“We’re working on two projects with a vendor from the Summit. Meeting them at the Summit helped seal the deal. Our spend will be around USD 10 million over three years” said Emeka Osefoh, Senior Director, Clinical Operations, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, a speaker and delegate at the Marcus Evans Evolution Summit.
I was looking for service providers for staffing support in Japan, and technology vendors to bring our organization up to date with tools. On both accounts, I was able to make many connections. I am in close contact with several people for future collaborations. Some of my colleagues in another function are already working with one of those vendors.
For Japan, I met with a vendor that was already on a shortlist of three vendors we were considering at the time. We had worked with all three vendors before and could have gone with any one of them. Prior working experience was not a differentiating factor. Meeting that vendor in person confirmed they were number one. We had the opportunity to talk about the projects and our needs, and set things up so once we were back home we could go straight into deeper discussions. The one-on-one conversations at the Summit helped put things together.
No, as that would require us to travel to Japan or meet them somewhere else. That was highly unlikely to happen. We had only spoken to the vendors on the phone. Meeting someone in person definitely makes a big difference.
Yes, it is. I only speak to people that I seek out. I don’t answer random calls or emails. It is not easy to catch my attention.
The format works very well. If 30 minutes is not enough, you can make time to speak again. Getting the list of vendors ahead of time is very useful and helps us get organized. Marcus Evans staff are on the ground ready to provide support.
I’ve attended both larger and smaller events, but Marcus Evans is a personal favorite. It’s the right size to have meaningful conversations. Not too big, not too small. There’s a good balance between the sessions and vendor meetings. It’s very productive. Large events can be overwhelming while some small events are not worth your time. That for me is what makes Marcus Evans different.
Meeting my peers feels like “group therapy”. You’re in a room full of people facing similar situations and you can brainstorm together. It’s very therapeutic. I always come back feeling energized with new ideas.
It is always interesting to hear what other people in the industry are doing. Most presentation topics are very relevant to our day-to-day activities.
Find out more about the upcoming Evolution Summit.