Well I am back from ASCO! Four days of meandering through the largest conference center I have ever been to in my life, the McCormick Place in Chicago. It truly is an exciting experience to attend a conference so highly regarded and full of people from many different countries and different roles. While I attended to view ASCO through the lens of those I normally interview for the purposes of market research; I watched others were more engrossed in the new clinical trial data. Regardless, there is no doubt one the hottest discussions at ASCO is the upcoming era of immuno-oncology.
I embraced these topics gaining a little deeper knowledge attending the educational sessions as well as listening to discussions on the advantages and disadvantages of what’s to come.
Financial toxicity was a new buzz phrase… yes, we have new agents coming out, but are industry leaders and clinicians prepared to find a way to manage this cost to patients? There is no doubt this is going to be a fine balancing act.
I walked through the exhibits as well, enjoying the lively buzz of people walking around, drinking (LOTS of) coffee and small talk. It is so interesting to observe people watching the videos and interactive communication tools companies are using to talk about their current products. I have to admit, I had a few favorites in terms of design, technology and friendliness of the people representing each company. It didn’t hurt when they had a tasty snack too.
I was a bit disappointed by the representatives who clearly only engaged with people who they felt they would benefit from; very much a single-minded approach to representing your company, particularly if you spend the rest of the time on your phone or computer when at a live exhibit for your company. You may want to reserve yourself a small private room rather than be on display, showing you don’t want to interact with others.
On the other hand, I did indeed meet a lot of very kind, engaged and very interesting people… MSLs, sales reps, medical affairs and even a few other marketing folks who were impressing a good culture of their company. At an exhibit show, you are more than just your products. The clinical data showing efficacy helps sell it, the lower AEs helps sell it, the good reimbursement and access helps sell it, and the good marketing sells it… and so does the reflection of what you present.
River Town Research 