Strata’s Head of Pharma Operations, Sally Bradley, discusses why putting delegates front and centre of event design delivers stronger engagement, better recall, and lasting relationships.
A few years ago, I was working on a large-scale pharmaceutical conference for an international client. One of the key opinion leaders (KOLs) on the panel was also a patient advocate, living with the chronic condition he was there to discuss.
On the morning of his session, I knew from managing his travel that he had already been on an eight-hour journey and had not had any time to rest before arriving at the venue. So when I met him, half an hour before he was due on stage, I had water and snacks ready.
Because while the project had high expectations of him as a KOL, he was also a person managing a health condition. I knew that a small moment of consideration could make a meaningful difference, both to his experience and his ability to deliver the session.
That moment has stayed with me because it reflects a wider truth. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are under increasing pressure, from junior practitioners through to globally recognised KOLs. If we want them to engage, contribute and retain what they learn, we have to respect their time, energy and individuality.
Delegate experience is no longer just a “nice to have”. It directly determines engagement, recall and impact. If the journey feels impersonal or uncomfortable, there is a real risk that even the most important educational messages will not land.
Conference success sits at the intersection of logistics, production and compelling content. Increasingly, operations teams are playing a critical role in shaping that content, ensuring it aligns with where audiences are in the drug lifecycle and how they want to engage. When operational insight is brought into content design, it creates opportunities for more meaningful, human-led experiences.
Once in the room, that human-first approach can transform outcomes. Traditional formats such as long presentations and static panel discussions still have their place, but they are no longer enough on their own. There is a clear opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry to stand out by moving beyond passive, sit-and-listen models.
The most effective conferences I have worked on incorporate:
Designing for the individual, rather than the crowd, enables deeper engagement. HCP needs vary significantly depending on their role, experience and position within the drug lifecycle, and events should reflect that diversity.
Smaller forums, such as advisory boards, give delegates a voice and create space for genuine exchange. They also strengthen the networking experience, which remains one of the most compelling reasons for attending live events.
Just as importantly, it is often the smallest touches that leave the biggest impression. Personal acknowledgement, accessibility considerations and thoughtful details all contribute to an experience that feels considered and respectful. These experiences are what drive lasting recall.
When I spoke to that KOL again several years later, he still remembered that moment of consideration and thanked me for it. It’s easy in our industry to focus on trial data, product launches and key messages. But ultimately, events are about relationships. They are platforms for connection, conversation and trust-building.
We are not just engaging today’s delegates. We are nurturing future KOLs and long-term advocates. While content matters, how people are made to feel matters just as much. In the end, delegates may not remember every slide, but they will remember how they were treated. Kindness, empathy and genuine human consideration remain some of the most powerful tools we have.
Sally Bradley is Head of Pharma Operations at Strata. With deep sector expertise, Sally is a skilled project manager with experience with live, virtual and hybrid events.
Our Head of Pharma Growth, Vicky Fraser, shares her insights from PharmaForum in Boston, MA.
Having been home from PharmaForum (Boston, MA) for a few weeks, I’ve had time to reflect on my experiences, and one thing is clear: the role of events is being re-examined by the pharmaceutical industry. It’s something I heard consistently in my conversations with leaders across meetings, events and procurement: there is now a far greater focus on impact, defensibility and value when planning events.
Events are being judged on impact, not activity. Across multiple sessions at PharmaForum, I saw clear pressure on teams to justify the purpose and outcome of events. Return on investment (ROI), engagement and memory are now considered more important than size, scale or production value. Events are being evaluated as investments, rather than outputs.
Procurement is shaping decisions earlier. Another recurring theme at PharmaForum was the earlier and stronger influence of procurement in event planning. Conversations have moved beyond cost to include value, defensibility and risk. Pharma wants to work with partners who understand the broader context around compliance, industry uncertainty and pressure on teams.
Uncertainty is driving smarter choices. Many attendees expressed to me that they feel they’re operating in a high-uncertainty environment. Tighter budgets, rising costs, shorter lead times and external pressures such as travel inflation and geopolitics all contribute to the pressure, and teams are being forced to make more intentional decisions around destination, duration and where investment in experience design truly matters.
Healthcare professionals’ expectations have shifted. I heard repeatedly that while HCPs’ appetite for medical education is still strong, they are very time-poor. Solutions discussed include smaller meetings, optional virtual access, and formats that build community and relevance. HCPs value the quality of the experience and the educational outcomes more than frequency or scale.
