Pharmaceutical Client Hosts Virtual Medical Meeting
Challenge/Opportunity
Due to the inability to meet in person, one pharmaceutical client required a virtual medical meeting in 2021. Though the meeting was online, one of the client’s objectives was to bring their staff together, no matter where they would view the event. Though we have worked with this client for more than ten years, this was the first virtual event we had ever produced for them. This specific program was a meeting to discuss their plan of action for 2021 and engage team members, who are both field and home-office based.
The initial challenge our team faced was that this was the client’s first virtual meeting through a platform other than Zoom. While we have preferred platforms, we ensure that our choice of a virtual event platform is customized to fit the needs of each individual client. This meant reviewing the elements the client wanted and making sure we hit the mark with the platform we chose.
Our next obstacle was that the client had just announced they were moving their California office (where half of the potential attendees had been working) to the East Coast. This meant we had to reframe our meeting content and agenda so that it was information that everyone could use (whether they remained with the company or not). In addition, we had to find a way to bring this team together during this organizational change. In short, we needed to find a way to make the content work for everyone viewing the event, regardless of their circumstances.
Our main goal was to provide engagement for the team that would focus on working together. This would be the first meeting for new hires while others had attended the meeting for years, so we wanted to bring the two group with diverse experience together. We also knew that this was the last meeting that the entire group would be attending before the move over the summer.
Because this was the last meeting before the move, we wanted the group to feel valued and to feel that the meeting content would help them with their next steps, wherever they might be. Additionally, we focused on DiSC profiles by discussing communication styles and managing stress.
Response/Solution
For this virtual medical meeting, our team had eight weeks to plan the two-day event. We worked with the meeting stakeholder to discuss the goals for the meeting and to gain an understanding of what they wanted to see as a result of the meeting. After having these initial conversations, we determined that the focus was on engagement for the group.
In order to overcome our first challenge of platform selection, we spent time reviewing various platforms and evaluating their benefits, along with determining how we would integrate those into the meeting. After determining the best fit for the meeting, we then reframed our meeting content and agenda in order to provide information that everyone could use (whether they remained with the company or chose to go elsewhere). Our last focus was on bringing this potential fractured group together.
To kick the meeting off and generate excitement, all attendees were sent welcome boxes from Eventure. With a small group of 75 attendees, we had four breakouts during the two-day event. During those breakouts, we divided the audience into groups of seven to nine people. These small breakout sessions were a great way to increase engagement and interaction between the attendees.
Outcome/Results
Because we knew the client well, understood what the meeting’s goals were, and had the right partners to execute the vision, we were able to successfully design and execute our client’s virtual medical meeting. Our communications plan—which included regular meetings with the client and vendor partners to ensure everyone was on track and aligned with each other—was a huge factor in the event’s success. Though this was our first virtual meeting with the client after ten years of working with them, we were able to elevate the event and transform the meeting into a memorable experience.
Overall, this was a successful event that fulfilled all the client’s goals and satisfied 85% of the attendees according to our surveys. Survey results also showed that breakouts were the most enjoyable aspect of the meeting, followed by teambuilding, awards, and keynotes. We loved creating this virtual meeting for a valued client we have worked with for many years!