Melanie Walton awarded Meeting Professional of the Year

Meeting planning and production companies are sometimes thought of as a commodity service provider—they are all the same, right? WRONG!

Most can locate the right size venue and create the menu, but there is so much more that you should expect and require based on the type of meeting you seek.

Are you planning an internal meeting for R&D, IT or manufacturing? Or do you seek support for a town hall or sales meeting? In this short communication, let’s assume that your scientists and engineers and yes—even your internal business partners—need to meet.

Example Case Study:

You have about 500-3,000 global employees that need to enhance their communication and collaboration. The primary objectives of your meeting:

• To share high-level business unit or corporate strategic plans with your scientists, engineers and business colleagues;
• To share the “science” at in-depth and high-levels to bring the teams closer together;
• To create collaborations that advance projects and the ability to make better decisions and recommendations.

Here are just some of the questions you should ask when seeking to bring in a meeting planning and production company:

• Have you worked with Pharma (or in our industry)?
• What size events have you produced?
• Which event technologies can you bring to enhance the event?
• How can you help us enhance our content?
• How will you work with our committee to produce the event?
• How will you protect our IP?
• How will you manage our strategic suppliers and partners?
• What tools have you created that will ease the planning process?
• How do you create opportunities to catalyze collaborations?
• What metrics do you track to measure success?
• What certifications and degrees does your team have that will enable this meeting?

This is just the beginning. Hiring the right meeting group (not just your colleague’s friend that does parties) will help make you a star in your organization.  In our next message, we will highlight further areas you should question that may be critical to the success of your meeting.

So many areas that were once considered critical for safeguarding the Pharma IP—such as research, development, manufacturing, clinical trials and the like—are now being outsourced. Outsourcing has enabled speed to market by partnering with trusted CROs that have similar cultures, creative solutions and employees that communicate with the Pharma as “one” organization.

Similarly, many bioPharma look to experts in meeting planning and production to take the load off their teams to help create an event within or outside the company’s four walls. But not all meeting companies are the same! Your job is to find those with real expertise (experience in your field), an authentic sales specialty (how many companies have a resource of over 1500 suppliers to support your event?), and experts on their team that can enhance your content with their Pharma backgrounds.

Just like the CROs you choose for R&D, PlanetConnect knows the culture of BioPharma (it’s in our DNA!) and we have built relationships with CIOs, CSOs and all levels of executives and bench employees. Ask us about our flexible business models, our unique methods for enhancing collaboration and innovation, and why it’s time for you to “think out of the CRO box” and come over to PlanetConnect—your Meeting and Trade Show CRO.

For more information, contact:
Ronnye Schreiber, CEO
PlanetConnect
Direct: 732-403-3116
Cell: 862-485-3651
ronnye@planetconnect.com
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