Presentation given during the #MedComms Webinar, 15th July 2020: Disrupted events: what's happening in #MedComms practice?

1. Len Starnes
Digital healthcare consultant
#MedComms Webinar
15 July 2020
The medical conference is dead,
long live the medical conference
REDUXREDUX

2. Which medical conferences?
Medical societies
Patient organizations
Pharmas
Medical marketing orgs

3. Digital evolution of medical society
conferences is hardly new
From 2012 – 2020
change was slow
yet continuous

4. Who was driving change?
MILLENNIAL DOCTORS

5. DOCTORS
MEDICAL
SOCIETIES
Conservative
Reactive
Slow

6. VIRTUAL REALITY 2020

7. What’s
the verdict?

8. What doctors say about virtual events
PROS CONS
Not being away from home
Eliminates travel
Significantly reduced costs
Attend in pyjamas
Global access
Educational experience as good
as or better than physical
Unable to physically network
No serendipitous collaboration
opportunities
Time-zone differences
Occasional technical glitches

10. Almost 70% will not attend
ASCO21 if no vaccine is available

11. June 18 poll:
Should the current restrictions on
public events be lifted, how likely
would you be to attend a medical
conference in the next 12 months?
261 respondents
All specialities
Almost 50% of UK doctors prefer to attend
virtual conferences next 12 months
Private correspondence: doctors.net.uk
35%
Feel comfortable
49%
Prefer virtual
16%
Do not attend confs

12. Virtual impacts on medical societies
PROS CONS
Global access
Increased attendance
Educational experience as good
as or better than physical
Identical scientific programmes
Lower costs (in future)
Negative financial (2020 only)
Imperative to think, work and
operate differently
Essential to closely monitor
members’ preferences
Develop new business models

13. PROS ‘Going virtual,
compared to in-person,
represented a huge
financial hit’
Clifford Hudis
Chief executive officer
ASCO
https://cancerletter.com/articles/20200605_6/

14. PROS
https://events.jspargo.com/ASCO20/CUSTOM/asco20virtualpackages.pdf
Hybrid business models must focus on new
revenue streams from virtual attendees,
sponsors and exhibitors
Platinum $ 75,000
Premium $ 45,000
Enhanced $ 5,000
Exhibitor $ 3,000

15. Leading EU medical society:
majority of members prefer
hybrid events in future
Survey of members’ future
conference preferences:
2,700 responses*
83%
prefer hybrid formats
*Private correspondence

16. Hybrid increases complexity
Virtual infrastructures present significant new challenges
Vendor & technology?
Bandwidth?
Optimal engagement experiences?
Social interaction models/metrics?
Sponsor & exhibitor options?
Internal resources?

17. Marketing disruption
Opportunity to cut
conference costs
PHARMAS
Confront a
virtual dilemma

18. Outrageous conference costs

19. More opportunity to attend
Medical societies increasingly
recognize their importance
PATIENTS
embrace virtual

20. EULAR 2 - 5 June
ESMO 17 - 21 Sept
Paris
ASCO 4 - 8 June
Chicago ESC 28 Aug - 1 Sept
London
ERS 4 - 8 Sept
Barcelona
2021?
ECTRIMS 13 - 15 Oct
Vienna
ACR 5 - 9 Nov
San Francisco

21. www.bcg.com/publications/2020/covid-vaccines-timelines-implications.aspx
Scenarios depend on vaccine timelines
www.statnews.com/2020/05/01/three-potential-futures-for-covid-19/

22. 2021
Vaccine(s) possible, herd immunity impossible
Virtual conferences rule

23. 2022
Vaccine(s) possible, herd immunity unlikely
Virtual conferences dominate, remainder hybrid

24. 2023 and beyond
Vaccine(s) possible, herd immunity?
Hybrid conferences dominate?

25. Related resources
The medical conference is dead, long live the medical conference
www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/future-of-med-confs-final-11-dec-2013
The future of healthcare events
www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/keynote-the-future-of-healthcare-events
Virtual conferencing: A roadmap for pharma
www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/virtual-conferencing-a-roadmap-for-pharma
The emergent medical society conference: What will it mean for pharma?
www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/future-of-med-confs-e4-p-barcelona-2015final18-
march

26. • Ronny Allan, neuroendocrine cancer patient opinion leader, UK
• Ria Carruthers, Head of Community, M3 (EU), UK
• Ilan Ben Ezri, CEO, G-MED, Israel
• Kreetika Dhingra, Clinical Engagement Manager, Docplexus, India
• Mark Garlinghouse, Strategy Consultant to DXY (China), Singapore
• Negina Gencheva, Marketing Communications Manager, European
Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), Switzerland
• Pia Kuss, Senior Marketing Manager, Coliquio, Germany
• Ina Meyer, Global Group Patient Partnership Director, Roche, Switzerland
• Mukesh Parmar, CEO, Docplexus, India
• Jacqueline Partarrieu, Media Team Manager, Communication and
Marketing Division, European Society of Cardiology (ESC), France
• Tim Rice, CEO, Boondoc Technologies Inc, Canada
• Sarah Zeder, Association Services Consultant, European Committee for
Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Switzerland
A sincere thanks to
the following for their
support in developing
this presentation

27. This presentation was given during the
MedComms Forum Webinar, 15th July 2020:
Disrupted events: what’s happening in
#MedComms practice?
Access the complete webinar:
YouTube
https://youtu.be/35znlRydO78
#MedComms
NetworkPharma.tv

28. lenstarnes@gmail.com
T: + 49 30 781 5513
M: + 49 172 1788253
Skype: lenstarnes
www.linkedin.com/in/lenstarnes
www.twitter.com/lenstarnes
www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes
Len Starnes
Len Starnes Digital Healthcare
Research and Consulting