The inaugural Medical Device and Bio/Pharmaceutical Meeting Planners Forum, scheduled for December 10 to 11 at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa in California, will feature a keynote address about how industry trends apply to meeting professionals. David F. Townson, PhD, vice president, program management, Mannkind Corp., a 16-year pharma industry veteran, will provide an overview of changes affecting the medical device and bio/pharmaceutical industries and discuss why companies need to rethink their meetings in response to these developments. He will also explore how meeting planners can take a strategic role and contribute to their companies' success by driving new practices.

In addition, the conference will include sessions on how to plan meetings that adhere to the AdvaMed Code of Ethics for Interactions with Healthcare Professionals as well as other guidelines and regulations, how to track aggregate spend for healthcare professionals to comply with financial disclosure laws, how to negotiate effectively with hotels, and how to create a strategic meeting management program.

The new event is co-organized by Medical Meetings magazine and the Center for Business Intelligence, creators of the Pharmaceutical Meeting Planners Forum.

For more information, visit www.pharmameetingplanners.com/west, call (800) 817-8601, e-mail cbireg@cbinet.com, or see the ad on page 50.