As one of the designers for W2W, an invitation-only pilot program for 32 women in the meetings industry, held in March, I had never really worked with a conference center before, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. And this was a toughie: a...

Christopher Bowers recently was named chief executive officer of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Bowers, who’s lived in Chicago his entire life, is a former United Airlines senior executive and served as chairman of the Travel Industry...

A recently released survey of more than 1,500 practicing pharmacists who attended Boston-based Pri-Med Institute's Pharm-Med Updates, a continuing series of medical educational conferences held in six cities last year, found that pharmacists are...

Direct-to-consumer, or DTC, pharmaceutical promotion has unquestionably created value. It has created a healthy sense of empowerment among patients, reduced undiagnosed disease, and, for drug companies, created unsurpassed brand awareness. As part...

CME PROVIDERS WILL face more confusion, frustration, and bureaucracy when soliciting commercial support, Bruce J. Bellande, PhD, told attendees at the Alliance for CME annual conference, which was held January 21 to 24 at the Hilton Atlanta. The...

WHEN YOU WALK into the air-conditioned entrance of New Orleans' only AAA Five-Diamond luxury hotel, you're not just leaving Canal St. — you're entering another world altogether. From the doorman's greeting to the friendly and efficient front desk...

SO THERE'S THIS WELL full of money called a pharmaceutical company's marketing department. Lots of buckets dip into that well, including those for promotion and education. After researching this issue's cover story, I can't help but wonder if the...

“We're almost like a covert group. We sometimes joke that you know when a medical science liaison has [visited a doctor], but you don't really know what he or she has done, whereas with a sales rep, you see samples everywhere — pens, paper, pads,”...

EVEN WHEN PHYSICIANS perceive commercial bias in a certified CME activity, the majority of them still consider the content valid and credible. That is one of the startling results from a survey of CME participants, presented at the Alliance for...

“IT'S A NIGHTMARE!” That's how one CME provider described the new commercial support process to me. As a reaction to the OIG pharma marketing guidance, legal and compliance departments are now directing funding procedures, disrupting long-standing...