Hoteliers and pharmaceutical meeting planners dug into the pain points of planning events in today’s challenging environment. From left, Pharma Forum’s Day-One Co-Chair Becky Cavanaugh, program director, global medical meetings and events, Cadent, powered by Syneos; Cheyenne Nelson, business development director, McVeigh Global Meetings & Events; Bonnie Weiss, HMCC, global pharmaceutical sales director, Hyatt Hotels Corp.; Danielle Baruch, key account director, IHG Hotels & Resorts; Stephanie Russo, HMCC, global account executive, Marriott International; Eric Kreins, assistant managing director of sales, Hilton Worldwide Sales; and Pharma Forum’s Day-Three Co-Chair Jennifer Capurso, director, marketing events and medical education, Conformis.

Tim Oldfield, vice president, corporate & TMC accounts for Marriott International, Pharma Forum’s Titanium-level sponsor, welcomed attendees to Pharma Forum. “Your role in meetings and events has evolved and has become more critical than ever,” he told the meeting professionals.

A panel of healthcare providers, including one virtual participant, discussed meeting preferences in a session led by Pat Schaumann, CMP, CSEP, DMCP, HMCC (at left), director of life sciences development for McVeigh Global Meetings and Events, and president of Schaumann Consulting Group. (Read the wrap-up here.)

A harpist set a relaxed mood in the Pharma Forum registration area.

IHG Hotels & Resorts hosted a delicious end-of-day reception on the trade-show floor.

Futurist Maria Bothwell, CEO of Toffler Associates, brought her expertise to bear in her Pharma Forum talk, “Taking a Futurist Approach in Navigating Life Sciences Meetings of Tomorrow and Beyond.”

Pharma Forum’s Trailblazer Award is given to an individual who has shown innovation and collaboration within the life-sciences community. The 2022 winner is Linda Hamilton, senior meeting planner, Shionogi Inc.

Pharma Forum’s Sustainability Award recognizes contributions made towards sustainability and good governance in meeting planning. Pharma Forum, in partnership with IHG International, honored Valli Chapjian, global meetings & events director, Americas, global commercial operations, at AstraZeneca with the first annual award.