On-line Management
Running a ‘virtual’ Advisory Board
Taking place towards the end of 2020, this was an Advisory Board for a new client of a London-based medical communications agency. The agency needed support with the management of the meeting and with the transition to on-line delivery.
Client
Medical communications agency
International pharmaceutical company
Location
Virtual
Attendees
22
Responsibilities
Agency team management
Platform identification and set up
Briefing document for attendees
Pre-event rehearsals
‘On-the-day’ management
The Background
The pharmaceutical company was seeking input from a range of European experts on its development plans for a new product. To fit with the timeline for the launch, the meeting needed to take place in Quarter 4, 2020, travel and face-to-face events were severely restricted.
The event was attended by participants from 9 countries from across 3 time zones.
The Role
Kay was the key contact for the client’s medical and marketing teams. Her role was to:
To co-ordinate the set-up of the meeting
To make sure that the event platform met the needs of the meeting agenda
To ensure that all attendees were able to successfully participate in the meeting
Working to a very short lead-in time, Kay liaised closely with the agency’s in-house scientific and account teams and with the client’s Medical Affairs Project Manager and IT manager.
She set up and managed:
One-to-one technical rehearsals with all participants
Briefing sessions with presenters and meeting moderator
A pre-event run through with the client team
The objectives were:
To avoid technical issues on the day of the meeting
To familiarise participants with the features of the platform that would facilitate discussion
To rehearse slide presentations and ensure smooth transitions
To finalise the flow of the meeting and the discussion sessions
To co-ordinate the platform with the existing technology in client’s office
On the day of the event, there were no log-in issues and all features of the platform worked smoothly. There was lively and well-managed discussion and the client gained valuable feedback and guidance from meeting participants.
What They Said
“Kudos to the whole team! The meeting went smoothly despite being far apart. Lively discussion is always a sign of a successful event.”
Agency Creative Director