A Day in the Life of an Exhibitor at CPHI Frankfurt

This month's Day in the Life of interview looks a little different! After a successful week at CPHI Frankfurt, we catch up with one of our exhibitors to get a peak behind the scenes and see how they spend their days on site. 

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive?

First, I familiarise myself with our set up, the booth layout, our samples, giveaways, literature etc. Then I’ll look to see which companies are near us, say hi to our neighbours and of course find the nearest restrooms. Which can be quite far away sometimes!

If I have extra time before the actual exhibition starts, I try to understand the overall show setup better, take a walk between the halls, and find the shortcuts. 

How do you prepare for a busy day at the event? Any tips or routines you follow?

CPHI, like most trade shows, used to be an event you just go to and see who comes to your booth. This has changed significantly towards prearranged meetings. So, to have a busy day that is also as productive as possible, it’s the weeks before that count. That’s when you set up your meetings. 

How do you balance attending sessions, networking, and exploring the exhibition floor?

As much as I would love to attend sessions, there is not much time for that for the Business Development staff. This is the most valuable time of the year to meet up with your customers; make new connections and check out what competitors are doing. The time I am not in meetings I split between being available at the booth for walk-bys and checking out other booths (of customers, partners, and competitors).

Can you share a memorable interaction or connection you’ve made so far?

CPHI is great because it brings all the global teams from Ensera together. We have locations across three continents and five countries, so much of the internal work is conducted virtually. This year was a chance to meet some new team members from Europe for the first time and catch up in person with those I only see a few times a year. This time together is incredibly valuable for building and maintaining a sense of playing for the same team.

How do you manage to stay energised and focused, whilst taking care of your wellbeing, throughout the day?

I have to admit, I typically run on coffee and chocolate throughout the day. Both are available in vast amounts at booths and that is all I need to keep me going – and this is the one time of the year where this is allowed as you walk it off anyway!

We were fortunately right next to our partners SHL and they happened to have the best coffee of the show. They kept me afloat with about 4-6 wonderful cappuccinos per day!

How does this tradeshow compare to others you’ve attended or exhibited at?

CPHI Worldwide is spectacular. It is one of a kind in the world as it’s so big and almost everybody in the pharma and CDMO space is there.

There is a CPHI Americas as well, but it is a lot smaller. The only show in the US that comes anywhere close in size may be BIO, but that has a narrower focus. Other shows are typically smaller and most focus on a specific sector (e.g. PFS, PDA for injectables, RDD, DDL for inhalation etc.).

What’s one thing you’ve learned over the event that you didn’t expect?

This event is so big, it poses significant challenges on any city’s infrastructure. You can’t rely on taxis or uber and even public transportation can be overwhelmed. Best idea is to walk everywhere, if possible.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone attending this event for the first time, what would it be?

First key tip: it is acceptable to wear comfortable shoes at these events! I logged 18k steps on the first day of CPHI. Good shoes are key.

Second: you have to plan for plenty of time between meetings. This event stretches over a dozen halls. It can easily take 15 minutes just to walk from one to another – and then you still have to find the booth. 

How do you wind down after a long day at the tradeshow?

The winding down often happens in the exhibition as booths will have happy hours with drinks and snacks in the late afternoon. So things are getting a bit more relaxed. Since CPHI was in Frankfurt this year, this meant mostly beer, pretzels, and sausages, which made me very happy as a German living in the USA.
Then it typically goes straight to customer dinners or events. It is a few very long days, but well worth it!