Little fish, big pond: Making a splash at oncology congress on a budget

Congresses are an excellent way to engage with oncologists, HCPs, and other key stakeholders. But if you’re a small biotech in a huge space with hundreds of others, how do you stand out and make the most of your appearance? Leonie Pinkham, US Biotech Business Lead for Inizio Medical company ApotheCom, offers her tips.   

Large oncology conferences – such as ASCO which this year had over 37,000 delegates – present an exciting opportunity for small biotech companies to engage with a broad audience.  

According to ASCO, 80% of oncologists consider information coming from conferences as the most influential in the clinical decision-making process, while 72% say they visit the exhibit hall to learn about new products and procedures. But with almost 600 exhibitors vying for their attention, how can you stand out from the crowd?  

The most obvious way to engage with your audience at congress is with a booth. But at major conferences such as ASCO, doing so isn’t cheap. A 10ft x 20ft island booth space will set you back over $17,000, plus another $10,000-$20,000 to build it – and that’s before you get into creating concepts for it.  

So, is it really worth it?  

We surveyed some of the smaller biotech firms at ASCO this year who were generally positioned on the perimeter of the hall. By and large, they were fairly happy with the level of traffic they were getting: 86% said levels were ‘as expected’ or ‘greater than expected’.   

However, others questioned whether they would come back to ASCO again, given that they felt footfall hadn’t met their expectations and they hadn’t been able to engage with their customers as they would have liked. 

So if you are going to invest in a congress both, how can you maximize your chances of success? As with any event engagement plan, it’s just as important to consider what happens before and after the event, as it is the congress day itself. 

Plan ahead

• What are your goals? What do you want to achieve from the conference experience?
• Also, think about your long-term objectives. Where do you want to be exhibiting in five years time
  and how do you build toward that goal?
• Consider all the congresses available. Do your research early and choose as soon as possible to
  give yourself plenty of time to prepare.
• Think about your carbon footprint. Does travelling across country to a conference align with your
  corporate and sustainability goals?
• Consider how you might use your booth in the future to make the most of your budget.
• Once you’ve got your booth activities planned, let your customers know and book meetings early.

Make the most of your day

• Even if it’s small, your booth is your focal point. What else is nearby? Is there a coffee shop,
  eatery, or other seating area you can use if you need space? You don’t have to have a big, lavish
  lounge to draw people in, just somewhere you can sit and have a conversation.
• Think about eye-catching, interactive activities that can draw a crowd. At ASCO we saw
  everything from caricature artists to hot-dog sellers.
• Consider giveaways that are both memorable and useful – those mousepads aren’t going to cut
  it anymore.

Follow up

• Capture conversations and follow-up actions (and make sure you do follow up!).
• Ask for feedback from your teams and customers so you can improve for next time.
• Post video footage and other content on social media to promote your messages to a broader
  audience.

Make an impact – even if you don’t have a booth 

If you don’t have the time or resources for a booth, it’s worth exploring what else the conference is offering in terms of ancillary events. At ASCO they have an ‘Innovation Hub’, which gives you a table and screen in a prominent central location. It’s worth considering if you’re on a tight budget or you’re a first-time exhibitor looking to dip your toe into the congress water. 

Although ASCO is the biggest oncology conference in the US, consider others too – you may find something smaller and more targeted that offers a better return on your investment. Whatever you choose, make sure you apply early so you’ve got more time to plan your engagement strategy and give your customers plenty of notice.  

Let an experienced partner do the hard work 

One option is to let an experienced congress partner, such as Inizio Medical, do a lot of the hard work for you. Based on your budget and strategic objectives, we can help you research, plan, and execute your congress appearance, ensuring you make a big impact – whatever your size.