Congress Program Management

When BCD M&E began working with this international pharmaceutical client they had 20 affiliates working in isolation from each other, on five congresses with an annual spend of £1.8M. We gained an overview of their global congress activity by collaborating with their meetings leadership team, product teams and affiliates, and started to pave a future path.

Firstly, we assembled a dedicated on-site team. Then we encouraged affiliates to pre-register their congress registrations and housing to gain visibility into all activity and secure Early Bird rates. A transparent cost model was introduced, and we implemented robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs) including preferred hotel usage and negotiations, budget management and timely HCP reporting.

We delivered a cost neutral offering against management fees, and increased management from 5 to 20 global congresses. We provided a consistent global experience, with on-site local language speakers, while complying with individual affiliates and local requirements. YOY savings increased by 40%.