2022 Annual ISPE DVC Symposium and Exhibition Recap

The 30th Annual ISPE DVC Symposium and Exhibition was the largest event to date, with 126 exhibitor companies, 14 career fair suites, and over 900 attendees. As it has been three years since the last one due to the pandemic, it felt like a reunion for many. The halls were filled with joyful greetings and excitement to finally be back in person, make new connections, and see old colleges. Not only was the floor flooded with attendees, both of our stages had excellent attendance, and the stadium tours, Emerging Professionals networking event, and after-party were packed.

2022 Changes

Aside from the allure of attending a local, in-person event again, there were multiple changes to the event that happened this year that helped to bring in new faces. 

We put out a call for presentations and had over forty submissions. We were able to expand the education sessions to two different stages. Many presentations were co-presented with end-user companies such as Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Iovance, B. Braun, Autolus Therapeutics, and Catalent. We also had a great keynote this year, Audrey Greenberg, Co-Founder, the Center for Breakthrough Medicines. She discussed how the Greater Philadelphia Region must build systems, support, services, and infrastructure to carry an idea from bench to lifesaving cure.

The Symposium Committee increased communication about the event by sharing weekly eblasts, social media posts on important dates and upcoming presentations, creating a LinkedIn event landing page where attendees could invite their connections, daily website updates, and email communication to exhibitors and attendees with details and maps.

The outdoor after-party in the new Miller Tent location was the largest party to date, with folks laughing, dancing, and making their networking rounds. As attendees are not allowed on the field’s real grass at the Lincoln Financial Field like on Gillette Stadium’s synthetic turf field, the relocation of the party off the show floor to a different outdoor space was a welcome change of place. 

To provide our attendees with more privacy when job searching, each company that participated in the career fair was in an individual skybox suite rather than a table in a shared space. Each skybox provided a secluded location to give prospective hires the opportunity to keep their interest in each company more discrete. Complimentary headshots were hosted in the previous career fair area to bring more attendees to the area, which was very well-received. The photos were sent out just a few days after the event, but if you want to contact the photographer, you can reach Matt Romano at: matt@mattromanophoto.com | http://www.mattromanophoto.com | 484.431.3051.

2023 Pans

As with many companies, a staff shortage reduced the number of stadium tour leaders, food attendants, and bartenders. Next year, we will request to have more tour leaders, more food, and open both bars sooner. Although a sprinkle prevented the field games from being put out this year during the after-party, we hope to have them out next year. We also received feedback that while the band was great, it was a little too loud, so we will switch to a DJ. Additionally, we plan on adding more education and starting the show even earlier. 

Show Feedback

Nearly 70% of the post-show survey respondents would like the event hosted at the same location. As the football schedule is still being determined, we have a tentative hold on a few dates in late May for the 2023 show at the Lincoln Financial Field. April and May are the most popular times to host the show, with the least popular going back to February when it frequently snowed. The final date selection is based on its proximity to holidays and competing shows, such as INTERPHEX. 

Volunteer

Unlike other annual chapter shows, the ISPE DVC Symposium is run by a very small group of volunteers working after hours to make the show successful. If you are looking to join the committee, would like to volunteer the day of, or have some suggestions, please email Symposium Vice President Sandra Bones, CPSM, at symposium@ispedvc.org.

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Stay up-to-date on the latest events by following us on social media and signing up to receive our eblasts, so you never miss an event or deadline. Thank you to everyone who attended the Symposium, and we look forward to seeing you there next year.

Sandra Bones, CPSM
ISPE DVC Symposium Vice President