 I especially loved the way every story had a moral at the end to tie everything together: Try before you trust; the hero is brave in deeds as well as words; birds of a feather flock together; might makes right; don't be the boy who cried wolf. Those one-line messages packed a punch then, and still stick with me. 

The stories in this month's supplement look at a wide range of topics pertaining to pharmaceutical meetings. Like Aesop, our authors have focused on some important morals. I hope they stick with you as well. Here's a sample: 

Get your point across In "Launch to Success", Mike McGraw, founder and president of event company Tneve, explains how all activities at a product-launch event should incorporate the same message—the one the host company wants its reps to go forth and deliver. By the end of the event, if a rep can't relate the product's message in 30 seconds or less, the company has failed its mission. 

Be memorable The clearest message on earth is useless if your attendees promptly forget it. In "Surround Sound Meetings" , Dan Lockwood of J&S Audiovisual provides advice on catching the attention even of the jaded pharmaceutical sales rep. One useful tip: Reps want to be part of something that's gaining popularity, not on its way to becoming overexposed, so hook your content to current trends. 

Keep it compliant One common way to avoid compliance problems in physician meetings is to partner with an outside vendor. But you have to manage the process correctly. In "Principles of Partnership" , Cindy D'Aoust of Maritz Travel says that creating a paper trail of receipts, implementing training programs, and establishing uniform policies can help the two parties comply. 

Watch your costs Ron Naples, hospitality consultant and adjunct professor at NYU's Tisch Center, in "Best Bang for the Buck" , discusses the sometimes unpleasant topic of budgeting. Planners are expected to create remarkable meetings while staying within less remarkable budgets. Naples offers seven tips for keeping meetings on the right financial track. Some ideas include knowing the objectives, identifying high priority goals, and establishing clear responsibility.   

Or just remember the fable of the two frogs. Here's how it goes: In a country afflicted with drought, two frogs were looking for water to live in. Finally they spotted some—at the bottom of a well. "Let's hop in," said one. The other disagreed. "If the well dries up, we'll never get out," he said. Aesop's moral: "Do nothing without a regard to the consequences." 

You don't have to be a frog to live by that one. 

Articles

Introduction

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, my favorite book was Aesop's Fables. I especially loved the way every story had a moral at the end to tie everything together: Try before you trust; the hero is brave in deeds as well as words; birds of a feather flock together; might makes right; don't be the boy who cried wolf. Those one-line messages packed a punch then, and still stick with me.

Introduction: Minding Morals

THE OLD FORMULA IS TRIED AND TRUE: GET YOUR

  reps informed and excited at a launch meeting, and you'll have a positive impact on the success of the drug. But too many pharma meeting planners forget that sharp PowerPoint slides and fancy dinners no longer impress sophisticated sales reps. Reps want more than a fresh presentation. They seek a new experience. They want to be wowed. 

wow them. It's a great way to ensure that your audience really hears what you are saying—and remembers key informaton you want them to retain. How do you do it? With memorable presentations that employ surprise, drama, intriguing themes, a focused use of entertainment to create an experience that will carry through the entire week. Your  only limits are budget, time constraints, and imagination.   

But let's be realistic: It's tough to capture people's attention in these media-crazy days. And it's especially hard to impress pharmaceutical sales reps. They're well-traveled, and they've been to a lot of meetings. They expect a high-quality, innovative presentation. And pharma launch meetings present a double challenge: winning over an audience that sometimes reaches thousands of people while getting across material of great complexity. Meeting planners constantly want event producers to think outside the box—if this is what has been done in the past, what can we do different? This is an occasion when pushing the envelope is actually encouraged. 

 Flexible presentations Create an element of drama right up front. The energy you present at the start will pay dividends all week long.			

Remember: If you want to get people excited about your new product, you have to do more than talk about how excited you are. Your reps already know this: The bland, low-energy salesperson is quickly forgotten. A high-energy presentation at the launch meeting sends an unambiguous message to your reps: Get out there and generate that same energy on sales calls. 

You need some drama, something that will keep your audience wondering what surprises are in store. You want to convey the sense that your launch is a special event, and not just another business meeting. 

Frodo's Fantasy Incorporating some pop culture and themes into events helps sales reps keep the message in mind. Here, a replica of Fangorn Forest from "Lord of the Rings."			

In the event industry, we use the term "edutainment" to express the union between education and entertainment—the two crucial elements of a great meeting. It's important to use both of those elements. Take the message that you want to impart to your team and turn it into a theatrical presentation, for example. This can include a storyline that carries a theme throughout the course of the week. It is much easier to tie together a message presented in an engaging way as opposed to presenting information in a traditional classroom setting. 

