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 

Transforming Unstructured Healthcare Information into Real-World Evidence & Life Saving Insights

Aaron Leibtag, CEO & Co-Founder of Pentavere Research Group, discusses his transition from being an Organizational Transformation Leader to co-founding a startup focused on healthcare technology. We also dive into how…

InSite Mapping™ – a Novel Tool for Insight-gathering and Patient Journey Mapping

Learn how a client engaged 18 rheumatologist advisors over 6 months to create a patient journey map for SLE.

Building Stakeholder Relationships in the New Normal

Randi Goeckeler, Global Stakeholder Relations & Strategic Engagement Leadership Expert, discusses some of the key lessons she has learned from the various roles she has held at top pharma companies….

Personalized Digital Health Coaching

Eugene Borukhovich, Chairman & COO of YourCoach.Health, discusses his transition from Global Head of Digital Health at Bayer to full-time entrepreneur. We also talk about YourCoach’s mission, the impact of COVID-19…

Empowering Medtech Innovation

Scott Phillips, President at StarFish Medical, shares his ongoing work to empower MedTech innovation in Canada and overseas. We also discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the MedTech industry and the many…

Remote Patient Monitoring in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond

Leon Eisen, Chief Executive Officer of Oxitone, talks about “remote continuous care”, the role of AI-powered predictive analytics and alerts in providing this type of care. We also explore how Oxitone…

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. We also explore questions such as how AI and “intelligent matchmaking” can be…

Leveraging Data, Technology & Expertise to Solve Problems & Transform Healthcare

Tushar Pant, Consulting Executive in Healthcare at IBM, discusses how technology is transforming healthcare. Among many other things, we explore how IBM is working to improve the healthcare industry in Canada,…

Reimagining Healthcare Through Integrated Digital Health Empowerment

Yianni Serpanos, Founder & CEO of HealthTechX, discusses a variety of topics, including how COVID-19 has affected the uptake of telehealth among allied health professionals in Australia and worldwide. Yianni also…