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Top healthcare event planning trends for 2023

From travel to tech considerations, we delve into key healthcare event predictions for the year ahead.

By Annabel Eveson, Project Director, SWM Partners

In-person events made a strong return in 2022. It saw our event management team collaborate with global healthcare organisations based in various parts of the world, to both plan their meetings – many of which were hybrid in nature – and ensure their seamless delivery on the ground.

Based on these experiences, below are some of our key healthcare event trends – and recommendations for embracing them – to keep in mind for the year ahead.

Reconsider delegate travel, and event formats

While attending an event in-person was once a given, many attendees now expect that there is the option to tune in remotely.

This is particularly the case if lengthy commutes or travel times are at play; accessibility is a potential barrier, and importantly, offering a virtual component can help to reduce a meeting’s environmental impact – this year, the latter will be increasingly considered at the pre-planning stage of any and every event.

If you wish to pursue a purely in-person event, one way to overcome some of the matters mentioned above, is to consider hosting it alongside key congresses that you know your audience will be attending.

Furthermore, inflation has seen the cost of travel and accommodation rise, and it is expected that this will continue in 2023. In order to provide a seamless delegate experience while simultaneously adhering to your budget, it’s important to secure bookings as far in advance as possible, and the same goes for locking in venues. Again, opt for partners with strong green credentials wherever possible.

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Champion personalised event experiences

Healthcare meetings are highly specific and therefore targeted in nature. If an event addresses a particular clinical trial or therapy area, its design and content will reflect this.

However, it’s important that we consider the individual preferences of delegates, as well as factors such as their role in a trial, and professional responsibilities. This may mean the programme features a series of breakout sessions and Q&As with relevant experts and leaders, and the chosen format is based on audience feedback.

Embrace the power of technology and data

Event technologies have proliferated in recent years and they add a wealth of value to events, regardless of format. They can add another layer of engagement, and connect physical and virtual attendees if your meeting is hybrid in nature – we’ve found a positive response to polling, Q&A and gamification platforms among all attendees, and predict this will gain further momentum in the future.

It’s important to note that when it comes to hybrid events, true success requires two dedicated teams. We recognise the value of this approach as an agency, which prompted the launch of our digital team in 2022.

Technology tools are also valuable in that they provide us with rich data capture opportunities, which enable access to detailed insights about delegate demographics. This ensures personalisation is achieved, dwell times and overall engagement are maximised, and helps us determine a meeting’s overall value or success.

To get the most out of this data, it’s important to identify your goals at the pre-planning stage, as this will then inform what you choose to measure as the meeting unfolds.

Interested in learning more about the latest healthcare event trends?

Get in touch with our team today via hello@swm-partners.com