AAPS San Francisco – Up Close And Personal
By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL
The 2011 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference was held May 16 to 18 at the Hilton San Francisco, Union Square. Unlike other meetings where I try to sit in on sessions to learn what is going on in the industry, for this one, I opted to spend most of my time in the exhibit hall. This turned out to be time very well spent. For example, I met Matt Vankoski with US Pharmacopeia (USP), who was able to get me up to speed on the regulatory challenges presently facing the FDA and how these two organizations proactively work together to provide industry guidance. I also learned that the USP will be putting on a science and standards symposium October 3 to 6 at the Westin in Seattle, WA. Want to learn more, go to www.usp.org/meetings.
Learning About Other Shows At A Show
Speaking of shows, I once read a short article on how to get the most out of attending a show. One of the recommendations —- be sure to eat lunch at the show and sit with someone you don’t know. This is how I met Heather King, a conference producer with the Institute for International Research (IIR). She informed me about the Clinical Business Expo, to be held in Boston in September. This got us talking about how a person decides which shows are the best to attend. Every time I am at a show, I learn about another one. I can’t possibly attend them all. I am sure the same applies to pharmaceutical and biotechnology executives. How do these executives decide which shows to attend? Which ones do they consider crucial? Sounds like a question for our “Ask the Board” feature in Life Science Leader magazine. If you have a question you would like me to pose to a member of our editorial advisory board send it to atb@lifescienceconnect.com.
Shows Within A Show
Often at shows, you find out about invite-only breakfast educational events or after hours networking opportunities. I seem to find out about these via a secretive underground network. Don’t know why this is, but if you get invited to attend one of these, you should. You never know who you might meet. For example, I met James Mullen, the new CEO for Patheon (TSX: PTI) at an after-hours function. He shared with me his opinion on a variety of topics. Similar to a conversation I recently had with Fred Hassan, I was surprised when Jim began sharing his opinion on the importance of recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent at the entry level position. Specifically, Mullen is interested in making sure people are positioned so as to have the best opportunity to succeed.
Reader Feedback
One thing I have learned about attending shows is what a great opportunity it provides for meeting with readers and getting valuable feedback. Beth Gildea, a senior marketing manager from Waters, told me she loved the magazine and reads it routinely. No, they don’t advertise with us —- yet. I think this is an important point. Advertisers will often tell you they love your product. So, when a nonadvertiser says positive things about your product … well, that is just great. Even better is when a nonadvertiser like Craig Draper, global marketing manager with EMD Millipore, gives you candid feedback on how to improve the magazine. Craig thought our first Outsourcing Insights feature missed the mark. Good to know. I shared his comments with the company conducting the research and hope his suggestions produce a product more beneficial to our readers.
Another interesting thing to learn when speaking to readers is how they use the magazine. One executive told me he primarily focuses on the features, because he is at a point in his career where the next step is the c-suite. He believes Life Science Leader provides the best practice editorial with actionable information he can incorporate into his leadership style in order to successfully get to the next level. Good to know. He said “You probably don’t want to hear that.” On the contrary, all of the above reader feedback is exactly what we want to hear. We might not be able to implement everything, but we are always interested in learning about what we are doing well and where we can improve. I will be attending other shows throughout the year and keep this information up to date on my LinkeIn profile, http://www.linkedin.com/in/robertfwright. I am looking forward to meeting even more readers at these upcoming events.