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13, September 2021

Post-COVID Pharma Events: Hybrid, Face-to-Face, or Online?

Written by Peak Pharma

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly flipped the script on many aspects of the pharmaceutical industry, especially where pharma events are concerned. With quarantines implemented and many practicing social distancing, face-to-face events drew to a screeching halt. But with the environment normalizing to some degree, many are wondering what the ‘new normal’ holds for specific pharma solutions towards event planning.  

At Peak Pharma Solutions Inc., we’ve helped many clients determine the best way to connect with their customers by offering customized pharmaceutical solutions, alongside marketing, and medical solutions. Below we’ve collected some valuable insights regarding hosting pharma events post-COVID.

Hybrid Events – Defined

First, you might be wondering what hybrid events entail. Simply put, they’re a mix of content and event formats designed to provide your audience the information they need in the best way for them. This could mean hosting face-to-face events with a digital element, or digital forums online.

Adapt Event Timing

If you’re hosting a hybrid event with different components, such as one with both a digital and face-to-face element, staggering your events or doing one after the other may be a good idea. Doing so can help ensure the preferences of your audiences are met.

Expand Your Reach

Another great alternative to face-to-face events is offering events that are on-demand. This doesn’t mean you still can’t have a live event, but simply that afterward, those who missed it for one reason or another will still have access to it. This can help spread your reach and attract customers you may have missed.

Add Value

For those running priced events, it’s very important that you price them accordingly and think critically about the benefits you’re providing clients. For example, do virtual events call for a lower price point than face-to-face pharma events? Will live attendees have access to bonafide experts? Will there be a Q&A or networking session afterward? These considerations should affect the pricing of your event. Always consider the value being received by your attendees.

Attract Ideal Speakers

One of the foremost benefits of hybrid or virtual events is that they can be much more flexible for the speaker(s). These days, a reliable audio-visual team can connect you with people from anywhere in the world and create a seamless live experience, meaning you may be able to host events with speakers you never considered featuring otherwise.

COMMENTARY

Pharmaceutical events have been forever changed due to the pandemic. We have been forced to consider what we have lost from in-person events, versus what we have gained with the new digital event platforms. I have been fortunate enough to experiment with and experience many different virtual event platforms over the last year as a result of my leadership roles in the Ontario Pharmaceutical Marketing Association and the Women Leaders in Pharma. As we consider the future of live events, we have landed on a hybrid strategy, whereby many events will remain virtual due to the high-quality solutions available to deliver these events, but more importantly, the ability to have more people attend from all over Canada. Whether it be attendees or speakers, the virtual platform provides a greater opportunity to engage more individuals no matter where they are based. Having said that, there is an acknowledgment that the in-person event offers something beyond the virtual. The networking opportunities, and the chance to engage more deeply (versus via a screen), reinforce the need and desire to maintain in-person events in some way. Our prediction is that there will be fewer in-person events, but when they do occur, they will be very special and comprehensive. Alongside and interspersed, will be continued virtual events, allowing for disbursement of information in an effective manner for many individuals. PEAK Pharma Solutions Inc. looks forward to planning and engaging in these events for our associations and clients for years to come!

– Jennifer Meldrum, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, PEAK Pharma Solutions Inc.

Contact us for more pharmaceutical solutions today!

For those in need of physician or pharmacy detailing, vacancy management, project management and training, and other pharma solutions, contact Peak Pharma Solutions Inc. online today or call us at 1 (888) 226-0052.