Pharmafile Logo

In-person, hybrid, or digital? State of Pharma meetings and events in 2024

March 18, 2024 |  

We’re diving into the state of pharmaceutical meetings and events in 2024 and–once and for all–put the idea of in-person meetings being superior to rest.

- PMLiVE

Whether we’re talking offices, medical congresses, or advisory board meetings, the term “hybrid” is often used to signal the ideal state. The place where everyone’s needs are being met. The best of both worlds. In the era of digital transformation, it is predicted that 2024 will be the year that finally cements hybrid meetings as the norm (1), with all-virtual meetings continuing to be a popular option. Yet, some people are holding onto the idea of in-person meetings being superior. In this article, we’re diving into the state of pharmaceutical meetings and events in 2024 and–once and for all–put this idea to rest.

Why in-person-only should be a thing of the past

I’ve written and talked about the blindspots of in-person meetings for over 16 years now, but it’s only been in the past few years that the benefits of virtual engagements have gained mainstream acceptance. There are multiple reasons why in-person-only meetings should be laid to rest, including, but not limited to, the facts that they are:

  • Expensive
  • Associated with a large environmental footprint
  • Inflexible and not accommodating to everyone’s schedules, work or personal commitments, and preferences
  • Susceptible to last-minute no-shows due to flight delays or poor driving conditions

Specifically for advisory boards and other insight-gathering initiatives, the in-person-only approach comes with additional pain points such as:

  • Valuable time wasted on didactic data presentations
  • Very limited “air time” per participant
  • Uneven share of voice, with more extroverted or senior advisors tending to take up more speaking time
  • A tendency for answers to be “knee-jerk reactions” rather than thought-through responses and for people to simply ‘agree’ with others
  • Limited ability to dive deeper into interesting or controversial ideas
  • Suboptimal diversity of advisors due to potential geographic or language barriers

Most important, though, is the fact that participants don’t want only in-person meetings. Based on our survey of hundreds of healthcare provider advisors in 2022–2023, over three-quarters stated that they prefer virtual/hybrid meetings, with the convenience and flexibility of digital meetings rated as the top benefits…

[Read the full article here]

This content was provided by Impetus Digital

Company Details

 Latest Content from  Impetus Digital 

Virtual collaboration tools to reduce “digital overload”

Considering its impact on our health and productivity, digital overload is clearly something that we need to take seriously.

Gamifying Remote Patient Monitoring

Dr. Emilia Molimpakis, CEO & Co-founder of Thymia, shares how their platform uses video games based on neuropsychology, alongside analyses of facial microexpressions and speech, to quickly, accurately, and objectively...

Social Health Prescription: Connecting People, Empowering Patients, & Improving Outcomes

Lynda Brown-Ganzert, Founder & CEO of Curatio, discusses the concept of social health prescription and the inspiration behind Curatio. She also explores questions such as how AI and “intelligent matchmaking” can be leveraged...

Launching Health Tech Innovations in the New Normal

Aahuti Rai (Strategic Advisor, Healthcare Innovation at Four Points Consulting) & Jessica Smith (Co-Founder and CXO at SomX) discuss all things HealthTech, including the current barriers to HealthTech commercialization, holistic...

Protecting Ownership of Technological & Pharmaceutical Innovation

Joshua Goldberg, Co-Managing Partner at Nath, Goldberg & Meyer, discusses key intellectual property issues and pitfalls in the digital health space, the importance of international patent protection, and why it’s...

Measuring Vital Health Indicators Through Your Camera

Dr. Keith Thompson, CMO at Nuralogix, dives into virtual care, telemedicine, and advanced digital health tools for improving primary care workflows and population health. He also shares his insights into...

VR/AR Applications for Training and Healthcare

Mike Waldron, CEO and Co-Founder of Propel VR, discusses how virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be leveraged in the healthcare industry, including specific applications of VR/AR for...

Forging Innovative Solutions by Merging Art and Science

Ariel Garten, Founder & Chief Evangelism Officer at Muse, explores many exciting topics such as the idea of whether art and beauty can be broken down into biological codes, the...

Expanding Access to High-Quality Healthcare

Dr. Jason Cross, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Rymedi, dives into Connected Health, including how it can be used to expand access to high-quality healthcare, current barriers to its...

Developing Innovative Digital Strategies to Engage Patients

Caitlin Wagner, Associate Marketing Director at Pharming, shares her expertise on innovative patient engagement strategies, including the roles of mobile apps and social media, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic...