Today, we bring you the story of Denise Neufeld, Communication & Marketing Officer at CARBOGEN AMCIS, a leading company in the manufacturing of sterile Investigational Medicinal Products based on complex compounds.

Usually very busy, the event calendar of this company has been drastically reduced in 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic. As China reopened its trade shows mid-2020, our client was able to participate in CPhI China in December.

Our colleagues felt safe during the show.

In this exceptional period of COVID19, many exhibitors decided to cancel their participations in trade shows. Did you hesitate to take part in CPhI China?

Yes, 2020 was indeed quite a challenge in terms of event planning. Of course, we were observing the course and evaluating the situation continuously. Most important to us was the safety of our team, suppliers and visitors. We would not have participated in the event if we’d had felt any risks. Also, Chinese authorities are very sensitive about the epidemic risk and have strict regulations to maintain the safety and keep risk at a minimum.

You finally decided to maintain your presence at the show. Could you please tell us why exhibiting at CPhI China 2020 was key for your company?

The Chinese market is important to us. CPhI China allows us to present our company in China specifically and let people know more about CARBOGEN AMCIS. It is also a great chance to meet with our customers and suppliers but also potential new contacts. However, we were aware that CPhI China 2020 probably was going to be a bit different with less internal exhibitors and visitors.

How did your colleagues feel during the show? Did they appreciate to meet people in face-to-face again?

Yes, our colleagues felt safe during the show. We noticed that the visitors and exhibitors were very respectful and followed the rules. We really appreciated to meet people in face-to-face.

Face-to-face interaction is usually a high quality communication…

According to you, what are the main advantages by being physically present at a show? What is your opinion about virtual events?

Face-to-face interaction is usually a high quality communication and of much higher value than a communication on screen. Virtual events are not as personal as real events. Virtual platforms are good to gather general information about companies and get an overview, but when it comes to personal conversations and detailed counseling they cannot keep up with face-to-face interactions.

Also, the atmosphere of a physical event cannot be replaced by a virtual event, where attendees join the event on their screens in their offices in between their regular work. That is why we don’t think that at this stage virtual events can replace a physical event. Many of the virtual platforms are not very developed yet. We think they have a potential and could be an add-on tool in the future, but they can never fully replace a physical event.

After the pandemic, will you keep the B2B events at the heart of your communication strategy with the same intensity and the same importance?

Yes, trade shows will remain an important part of our communication strategy.

… we will continue to remain flexible in the next months.

Will you adopt new behaviors in preparing your participations in B2B events?

Already in 2020 we have been adapting to be even more flexible and be prepared as best as possible for any required changes. For example, for CPhI China 2020 our team mainly consisted of delegates from our site in Shanghai, China rather than sending representatives from all sites as we usually do.

For sure we will continue to remain flexible in the next months. However, regardless from the exceptional situation in times of Covid, we always strive to improve by evaluating our events, observing current trends, treading new paths, etc…

To conclude, what are the benefits for your company to work with Live & co on projects such as CPhI China or CPhI Worldwide?

We really appreciate the collaboration with Live & co. It is a real benefit for us to have a trustworthy supplier who can satisfy our demands and carry out our projects worldwide. Not only is the communication with Live & co always very professional along with a reliable on-time project management – we have always been very pleased with the outcome – a high-quality booth that meets our high standards and represents what our company stands for.

Thank you Denise for giving us your time and see you soon for new projects in 2021!