Creating communications excellence

It’s a tough one… the rise of virtual meetings during the COVID-19 years offered unsurpassed accessibility, boosting delegate numbers as many joined and accessed medical and scientific content from (virtually) anywhere in the world.

Online congresses saw 3D and immersive experiences enable a virtual journey through content, speakers and booths, complete with ‘online networking’. Travel costs and carbon footprints reduced as we navigated the world of pharma conferences from behind a screen.

Despite the initial uptake of virtual conferences, they have not retained the traction first expected. Our clients are requesting face-to-face (F2F) events again and the demand for our teams to produce solely virtual conferences is in decline. There is nothing that can truly replace F2F networking: that chance meeting, the spontaneity of bumping into someone with whom you have similar interests and can strike up a conversation. Interestingly, most of the solutions for virtual/online networking haven’t taken off – is there something over-orchestrated about actively seeking someone out online and arranging a time to speak to them? It feels devoid of spontaneity and smacks of premeditation.

Human… that’s the word that holds the key. We all thrive on human interaction – F2F, in each other’s presence, where awareness of body language and subtle (or not so subtle) energy changes around us bring the experience to life in ways that cannot be replicated online (yet). In F2F environments, we ‘read’ people on physical, emotional and sensory levels that are far more difficult to achieve with a virtual interaction.

Participation in live conferences means we get to experience the buzz, hear about hot topics and engage in chance meetings and spontaneous discussions. Because we are there in the moment; we are living it.

Both live and virtual events hold a valuable place in medical communications for different reasons. ‘Virtual first’ has become a common catchphrase in pharma for many engagement channels, but it’s not necessarily the best approach for conferences and congresses. However, complementing F2F interactions with digital engagement (both during and after an event) can be extremely useful, extending our reach wider than the room.

There are many rational reasons for and against both live and virtual conferences but, ultimately, the one element that virtual has not managed to replicate is the human factor.

Gabi Cutayar is Managing Director at Sciterion