Creativity and AI can work together, alongside compliance. There is growing openness to experience-led events that respect compliance considerations, particularly when they support learning and understanding rather than spectacle for its own sake. AI was, as always, a hot topic, but it has moved beyond being considered a competitive advantage and now is an efficiency baseline for many teams. Governance, data quality and human judgement are still front-of-mind.
Finally, events are now an enterprise asset. Something I noticed at the forum was the way meetings and events are now viewed as portfolio-level assets, not isolated tick-box activities. There is an increasing emphasis on data, forecasting and intelligence that enables better decisions over time and strategic improvement of event design, rather than the retrospective reporting that has always been done.
I found that PharmaForum reinforced what I’ve been hearing from clients and KOLs: events are now about doing what is defensible, effective and genuinely valuable. The opportunity now is to do what Strata does best: support our clients in their mission, by designing meetings and events that are easier to justify internally, harder to challenge externally and more meaningful for attendees. I can’t wait to attend the next event!
Vicky Fraser is Head of Pharma Growth at Strata Creative Communications. She’s a pharma and healthcare events strategist with more than 20 years of sector experience and is passionate about strategic scientific storytelling that connects.
Strata sits down with Head of Pharma Growth, Vicky Fraser, to talk industry changes and opportunities for creative, insight-led engagement in a sector led by compliance concerns
With the rise of generative AI, I’m seeing a lot more appetite for authenticity and creativity led by real humans, and luckily, that’s exactly what we do at Strata! I think the industry has woken up to how ‘noisy’ the digital space can be, and how healthcare professionals (HCPs) are increasingly selective with their time and attention. At Strata we have the benefit of cross-industry experience, and I’d say the trend across the board with high-value audiences is that they need better storytelling, whether in the content they’re consuming or at in-person events.
We’re lucky at Strata to have over 20 members of staff working specifically to support healthcare industry clients. We have a deep sector fluency and understanding of compliance concerns, so both are baked into our approach from the very beginning. Once we know what the story is, and why the s audience(s) should be interested, we’re able to really dive into the creative process.
One key benefit to all our experience across other industries – such as tech, automotive and professional services – is that we can draw on examples of creative approaches that have provably achieved their goals and look at them through a ‘healthcare lens’. This enables us to come up with concepts for healthcare clients that can truly cut through the noise and connect with their audiences.
The structure of The Strata Group means that our clients benefit from both a wide pool of capabilities and a real depth of knowledge – we’re able to deliver at speed globally across multiple facets of brand engagement through maximising resources through the Group. Across the Group we have a team of experts within the healthcare sector with a deep understanding of compliance and governance, but the single touchpoint of Strata ensures brand guardianship, reduces silos and provides a single trusted partner. We’re able to give our clients a senior-led, bespoke service.
From a purely practical standpoint, the Group gives us stronger negotiation powers and allows us to offer clients cost efficiencies across areas such as event space bookings and logistics.
It’s because we’re in a digital world that they do! People – HCPs included – are really eager for opportunities to make in-person connections and have authentic offline experiences. We’re also so inundated by information online that messages communicated during in-person events just hit different – it’s something we hear again and again from event attendees. The quality of engagement is better at in-person events, too – we find that HCPs in particular take on more key information and appreciate the opportunity to interact with key opinion leaders and their peers.
Conference burn-out is real, though, which is why our clients see the best return on investment when they’re willing to get creative and dedicate resources to ensuring their event attendees have the best experience, make valuable professional connections, and take home the most important messages.
Events are now one of the most provably powerful accelerators of business growth, but it takes a lot of insight and experience to make them deliver their full potential. At Strata, we like to provide clients with innovative proof of performance: we produce work that inspires audiences to act differently, accelerates pipelines and strengthens relationships.
It’s no longer just about isolated KPIs – data has evolved into a narrative that shapes KOL engagement, informs strategy and elevates experiences. I’m a big believer that stronger measurement can unlock optimisation opportunities and strategic value. If you’re interested in specifics reach out – I’d love to give you some examples.
Vicky Fraser is Head of Pharma Growth at Strata Creative Communications. She’s a pharma and healthcare events strategist with more than 20 years of sector experience and is passionate about strategic scientific storytelling that connects.
Every brand touchpoint is a moment that matters. A chance to strengthen your message with clarity and relevance. To make your audience feel like they're part of something extraordinary, get in touch.
