China's exhibition industry returns with a vengeance

If the recently concluded CPhI & P-MEC China 2020 is any indication of things to come, then the world should take note: In-person events will be back with a vengeance. In the meantime, however, hybrid or omni-channel formats are the way forward.

Organised by Informa Markets and CCCMHPIE and co-organised by Shanghai Sinoexpo Informa Markets International Exhibition, the 16-18 December 2020 event welcomed 46,157 professional pharma visitors at Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), including 5,105 international attendees who tuned in online.

The virtual sessions in particular, kickstarted on 18 November — nearly one month before the event proper on Virtual Expo Connect (VEC) — giving international delegates a wider buffer to attend and connect with the pharmaceutical community.

VEC offered eight key features including a digital showroom, online matchmaking, hosted buyer video meetings, exhibitors' talk, conference webcasts, guided tours, VR shows, and an on-site digital centre.

Overall, 529 buyers from Europe, America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa tuned in virtually, attending a total of 575 trade meetings online.

More than 2,950 pharma companies attended the show — including big names like Pfizer, Sanofi, Capsugel, Fosun Pharma — as well as more than 90 providers of medical supplies for pandemic prevention at the newly-launched Medical Supplies Expo China.

The hybrid event also hosted more than 80 professional conferences, innovation galleries, tours, and factory visits. A side 10th buyers sourcing event attracted more than 100 buyers, clocking hundreds of meetings.

"It was a tremendously successful event for pharma and an encouraging piece of news to start the year with, providing a window into what the post-pandemic exhibition environment can return to," said Laura Murina, brand manager, Informa.

"2021 promises to be a celebration of the pharma industry with vaccine distribution now underway and we look forward to helping the industry meet both online and in person so it can continue its work in discovering and delivering vital therapies to patients."

CPhI & P-MEC China 2021 will return to Shanghai New International Expo Center later this year, from 16-18 December, in a similar online-offline format.