Pharmaceutical meeting planners not only have to worry about developing a strategic meetings management plan and doing more with less—they also have to keep up with an ever-changing compliance and regulatory framework. At the 7th Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum, coming March 27–29 to the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown, Thomas D. Forrester, vice president, U.S. corporate compliance officer with sanofi-aventis, will define the compliance issues related to medical and pharmaceutical promotional meetings. He also will cover how the unpredictable nature of the drug-development and regulatory-approval processes can affect planning, the use of meeting planning services and venue selection.
Also on tap is David Townson, PhD, PMP, senior vice president, development, with MannKind Corp., whose keynote address will provide an industry perspective on the existing and emerging trends relevant to meetings in life sciences organizations. Townson, who has more than 20 years of experience in both large pharmaceutical and small biotech companies, will cover how the unpredictable nature of the drug-development and regulatory-approval processes can affect planning, the use of meeting planning services, and venue selection.
Compliance challenges and solutions also are the topics of several of the breakout sessions. For example, a regulatory/compliance expert will explain how to build and manage compliant meetings for healthcare professionals and sales forces, including product training and product launches. Also on the agenda are sessions on how state regulations and the federal Sunshine Act affect meetings, how to capture healthcare provider data most effectively, and the regulations and guidelines you need to know about when taking meetings overseas.
Learning From Experience
While peer-to-peer learning opportunities can be scarce, especially for those who plan meetings for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry, the Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum also includes a series of closed-door summits where you can share your toughest challenges and learn solutions from your colleagues. The content for the summits will be driven by the participants.
Separate closed-door summits are planned for senior-level pharmaceutical meeting management and procurement professionals, emerging leaders, and meeting managers in the medical device industry. There also will be a Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Boot Camp, where those new to the life sciences industry will learn what they need to know to improve their careers, including the rules and regulations that influence key meeting planning decision-making.
Strategic Meetings Management
Pharmaceutical and life sciences companies are increasingly deploying strategic meetings management programs to rein in costs and streamline their processes. The Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum will provide the framework you need to get started, along with lots of hands-on advice. You also will be able to delve more deeply into the topic, with sessions on the potential impact of service level agreements and key performance indicators on meeting programs and contracts, and leveraging an SMMP to improve HCP spend-tracking and reporting.
And did you know that pairing meeting professionals within an organization with a specific brand or product line can make you more efficient throughout the planning, management, and follow-up phases of a meeting? Check out the panel discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of aligning planners with a product portfolio, including how it affects workload.
To register or learn more, visit the conference Web site .
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