When I started with CASSS, it didn’t take long to realize that while CASSS does many things well, perhaps the best thing we do is hold effective, impactful, and well-respected meetings. I learned early in my CASSS tenure that there is no better place for learning, networking, and understanding the future of the pharma business than a CASSS meeting. In 2023 alone, we are planning 15 different events, designed to maintain the high standard associated with CASSS meetings, but also incorporating some new topics as well as new ideas regarding formats and interactivity.
These changes are exciting, but also important. There are a lot of things that have changed about societies and associations over the past few years, but for obvious reasons, conferences and meetings have been the subject of significant changes. While much of this change was forced upon us by COVID, ultimately this change is leading to meetings and conferences that are better positioned for current and future attendees and exhibitors.
What are the latest trends conferences and exhibits?
One of the most influential sources of data on this topic is the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). CEIR does a detailed analysis of conference performance, and recently released an analysis of Q4 conference performance and predictions for the year ahead. The data show that people are slowly but consistently returning to conferences. The cancellation rate for in-person events dropped to 1.3%, which is a substantial improvement from the Q4 numbers in 2020 (97.9%) and 2021 (14.8%). In their latest report, CEIR projects continued improvement in all aspects of conference measures, with a full recover expected in 2024.
What better person to interpret this data than CASSS’ Director of Meetings Operations, Necoya Tyson, CCEP, CEM-AP, CGMP?
In our discussion of this data, Necoya agrees with the optimism implied by the CEIR data but pairs it with sage advice: “We really have to be careful in comparing things to 2019 as the way we plan events is so different. While our numbers may increase or get back to pre-COVID numbers, our events LOOK different and have different expectations from a different audience.”
Probing further, I asked Necoya for examples of expectations that have shifted in the past three years: “Attendees have mixed reactions to hybrid meetings, which provide for additional access but don’t always provide for the best experience. Consequently, conference organizers are either moving away from hybrid meetings, or examining better ways to engage both virtual and in-person attendees and exhibitors. In addition, attendees now expect engagement beyond the event itself, perhaps in the format of premeeting dialog to help craft the content of presentations, or, post event recordings, blogs or other forms of post event content distribution and engagement.”
So, what does that mean for CASSS?
It means you can expect that we will continue to examine our portfolio of meetings and events, to make sure that it continues to serve the needs of our members and our community. It also means that our volunteers and staff will be experimenting with some exciting new ways to learn, engage, and network before, during, and after our CASSS events. Watch for updates, get excited, and join us at to learn, network, and engage!