This responsibility goes way beyond just selecting the most appropriate meals. Organizers will need to fully consider exactly who is eligible to receive them and how attendance and meal acceptance will be recorded, along with what documentation needs to be retained and how costs will be reconciled after the program.
BCD M&E’s Speaker Bureau Management team coordinates thousands of pharmaceutical speaker programs and supports clients across areas including vendor sourcing and contracting, attendee management, post-program reconciliation and transfer of value reporting. Here, we look at some of the key considerations for managing catering compliance throughout a Life Sciences speaker program.
Choosing Appropriate Catering for a Compliant Speaker Program
Catering should always be selected with the requirements of the speaker program in mind. Alongside providing the most suitable choices for attendees, meals also need to comply with relevant organizational policies and applicable industry requirements around the provision of food and drink.
Organizers should therefore have fully considered more than just menu choice and price when selecting a catering provider. Dietary requirements should be captured in advance where appropriate, while suppliers should be able to provide the detailed documentation required for subsequent reconciliation and reporting.
This becomes particularly important when working with smaller or independent catering providers. Before placing an order, always confirm that the supplier can provide detailed, itemized receipts and any other documentation that may be required by the organization. Establishing these requirements in advance can prevent missing information becoming a compliance issue after the program has taken place.
Verify Attendance and Meal Acceptance
Accurate attendee records are a very important part of managing catering compliance for in-office speaker programs. Organizers need to have a clear process when it comes to verifying who attended the program and who received a meal along with, where required, the credentials of those participants.
Sign-in documentation should always be fully prepared in advance, with known attendee information pre-populated where appropriate. Participants can then verify their attendance and confirm acceptance of the meal, creating a clear record of who participated in the program and the benefits provided.
Where a pharmaceutical representative is facilitating the meeting virtually, clear communication with the provider’s office becomes particularly important. An office manager may be able to coordinate attendance documentation locally, but responsibilities and deadlines should be agreed in advance to ensure the necessary records are returned promptly.
For virtual speaker programs, meeting and webinar platforms can also support attendee verification through attendance and participation reporting. This information can be used alongside sign-in documentation to help confirm that appropriate recipients attended the educational program and received a meal. Organizers should also make sure that they establish any requirements around meal ordering and distribution in advance, including relevant organizational and healthcare facility policies.
This forms a key part of effectiveevent attendee management, helping organizations maintain accurate attendee records while supporting subsequent reconciliation, reporting and audit requirements.
Maintain Accurate Compliance Documentation
Catering compliance does not end when the speaker program finishes. Organizations also need to have a consistent process for collecting and retaining the documentation that is associated with each meeting.
Depending on the requirements of the program itself, this may include attendee sign-in records, credentials, confirmation of meal acceptance, itemized catering invoices and receipts, and other supporting program documentation.
Where information needs to be returned by a healthcare provider’s office or another third party, always communicate the requirements and submission deadlines before the meeting takes place. This helps to reduce the risk of any missing documentation and will make sure that records are available if they are required for reporting, an audit or a subsequent compliance query.
Reconcile Catering and Attendance After the Program
Post-program reconciliation brings the attendee and catering information together. Attendance records should always be reviewed alongside any catering invoices, receipts and other relevant expenditure in order to confirm that the program records are complete and to identify any discrepancies that need to be resolved.
Building reconciliation into the process from the outset also supports requirements such as transfer of value reporting and reduces any need to reconstruct information after the event. A joined-up process between attendee management, catering and reporting teams can make program close-out much more efficient while maintaining the documentation required for compliance.
Build Compliance Into the Attendee Journey
Effective catering compliance is not an isolated part of a Life Sciences speaker program. Attendee verification, meal provision, documentation, reconciliation and reporting all need to work together as part of a consistent process.
By considering these requirements throughout the attendee journey, whether a speaker program is delivered in person or virtually, organizations can deliver effective programs while maintaining the accurate records and controls required within a highly regulated environment.
