It’s that time of year again, what we jokingly refer to as “conference season.” As everyone heads into several months of exhibitions, informative sessions, and symposia with lanyards in tow, we thought it would be a good idea to provide some best practices for getting the most out of your conference miles. Valoria Maltoni, cited as “conversation agent” on her blog conversationagent.type pad.com, offers five action points that can help all of us make the most out of the money, time, and effort we spend attending industry events. Here are her five tips to consider when attending events: Tip No. 1: Ask why. It is a good idea to vet the program against one’s concentration of interests, professional focus, and group affinity. Determine what you want to get out of the event and if it’s likely to deliver onyour desires. Tip No. 2: Do your homework. Choose the sessions you want to attend ahead of time, and obtain a list of attendees if possible. It will be easier to find contacts at the event if you know who you are looking for. Even bet ter, reach out to them before the conference with an invitation to connect there. Tip No. 3: Be specific. You’re more likely to realize your goals if you communicate to oth ers why you’re there and what you want to achieve. Tip No. 4: Follow through. The point is to launch permissionbased activities that will allow you to stay in touch with the people you meet in the following weeks and over time. Your network can be your currency — who you know and knows you matters. Tip No. 5: The point. You’ll get the most out of a conference if you approach the expe rience with a clear game plan. To help those of you attending this year’s DIA annual meeting in Boston, Pharma VOICE has once again provided you with a brief preview of the conference, including commentary from Jeffrey W. Sherman, M.D., FACP, chief medical officer and senior VP, research and development, IDM Pharma Inc., and program chairman for the DIA’s 44th annual meeting. Dr. Sherman says one of the main areas of concentration for this year’s conference centers on safety issues. And conference organizers have put together an impressive array of speakers from the various worldwide regulatory agencies to address the guidelines in the different regions. Please stop by Booth No.1200 at the DIA Annual Meeting in Boston to find out what’s happening in the clinical arena. Taren Grom PUBLISHER Lisa Banket EDITOR Taren Grom CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marah Walsh MANAGING EDITOR Denise Myshko SENIOR EDITOR Robin Robinson FEATURES EDITOR Kim Ribbink CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Cynthia Borda Carolyn Gretton DESIGN ASSOCIATE Cathy Liszewski NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Cathy Tracy CIRCULATION ASSISTANT Robert Harrison Copyright 2008 by PharmaLinx LLC, Titusville, NJ Printed in the U.S.A. Volume Eight, Number Six PharmaVOICE (ISSN: 1932961X) is published monthly except August and December, by PharmaLinx LLC, P.O. Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. Periodicals postage paid at Titusville, NJ 08560 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to PharmaVOICE, P.O. Box 292345, Kettering, OH 454290345. PharmaVOICE Coverage and Distribution: Domestic subscriptions are available at $190 for one year (10 issues). Foreign subscriptions: 10 issues US$360. Contact PharmaVOICE at P.O. Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. Call us at 609.730.0196 or FAX your order to 609.730.0197. Contributions: PharmaVOICE is not responsible for unsolicited contributions of any type. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, PharmaVOICE retains all rights on material published in PharmaVOICE for a period of six months after publication and reprint rights after that period expires. Email: [email protected]. Change of address: Please allow six weeks for a change of address. Send your new address along with your sub scription label to PharmaVOICE, P.O. Box 292345, Kettering, OH 454290345. Call us at 800.607.4410 or FAX your change to 937.890.0221. Email: [email protected]. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The post office will not forward copies of this magazine. PharmaVOICE is not respon sible for replacing undelivered copies due to lack of or late notification of address change. Advertising in PharmaVOICE: To advertise in Pharma VOICE please contact our Advertising Department at P.O. Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560, or telephone us at 609.730.0196. Email: [email protected]. THE FORUM FOR THE INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE Volume 8 . Number 6 Send your letters to feedback@pharma voice.com. Please include your name, title, company, and business phone number. Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. All submissions become the property of PharmaLinx LLC. Letters LETTER from the editor I 3 PharmaVOICE J un e 200 8 We’ve also taken the opportunity to showcase news and events from some of the 500 plus exhibiting companies at this year’s conference in Boston. (Please turn to page 60 for more information.) It’s not surpris ing that many of the new products and services being launched by these compa nies are designed to improve the different areas of clinical development. As companies and their partner organiza tions continually strive to do more with less, in less time and with improved outcomes, we thought we should check in to see how various factors, such as accurately measur ing site performance, managing partner relationships, and overcoming the commu nications barriers between clinical and data operations, are impacting clinical functions. According to Karen GottingSmith, Ph.D., VP, business performance and con tinuous improvement, at AstraZeneca, the industry has entered an era of radical change for clinical program delivery. To address the myriad pressures facing the industry, she suggests that the main requirements for new operational models should center on consolidation, driving adherence to simple standards, accessing the best and most experienced talent, and finding costeffec tive options while maintaining quality. (To read more of Dr. GottingSmith’s insights as well as those from our other Forum experts, please turn to page 10.) During the next several months, it will be interesting to learn about these and many other industry trends to be explored at various industry events. Oh, I have another tip to add to Ms. Maltoni’s list: don’t forget your comfortable shoes. Taren Grom Editor Conference season PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:44 AM Page 3
