

In some cases, virtual events are even more desirable. Many virtual events offer more flexibility than in-person events and lower costs overall. Plus, they can welcome attendees from around the world.

3. Choose the right event technology

No matter which event format you plan to host, you need the right technology to ensure the event runs smoothly. If you plan to host in-person events, you can typically rely on the venue and its vendors to provide sound systems and projectors.

But when you host virtual and hybrid events, you'll also need to choose live event software that can livestream your meeting, allow presenters to participate, and accommodate your audience.

Livestorm can host everything from small events for advisory boards to large conferences with up to 3,000 live attendees. Since our platform supports sessions up to 12 hours long, it's ideal for any virtual pharma event.

Plus, Livestorm can accommodate multiple presenters and sessions, making even the most complex events simple to set up. Our registration pages and follow-up sequences make it easy to invite and engage attendees.

4. Identify and invite relevant KOLs

For many pharmaceutical events, KOLs are essential attendees. These stakeholders can impact the reach of your events, drive higher attendance, and increase interest in the event topic.

To identify the right thought leaders and experts for your event, start with a KOL mapping strategy. You'll also need to engage KOLs well in advance of the event to build strong relationships.

If KOLs will play a key role in your event, it's often worth scheduling a one-on-one or small group meeting to discuss goals beforehand. You can rely on Livestorm for video conferencing and internal meetings.

5. Define an HCP engagement strategy

While KOLs often have prominent speaking roles at pharma events, HCPs are just as important to involve. After all, creating relationships with HCPs can affect drug adoption and influence pharma research and education.

Work with your team to develop an HCP engagement strategy for the event. For example, consider reaching out to specific HCPs with personal event invitations or invite them to Q&As or other educational events.

6. Set an event schedule

Now you're ready to decide on a schedule for the one- or multi-day event. Plan a series of high-value sessions, including roundtable discussions, symposia, and keynote addresses.

Plan plenty of interaction during the events. Livestorm makes it easy to add interactive polls, live chat, and breakout rooms to virtual sessions. Remember to allow ample time for networking, too.

For in-person events, you might also plan dinners or after parties. However, keep in mind that busy HCPs and KOLs may not be available to attend. Review prior event metrics to make the right decision for your audience.

7. Create a promotional plan

After deciding on the logistics, promote the event to your target audience. Depending on the scope of the event, your strategy might include:

• Personal outreach to specific people
• Social media posts promoting the event
• Blog content discussing the event
• Paid content advertising the event

8. Monitor event metrics closely

In the weeks and months leading up to the event, monitor metrics closely. Make sure you're reaching any attendance or awareness KPIs you've set. If you're falling short, adjust your promotional plan.

Throughout the event and after it ends, track attendance and engagement metrics. With Livestorm, you can see metrics like the number of attendees, the amount of engagement, view duration, and more.

Identify what worked and what didn't. Then, use the data to guide future pharma events.

9. Follow up with HCPs after the event

After the event, take time to follow up with KOLs, HCPs, and other attendees. Consider personal follow-ups to build deeper relationships with important KOLs and HCPs.

Share event content automatically. With Livestorm, you can easily share virtual event recordings with attendees.

You can also make sessions available on demand for a wider audience. For example, Atrivity used Livestorm to host a virtual event on revolutionizing pharma cycle meetings and later made it available on demand.

Livestorm for virtual pharma meetings

Don't leave important pharma meetings and healthcare industry events to chance. With Livestorm, you can:

• Host anything from advisory board meetings with a dozen guests to pharma congresses with 1,000+ participants
• Seamlessly share multimedia like slide decks, documents, and videos during online events
• Engage attendees via polls and live chat during the event and follow up via email afterward
• Protect user data with software that's ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant
• Integrate Livestorm with your CRM, marketing, and automation software

Ready to see how easy our video conferencing platform makes it to host efficient 1:1 meetings and engaging virtual events? Sign up for a free Livestorm account and schedule your first event in just a few minutes.