CPHI North America: An ‘intimate and extremely valuable’ experience

This year’s event takes place as a SMART model, featuring online learning and networking from May 9-27 and an in-person event from May 17-19. 

Among them is Raman Sehgal, Founder and Global President of ramarketing, who will utilise his experience as a podcaster, author and marketing agency founder to lead sessions on supply chain challenges and pharma marketing. Sehgal is a long-time fan of CPHI’s North America offering due to its ‘intimate’ feel and the unique access it offers to US-based stakeholders.  

We caught up with him to preview his session topics and find out what attendees should expect from this year’s event.   

Register for CPHI North America here

What are you looking forward to most at CPHI NA this year? 

CPHI conferences are back with a bang, and I can’t wait for CPHI North America this year. DCAT was a great event and provided a glimpse into what the future of events in global pharma and biotech space will look like. The CPHI conferences are a huge priority for us as a business and our clients so we're excited to attend them and, finally, in person again. CPHI NA is also a favourite of ours because although it’s a large event it still feels intimate and personal. We can’t wait to make new connections and interact face to face. Plus, Philly is one my favourite US cities to visit!  

What should people expect when attending CPHI? 

Although we don’t know what to expect post-Covid, what we do know is that attendees will appreciate and benefit from relevant, high quality business connections and meetings, impressive booth designs and, of course, a very a warm welcome from Philadelphia. They should also check the talks and panel sessions. People bring their best insights to these so why not use the opportunity to learn? 

We have a packed programme with innovative content throughout the three days. Is there a particular session you’re excited about? If so, why should people come to listen? 

You probably know what I am going to say here, but I’m actually leading my own sessions at the event. One is focused on supply chain challenges, which I’m presenting in partnership with Pfizer CentreOne, which has been collated via 100+ in-depth interviews with guests on the Molecule to Market podcast. I can assure you that you’ll walk away from the session having learnt something new to help with your business. I have to say the agenda is exceptional this year with a mix of speakers from CDMOs, pharma service companies and investors - a great mix across the entire supply chain.  

You will be leading a workshop focused on pharma marketing at this year's event. What do you think companies could be doing better in terms of their marketing activities? 

Great question. We have lots of content around this and I don't want to spoil my presentation! But, in short, 2022 and beyond is all about being more customer-centric, focusing on a more complex digital marketing strategy to suit adapting buyers and being creative to achieve differentiation. So that’s about brands standing out within a crowded marketplace and being more desirable for the global pharma and biotech companies they are trying to attract.  

You will be also speaking about supply chain challenges this year. What do you think will be the biggest factor impacting supply chains for the remainder of 2022 and going into 2023? 

The supply chain has lots to contend with at the moment. Post pandemic learnings and persisting 'long covid' challenges, global macro factors like inflation and the conflict in Europe, and of course specific micro-industry challenges. The biggest challenge I see on the horizon is something crucial to the supply chain but not a material item: access to talent. Demand in the sector is high, but do we have the manpower to deliver?  

Finally, why should people attend CPHI NA? 

There are lots of reasons to attend but, in my opinion, the biggest one is to remember that CPHI NA attracts buyers from the US - much more than the worldwide conference does. It's also much more intimate, cost-effective and, for us, extremely valuable.