One good way to create a sense of drama is to use a theme that runs the whole length of the event. A theme lets you get away from the conventional speaker-only type of event. It helps you build an entire unified experience that ties in the evening social events. Try and incorporate as many engaging elements as you can, keeping in mind the content of the information that needs to be presented. Ask yourself questions like, "What kind of stage do I put them on?" "What medium do I use to present the information?" "How do you maintain the attention and focus of these people?" Asking and answering these questions will help you form a solid presentation and keep people entertained and excited, anticipating what comes next. With that anticipation you will have their undivided attention and your event will become memorable for them. 

Pyramid Scheme Background changes are a good way to re-awaken your audience and help them focus on the most important part of the product-launch message.			

Here's a tip: Sales reps are young these days, some as young as 22 years old. If  you want them to respond, try making use of pop culture. And try to be  ahead of the curve, not behind it. If you know in advance that the new and final installment of the Indiana Jones movies will be released in the coming year, you can piggyback on all the advertising that or will be going on out there. If you can tie in a launch to the talk and hype of a growing trend, sales reps will want to be part of something that is gaining popularity instead of following along with an overexposed product. Maximize the elements of pop culture to keep reinforcing your message throughout the course of the year.  

Themes are especially effective when they provide opportunities for teambuilding and motivation. Some currently popular choices include: 

Castaway To build on the popularity of television shows like 

planners can create a memorable environment that is fun and adventurous. For the welcome reception, take guests out to the beach for a dinner under the stars and then turn them loose to use their own survival instincts. Planners can set up search-party or scavenger-hunt events to encourage team building and unity, and to get the group moving toward a common goal. A theme of this sort plays into the reps' competitive instincts. The goal is to get them energized about winning the prize—and then translate that feeling into more aggressive selling . 

Lord of the Rings J&S recently produced an event that had the popular book and movie franchise as its theme. The entire week's product launch was set up around "Fangorn Forest," which was created with a backdrop and several three-dimensional trees. Each day, the backdrop scene would change, and  the reps would be presented with a different  challenge. It was fun and engaging, but it also  had  a serious subtext: Just like the characters in the books, the sales reps had to learn that no matter what the circumstances, and no matter what the odds, they had to push forward as a team.  

If it's necessary to keep sales reps in a room for two to three hours at a time, how do you make sure that there is some different level, a charge of energy that moves them from one topic to the next? Meeting planners need some transitional elements to encourage sales reps to switch gears when the presenters do. Set changes are a good way to recapture attention and re-engage the participants. It's a chance to re-awaken your audience and help them focus on the most important message you're trying to deliver. But if you really want to have an impact, consider incorporating live entertainment. 

With tighter budgets and a tougher regulatory environment, many companies have grown leery of using entertainment at meetings, but it can be an important tool to get attendees comfortable and relaxed. That's important, because someone who is  at ease is likely to be more receptive to a new message or a new idea. Entertainment can also help re-energize people as they come back from their breaks. Be sure to think about ways to target the message specifically for the group. Bands and music are fun, but especially valuable is a performer who can do an entertaining skit or act directly related to the message being imparted.  

Another hint: Structure break times around game shows like 

This is a wonderful way to get people involved—and discover what they know and what they think about certain subjects. The resulting answers can later be used to create personalized programs for the participants.  

Meeting planners today tend to shy away from properties with "resort" or "spa" in their names, but location is still crucial for a successful product launch. A hot destination is a strong incentive to attend a meeting, and it also helps create opportunities to deliver a message. Pharma companies need to stop looking at the name, and concentrate instead on what's in the hotel amenities: How can the venue keep sales reps entertained? Does it provide a activities that help make the event memorable and enjoyable?  

The key consideration, though, is the presentation itself. The audience needs to be comfortable, and the presentation needs to go off without a technical hitch. So do some research. Make sure all your partners and suppliers can deliver. You have just a few hours or days to present your product. Make sure they are worth the time and money you spend. 

Columns

THE OLD FORMULA IS TRIED AND TRUE: GET YOUR reps informed and excited at a launch meeting, and you'll have a positive impact on the success of the drug. But too many pharma meeting planners forget that sharp PowerPoint slides and fancy dinners no longer impress sophisticated sales reps. Reps want more than a fresh presentation. They seek a new experience. They want to be wowed.

Surround Sound Meetings

 thinking most of the time, and those of us who are patients can be happy about that. We are comforted when physicians keep their counsel until they complete an examination. 

But that physician's poker face is no help to exhibitors who meet doctors at medical conferences. On the outside, they smile and shake hands, but the thoughts and feelings they withhold can tell a very different story. 

A focus group convened by Impact Unlimited, an events, exhibits, and meetings company in Dayton, NJ, sought to understand doctors' attitudes toward conferences, exhibit halls, and pharma companies. Thirty high-prescribing doctors participated in the study, including radiologists, oncologists, neurologists, cardiologists, and primary care physicians, all of whom attended at least one national convention in their medical specialty in the last two years. 

Focus group facilitators showed these doctors arrays of photographs and asked to pick the image that best portrays their attitude, and then to explain why that picture of a car or building expresses their feeling better than others. The result? A rare glimpse into why physicians attend medical conferences and what they like— and don't like—about them. The results also provide an opportunity to understand the emotional and psychological motives behind trade show participation, and offer lessons for pharma companies in how to connect more effectively with doctors during face-to-face interactions on the exhibit hall floor. 

So what do physicians really think as they walk the show floor aisles? The focus group showed doctors nine photographs of facial expressions and asked them to point to the image that best describes how they feel as they enter the exhibit floor at a conference.  

If you imagined it was the ecstatic bliss of number A5 or the happiness, even delight, of A4 or A8, well, think again. Among the respondents, 10 doctors chose photo A3, the man holding his ears and clenching his teeth in agony of the apparent sensory overload. And another seven physicians chose number A2, the one they thought of as the "poker face." 

"I am always overwhelmed by the exhibit hall," one radiologist said. "It is so confusing [to know] where to start, how to figure out if I've missed anything, and where to go next with your limited time ... it's a feeling of, 'Oh my God, how am I going to figure out what's happening here? What have I gotten myself into?'" 

During the physician focus group,  one word popped up again and again: "overwhelmed." Most healthcare professionals described the exhibit floor as an exaggeration of the marketing onslaught they experience in their daily lives—sales visits, DTC advertising, targeted print and Internet marketing—only taken to the max. 

When exposed to that volume of information, doctors seem to respond  much they way they do in their offices—by shortening face-time with reps. Most conference attendees spend only about four minutes per booth.  

To make that time more valuable for doctors and sponsors, exhibitors should strive to present one consistent, memorable, integrated message. All components—including booth design, presentations, promotional materials, and reps' discussions with physicians—need to work together to deliver a uniform, simple message. Companies should ensure sales reps' training allows them to deliver that message, and that the take-aways are ready to go.  

"Ready to go," does not mean chomping at the bit. Pharma reps must learn not to control those four minutes. Instead, most physicians want to engage  with reps on their own terms, and control their own pace. 

Some doctors have made an artform out of avoiding sales representatives. In the focus group discussion, physician respondents even admitted that they consciously walk down the middle of the aisle between booths to avoid being drawn into unwelcome or long-winded conversations with overeager pharma reps. 

"Show that you can solve my problems or my patients' problems with your product, or that you can make my job easier," a primary care physician said in the focus group. "No hard sell. Just say what your product can do, and then offer just bullets of evidence, unless I request more. My brain is almost full, and I don't want anything more than what I absolutely must know." 

On the crowded exhibit hall floor, less is more. In fact, one way companies can attract more physicians and hold their attention longer is to create a "no detail zone" at the booth, an area where doctors can meander, greet colleagues, and review information—without being approached by a  rep. 

This gives physicians time to take things in and decide, on their own, if they want more information. Without the pressure of a rep—or reps—following the doctor's every step, physicians might spend even more time at the booth investigating its resources than they otherwise would. 

But it's not only the design of the booth that counts, said focus group participants. Companies can create more effective exhibits if they think carefully about the environment their booth represents, and how it fits into the convention floor as a whole. Healthcare professionals were shown photos of six different environments, and asked to identify which most reminds them of the convention show floor. Just three were reminded of a placid college campus. Four thought of a carnival midway, and eight felt it resembled a big-city traffic jam. Maybe the pace is a little frantic for some physicians! 

But 10 doctors chose a shopping mall, indicating that medical conventions provide a one-stop shop for browsing and comparing various drugs, devices, and equipment. 

"At a mall, there are different stores with specialty shops that cater to individual needs," one oncologist said. "Just as some drugs are specialized for only specific kinds of patients and providers." 

Doctors perceive several downsides to visiting the exhibit floor, but they agree that trade shows, on the whole, still offer them invaluable opportunities. Respondents agree that certain convention traditions, like networking opportunities and informative presentations, keep them coming back for more.  

This is particularly true for give-aways. Physicians love freebies. The proof: Doctors making six figures will wait in long lines for a free pen.  

"Physicians have been trained into this behavior during medical school and residency," one doctor said, wryly. "Drug reps fed us and gave us pens and other toys when we were starving students. Old habits die hard." But the doctor participants mentioned there was room for improvement—they said they wanted premiums with real value.  

The focus group said that company logos and overt branding often ruin high-value items. In these cases, consider stealth branding. Put a logo on the inside cover of a personalized journal instead of plastering it on the front. 

"A company may give out a nice leather-bound product, but with a big imprinted logo," said a neurologist. "The logo often makes it worthless for general use. They should save their money for better purposes." 

Free food and beverages also have great appeal, the physicians said, because they're going to have to buy those items anyway. However, instead of snacks and soda, help conference attendees avoid crowded convention-center cafes by offering "real" food. In fact, in Europe, it's not surprising to find full restaurants inside the exhibits, which encourage attendees to linger, and engage in deeper conversations. 

The image of a company is projected through its presence at the exhibit hall. Style your booth to doctors' images of a good partner or vendor. But what should the exhibit look like? 

In the focus group, participants were shown photographs of nine automobiles and asked which car best represented the pharma company they would most prefer to do business with. Glitz and glamour did not carry the day.  

Sports cars fared less well than an SUV and a sedan, which tied with seven votes apiece. Respondents prefer to work with pharma companies considered safe, reliable, and mature, with proven track records.  

			"The SUV," said one radiologist, "evokes the feeling of power, but it is not too flashy, seems solid, and has the ability to take you to new places."			

Five doctors chose the Hummer, which supported the Big Pharma model. "Big companies with a solid sales force and immense resources support physicians," said one radiologist.  

Traffic at the booth matters. One great traffic-boosting technique for companies: partner with a medical equipment vendor, ideally one that complements your drug. For example, if you're marketing a hypertension drug, offer testing from a real-time hypertension monitoring device to capture interest and reinforce your drug's indication. 

Conferences are often the first chance for doctors to see the latest medical equipment and technology. Conventions offer the opportunities to compare equipment—"kick the tires," so to speak—whereas doctors have other sources for pharma information: the Web, medical journals, sales reps, and TV ads. Indeed, physicians in the target group said they'll often bypass pharma booths in favor of getting some hands-on time with the latest medical gear. 

"I like to window shop the new technology," said a radiologist. "Sometimes I have a specific item I need to research, and I like having the opportunity to compare things in real-time by walking the floor from vendor to vendor and going back and forth." 

Perhaps it's the cutting-edge technology that represents an ideal in physicians' minds. When shown photos of 10 buildings, participants were asked what architectural design best represents the pharma company from which they would most like to buy a product.  

Nearly all respondents voted for one of three photographs. Six went for avant-garde modernism, perhaps a vision of first-in-class research. Nine chose an opulent resort building with a blue swimming pool and broad shady balconies. But the largest number, 10, chose a contemporary glass-and-steel skyscraper. Interpretation: a state-of-the art company, with ample resources to support new research and ideas.  

"The skyscraper is nice, elegant-looking, and appeared serious and well-presented," a cardiologist said. "It represents a large company with large resources to support big ideas," a radiologist added.  

Clearly, conventions succeed on a fundamental level or they wouldn't attract  physicians. When the doctors were asked if conference exhibits change or influence their prescribing habits, their answer was overwhelmingly "yes." 

"The name of the product is fresh in my mind," one cardiologist said. "If the information is reinforced by [a] seminar or lecture, I can be converted to a new product." 

But the perfect formula for pharma marketing success at conventions isn't etched in stone. Innovative marketers can stand out and attract greater traffic, and reach larger numbers of high-prescribing, influential physicians. 

Healthcare professionals who can enjoy a no-detail-zone, get high-value freebies, and low-pressure sales representative interaction at exhibits or booths are more likely to change their overall impression—and prescribing behaviors. And they may desire to return next year. 

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT A DOCTOR IS thinking most of the time, and those of us who are patients can be happy about that. We are comforted when physicians keep their counsel until they complete an examination.

Agency Best Practice in Regulatory Compliance

, we will explore the results of a reader study—a" pulse check" as we think of it—on the topics of promotional programs, meeting spend, and compliance, cosponsored by Maritz Travel and 

. The study asked industry leaders about their perceptions of their companies' physician meetings in terms of audience, format, and budget, as well as their views on compliance regulations. A total of 61 readers involved in compliance monitoring or management of promotional program budgets within the pharmaceutical industry responded.  

Because of the small sample and non-scientific nature of the sampling, the results may not be representative of all 

 readers. Findings are more qualitative than quantitative, but they help to tell a story even without providing significant statistics. They begin to provide a picture of what your fellow industry executives believe. 

In-person meetings and one-on-one sales calls are the most commonly used meeting formats. Respondents reported that these meeting formats are most effective for conveying product information and gaining strong physician participation.  

Many respondents feel that their company is doing only an average job of reaching the right audience and getting a good turnout for their promotional meetings, so there is still much room for improvement.  

In general, study respondents feel that pharma companies have taken recent changes in compliance regulations very seriously. 

• Two-thirds of respondents agree that the pharma industry is strictly following compliance regulations. 

•  Respondents report having dedicated compliance departments and legal departments to handle issues related to compliance requests. 

On average, companies received 24 compliance requests during the past year; three out of five came from a state, and the rest from federal agencies. 

Stay tuned for more info in the April 2006 issue of 

IN OUR APRIL 2006 ISSUE, we will explore the results of a reader study—a" pulse check" as we think of it—on the topics of promotional programs, meeting spend, and compliance, cosponsored by Maritz Travel and Pharmaceutical Executive. The study asked industry leaders about their perceptions of their companies' physician meetings in terms of audience, format, and budget, as well as their views on compliance regulations.

Critical Thought

 as simple as knocking down a row of dominoes. Start with a good plan and a strong push in the right direction, and every piece will fall into place, one after another. A vigorous launch encourages and excites sales reps, holds their interest, and prompts them to get out there and sell a drug—which, in turn, leads to higher profits.  

A pharmaceutical product launch needs to reinforce the message at every turn. According to Mike McGraw, president of events company Tneve and author of 

, successful meetings are the ones that integrate the message into all aspects of the week, day, or even hour. "When [sales reps] leave the event, the message has to be clear to them on all levels," McGraw says. "If a sales rep can't relate the product's message in 30 seconds or less, then the company has its mission."  

Companies planning meetings mistakenly believe that the more money they spend, the more information sales reps retain from the event. "That's a popular misconception," McGraw says. "It's not the dollar amount spent, but the time spent in making sure every little detail relates to the message. Failure to connect the dots is a death sentence for meeting planners." 

Giddyup  Offering team-building activities at a working ranch gives city slickers a chance to bond, let down their guard, and have some fun.			

Tighter budgets and stricter rules and regulations are forcing meeting planners to think outside the box. Pharma companies need to set themselves apart not only from their competitors, but also from their own product launches, in order to make an impact on their sales reps. For example, just because last year's drug-launch event featured a popular band, it doesn't mean the tactic will be as successful the next year. Meeting planners have to think of something extraordinary that will educate as well as it entertains. 

For a large pharmaceutical company's product launch, Tneve put together an event designed to find the winner in everybody. Without informing the participants in advance, the event group coordinated a day of team-building activities with local children from the Special Olympics. In groups of 10 reps and one child, attendees participated in races and challenges that carefully incorporated teamwork into succeeding and winning. "We heard a lot of comments from the sales reps after that event about how much the meeting meant to them," McGraw says. "I think the day fostered a goodwill attitude, and it contributed to the focus of getting out there and succeeding despite any obstacles. A lot of the reps even became pen pals with the Special Olympics kids they spent the day with, and I think ultimately the children were the glue that bound the reps to each other." 

Destination Services in Colorado Springs, CO, hosts real-life cattle roundups to help foster teamwork at product-launch events. Attendees work at a ranch and live like cowboys for a day. Activities like stacking hay and rounding up cattle give city slickers a real feel for life on the ranch. But anyone who thinks he'll spend the day roping trees and fake animals should stay home. There is nothing make-believe about this event. Cattle are unleashed on the prairie, and it's up to the reps to bring them home, according to Susan Fort, general manger of Destination Services. With the exception of a few ranch hands on site to assist, the groups are left on their own to figure out how to complete their tasks. They learn to rely on each other for ideas and support. By the end of the day, an initially tentative group leaves the ranch with a renewed sense of confidence and camaraderie. 

Despite the rules and regulations governing the tone of pharma meetings, a product launch doesn't have to consist of rigidly scheduled activities. For companies that believe a little R&R makes for happier sales reps, the natural beauty of a destination can foster a lighthearted attitude for the week. The better you hold reps' interest, the more they will learn. 

Good pointe This six-acre oasis isn't just for the kids. Implement product launches around a hotel's unique facilities.			

In addition to the cattle round-up, Destination Services offers rock climbing, a Royal Gorge Route train ride along the Arkansas River, and a trip to the Garden of Gods—a 238 million-year-old red-rock hike. Todd Wells, director of national sales for the midwest at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, knows that getting some personal time is vital during a weeklong conference with hundreds of attendees. That's why he says the 3,200-acre hotel sitting at the base of the Rockies is a perfect spot for large product launches. "We offer multiple breakout and individual opportunities simply because we have the space for it, and people can go off and get some fresh air if they need it," says Wells. "For companies looking to emphasize the health and wellness of their sales force, we appeal to them because we foster a very active lifestyle on our grounds." 

Mike Lyons, president and CEO of Global Event Partners (GEP) in Philadelphia, concentrates on spectacular launches indoors. For GEP's most recent event, the team produced a last night extravaganza that capped off a weeklong convention that celebrated popular music through the decades. "We wanted to create a really memorable send-off where attendees would actually say 'wow' when they entered the space," Lyons says. Five different rooms were made up to exemplify the last five iconic decades: There was a 1950's diner; a psychedelic focus to reflect the 1960s; a disco dance floor for the 1970s, complete with a John Travolta impersonator and Village People cover band; break dancers for the 1980s; and another room that exuded the stark lounge trend of the 1990s and early 21st century. "I think this is an idea that a lot of companies can replicate because, it's memorable and fun and it allows people to bond over common interests and network," says Lyons. "For a pharma launch, you want people to get motivated. And this jazzes them up a little and helps them get out there and sell." 

Geoffrey Cooke, national sales manager, Pointe South Mountain Resort			

When planning product launches, some vendors find that a more personalized plan works best. "Our approach is to be far more individual and catch this service much farther upstream," says Geoffrey Cooke, national sales manager of Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, AZ. "We ask the meeting planners, 'What is it that you want to do?' And we try to facilitate that and tailor the needs to the company."  

Companies like to go to Pointe South resort for its six-acre water oasis, giant lawn areas, and helicopter-landing pad. For one company, the hotel set up a water-themed launch. Out by the oasis wave pool, Pointe South built a screen to hide a big event scheduled to follow dinner by the water. After a sumptuous feast personally created for the event, the Blue Man Group came out and performed a theatrical spectacle, capped by the unveiling of the company's product from the huge dropdown screen hidden in the dark. This was an effective presentation method because the guests weren't expecting a big display on their first night, and it excited them about what else was in store for the week.  

"It's hard to get excited when you're sitting in a conference room looking at slides," Cooke says. "Our successful launches are based on having a shared experience and getting out there with your company—it drives home the theme of the meeting." To exemplify this point, Pointe South (with the help of Destination Services Arizona) creates scavenger hunts similar to the television show 

. Running along a designated path, sales reps are split up into groups and challenged to complete product terminology or identify sales techniques in order to get the next clue. Throw in a few detours and obstacles, including a time limit, rocky terrain, and hurdles, and any rep is challenged to complete the mission. "It's a great way to incorporate a little fun and physical activity into teamwork and success," says Jennifer Rueb, director of Destination Services Arizona. And since the groups start and end on the property, it eliminates additional transportation costs. 

Jennifer Rueb, director of Destination Services Arizona			

McGraw says product launches are dependent on the event's strategies and integration of the conference's theme. "Meeting planners need to trigger every sense so that sales reps can cement the message into their minds when they leave," he says. And companies need to work beyond what they think is satisfactory to really make an impact. 

Like dominoes, correctly positioning all the parts of a launch ensures each subsequent piece will fall into place. A memorable launch excites reps, motivates them to sell the drug, and creates positive return on investment. All it takes is a good strong push in the right direction—kind of like knocking down a row of dominoes. 

When planning meetings, pharma companies need to work beyond what they think is satisfactory.

Launch to Success

 tighter scrutiny now than ever before. The PhRMA code, FDA, and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) make sure this group complies with the shifting government regulations, accounts for every penny spent, and records every  meal eaten at meetings. This persistent regulatory pressure forces pharma companies to create and implement new policies, but it also has a major effect on suppliers who support them.  

For meeting management companies who manage physician-attended programs, the rules have not only changed, but promise to evolve. In this environment, it is critical for pharma companies to develop internal strategies and external partnerships. This collaboration can help both parties make sense of this new landscape. 

Officially the OIG guidelines are voluntary, but there are big risks for companies that fail to comply. In the two years since the OIG code was adopted, pharmaceutical companies committing marketing offenses have been subject to high-profile indictments, convictions, and fines—sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars. What's more, offending companies can be placed under a corporate integrity agreement (CIA), which forces the company to prove it has created policies and procedures that will prevent future violations.  Under a CIA, the government can conduct audits as frequently as every six months, for up to five years. Future violations can lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and criminal prosecution. And the number of CIAs is rapidly mounting:  One legal expert noted that the industry may be divided into two sectors: companies that have CIAs and companies that 

And the penalties aren't just for companies. The OIG's compliance performance guidance (CPG) says that, "liability under the anti-kickback statute is determined separately for each party involved." This means not only the company, but each employee and physician. For example, if a company has 5,000 sales reps and each rep gives an inappropriate gift to 10 physicians at each of 15,000 dinner meetings the company held that year, each sales rep and each physician shares in the liability and can be penalized separately. 

If your compliance strategy is to stay under OIG's radar, forget it. High-profile stakeholders have their eye on pharma companies, aided by whistleblower laws and new requirements for self-reporting, assuring that every pharma is vulnerable. 

Meetings present their own set of compliance challenges. Many companies lack the human, technological, and financial resources to capture and consolidate data from individual meetings; to track what they spend on individual physicians; or to create an audit trail that will meet the demands of regulators. While individual brand managers scrupulously track physician relationships and prescription writing, few companies have systems to compile data in the manner required by the government—for example, on physicians who may be involved with multiple brands. 

The biggest challenge is the sheer number and diversity of pharma meetings: A typical company is involved in speaker bureau programs, dinner meetings, peer discussion groups, roundtables, and investigator meetings. All meeting-related expenses must be entered into the equation: air travel and other transportation, lodging and amenities, food and beverages, gifts, honoraria, and expense checks. Companies need to be able to calculate the spend for each meeting, and the spend for each physician. To meet some state requirements, individual physician spend must be calculated and reported for all meetings and business services for which the physician is reimbursed by the company. 

Although the volume of data that must be captured and monitored is enormous, pharmaceutical companies need to process all of the payments for physicians attending meetings held in various states where different laws apply. 

The challenge increases when a company outsources management of meetings to multiple suppliers. Some suppliers may lack the infrastructure or expertise to provide data in the form the pharma company needs. Others will present problems of data compatibility, either with the pharma or with other suppliers. Many companies address these problems by establishing data feeds between systems, but this can be an expensive solution—especially if multiple vendors are involved. Consolidating your requirements for medical meetings with one or two suppliers may be the way to reduce the cost of implementation and streamline operations. 

Meeting planners that meet basic code guidelines at the beginning will be able to breathe easier long term. Companies need to first appoint a compliance officer and committee to develop the best policies and procedures; at minimum, companies have to develop a compliance program that involves the different departments. A compliance program ensures that internal regulations and policies will be met. Other practices include: 

• Make sure key stakeholders coordinate with internal and external resources involved in the compliance initiative 

• Review PhRMA and OIG codes, as well as individual laws applicable in each state where the company is holding a meeting

• Locate relevant data within the company or with its suppliers and make sure all information is easily accessible

• Ensure software is up-to-date and can consolidate all the data on meeting spend. If necessary, use a system that can track spend by individual meeting and individual physician 

• Take careful notes of every procedure and communication required to implement the compliance program; this may include changes to IT systems and any written requirements related to expenses for medical meeting spend

• Identify whether the current system needs to be changed or new applications need to be developed

Pharma companies often use an internal system to manage compliance programs, but it may be more advantageous to partner with an outside contractor to augment the company's system. 

Companies need a system that keeps track of all physician-related data. As regulations and laws multiply, companies need to calculate exact spend per physician per meeting, rather than average spend across all physicians or all meetings. In order to achieve this, the system should: 

• Capture an individual identification number for each medical meeting and for each individual physician tracked across all systems and suppliers 

• Provide a central mechanism to keep track of every medical meeting expenditure, including travel, lodging, meals, honoraria, expense checks, and gifts

• Create a paper trail of all payments, cancellations, and changes to the program arrangements

• Monitor all the changing regulations of different compliance requirements. If a doctor practices in Pennsylvania, the state expects pharmaceutical companies to report to the state every time the doctor is paid to speak at a meeting—even if the meeting is arranged and takes place in another state 

• Provide compliant options when selecting a venue or choosing appropriate experts  

• Provide contracts to trained speakers based on company guidelines

• Track speaker and attendee information and remunerations  

With a central program like this in place, compliance officers and meeting planners will have a database to refer to if they need to locate information related to any meeting activity. 

Partnering and Communicating with the Experts

Pharma companies need to use all their resources to ensure their meetings stay compliant. An experienced meeting planning company can be a tremendous resource for implementing a successful compliance program. They can design and implement the program using systems to protect against non-compliance, as well as provide comprehensive data to stakeholders eyeing pharma's every move. 

In the past, companies often allowed sales reps to make decisions before meetings about venues, menu selections, open-bar options, and even speaker selection. Clearly this move created serious risks of compliance problems. Policies need to be enforced uniformly. The success of the initiative should be the result of a joint development effort between an experienced planning company and pharma.  

Educating and Training Employees and Suppliers

Compliance rules change, so pharma companies must develop educational materials and conduct seminars on company policies and regulations. Vendors also need to be trained on company guidelines since they are an extension of the program, supplying goods and services for meetings. In turn, a valuable supplier will help companies develop informational literature and provide training assistance. Managing change in a systematic way is critical to ensure compliance occurs. 

In today's pharma climate, companies with the most effective compliance programs and effective partnerships will come out winners by demonstrating to customers, lawmakers, and the public that ethical conduct is a basic tenet of how they do business. 

One legal expert noted that the industry may be divided into two sectors: companies that have CIAs and those that will.

Principles of Partnership

 pressure to deliver the biggest bang for the buck. And despite millions of dollars being pumped into sales incentive meetings, training programs, product launches, and conferences every year,  the days of lavish affairs and pharma galas are gone. Meeting professionals must be great event planners, but equally good at running their business as a business. 

They are required to meet the corporate financial plan and produce valuable results—all while staying within a budget. The following seven tips will create a roadmap that guides the meeting professional through the budgeting and planning process with an eye on financial results.  

 Meeting planners who carry out a meeting plan without double-checking budget line items along the way are missing opportunities to add value without adding expenses or knowing when to reduce superfluous costs. Creating effective procedures for planning individual program budgets is the best way to ensure the meeting will stay within the parameters and schedule set forth in the initial phase.  

Start by asking: Does the program have to make a profit, or can it just produce a goodwill return on investment? How can we service more employees with reduced funding? Did we motivate the staff? Did we save money on this event by bringing in sponsors? The answers to these questions help planners design and execute budgets that guarantee a successful outcome—one that meets the objective of the program both strategically and financially.  

 Knowing what the company and the attendees expect from a meeting will help determine the destination, the program, and above all, the cost. A successful budget process does not end with the creation of a budget, but rather the successful management of the budget. Budgets are simply tools; they are worthless except in the hands of someone who knows how to use them.  

The right person will follow the rules and regulations set forth by the company, but know that budgets must be adjusted and monitored on a regular basis. They will recognize indications that a plan is off course. For instance,  if revenue to date is less than what was predicted, the planner adjusts financially and logistically. Planners need to know if revenue is below expectation, since spending must be reduced to stay within ratios. More importantly, they need to be sure the available funds are being spent on items of high priority. 

A good place to start when identifying this year's expenses is to consult last year's budget. What needs to be adjusted in order to reflect changing costs and prices? Creating a budget spreadsheet to project expenditures and revenues will help identify a breakdown of costs associated with the event. 

Budgets should contain a list of accounts for revenue or income from sponsors, and a list of accounts for expenses. Additionally, expenses should be broken into two categories: Fixed expenses remain the same regardless of how many people attend, such as the cost of renting a ballroom or contracting a speaker; variable expenses change based on attendance or quantities, such as the number of dinner guests, hotel rooms, or material packets produced. Knowing what falls into fixed and variable expenses will make it easier to determine what category is a genuine high priority. This brings us to the next point. 

Let's say a budget's revenue is below expectation and a decision must be made about where to cut spending. It would make more sense to keep the fantastic speaker and cut back on food and beverage served if the program content supersedes the social networking part of the event. But if networking is more important to the company, meeting planners may opt for a less expensive speaker since the cocktail hour is the higher priority. 

Keeping a close eye on budget revenue also helps planners recognize trends. If registration for a program is down from the previous year, is it due to a change in the industry, general economy, or because of the speaker or location chosen? This reduction in revenue must have a reason, and once planners can narrow it down, they can work on solutions such as additional marketing, broadening the invite list or finding a more engaging speaker. All of these steps will assist in enhancing revenue, and thus generate funding to produce the most successful program. 

When creating the revenue side of any budget, the budget manager must determine where funding will come from. Revenue is often generated by ticket sales. More often than not, hearing a lecture on the next medical breakthrough or attending a gala event for a company foundation certainly could be worth the price of a ticket. The overall sales of tickets should cover the cost of the event and produce the desired financial benefit to the company. A break-even point must be established for this formula to be successful. So how does one determine the break-even point of an event? 

First, an expense budget must be formulated by comparing the history of last year's event with the numbers associated with this year's program. A planner may decide that last year's numbers plus, say, three percent for the increase in the consumer price index will create this year's budget—so basically you would take last year's numbers and add three percent to them. Not flawless, but historically it would get you close to a usable number without having to calculate every item from scratch. 

If companies are raising money for a foundation or cause, then meeting planners need to go one step further and multiply the amount they hope to raise by the projected break-even cost of one ticket.  

It is always more fun to manage a budget with high income and low expenses, but we are not so fortunate most of the time. Creating enhancements to revenue is today's greatest challenge, and one method that works is sponsorship. Sponsorship and advertising is everywhere and it's a chance for both sides of the partnership to help each other. Meeting planners can benefit by seeing lower ticket prices. Sponsors see high exposure or just good community relations in return.  

Companies can muster a sponsor for just about everything out there within the realm of the law. The simplest of items, such as a ruler or notepad printed with the sponsor's logo or message, can be handed to every attendee in a gift bag or materials packet. As long as companies are conscious of the regulations that govern many pharmaceutical and medical programs, the opportunities are endless. 

Let the budget manager manage the budget. All too often people in management positions do not share the department or program budget with subordinates, even though they hold them accountable for managing budgets. It is very difficult for someone who was not involved in the creation of a budget, or who does not manage a budget on a regular basis, to manage a budget with positive results.  

A budget manager must know how the budget was created, what the company's strategic financial plan is, what the purpose of a meeting or event is, and what the financial goals of that meeting or event are. This knowledge helps the manager understand how to accomplish the goals that were set at the start of the planning process, how to produce better results and, not least, how to stay on budget. 

Knowing what falls into fixed and variable expenses will make it easier to note what falls into high priority.