Pictured: Issa Jouaneh, senior vice president and GM of American Express Meetings & Events
Doctors are most
likely to attend a conference based on the content, specifically whether it
will benefit their practice, a study by American Express Meetings & Events
has found.
The medical
professionals cite access to new information as a top three consideration,
while also nominating content as the most important meeting element that
organisers should work to improve.
American Express
Meetings & Events polled more than 500 doctors worldwide to get the
industry's perspective on meetings and events preferences. The findings have
been released in the report Doctor’s Orders: The Physician’s Perspective on
Meetings and Events.
Almost
three-quarters of respondents (74 per cent) said the biggest benefit of
attending conferences was gaining access to information that helps their
practice. The least important benefit nominated was sharing research and
experience with others in their field (39 per cent).
The study also
revealed that doctors are invited to an average 16 meetings each year, yet only
attend half of that. The most frequent type of meetings attended are speaker
dinners (67 per cent), symposia (66 per cent), congresses (53 per cent) and
product meetings (52 per cent).
Issa Jouaneh, senior
vice president and general manager American Express Meetings & Events,
said: "Attracting physicians and designing effective, compelling meeting
experiences is critical to the ongoing success of pharmaceutical-sponsored
meetings. By better understanding the shifting expectations of physicians,
meetings organisers can ensure that their events are a more effective channel
for professional networking, product education, awareness and feedback."