CPhI, well-known as ‘the place to be’ in the pharmaceutical industry, was held in Frankfurt this year, and never one to miss a trip – team BDB was on the case. The three-day exhibition was the largest CPhI on record, bringing together what certainly felt like the entire pharmaceutical world, with over 43,000 visitors, covering eight halls. Below, we take a look at what stood out the most to us at the show.
Going green
The theme that caught our attention on the show floor was sustainability. BDB’s experience covers a wealth of sectors, from food and pharma to coatings and chemicals, so it’s interesting to see how certain trends, such as sustainability, are prominent across a multitude of industries. Sustainability is often associated with power and energy companies, or food manufacturers and retailers (such as tackling food waste) – but going ‘greener’ is an important focus area for many fields. The CPhI Pharma Awards on the first night of the exhibition dedicated a specific award to sustainable initiatives, and at BDB we are very proud to work with DSM, one of the world’s most sustainable businesses.
Face-to-phone meetings
Exhibitions bring people from across the entire supply chain under one roof and are an ideal platform to meet new suppliers, create new relationships and build upon existing ones with face-to-face meetings. However, it seemed everywhere you turned at the show there were people in meetings, on their phones…taking selfies! This was due to the #cphiselfie and #cphifamily hashtags that had been created and promoted during the run-up to the show. The seamless integration of digital into live events is a frequent occurrence in the B2C environment, so it’s very encouraging to see this being effectively used in B2B practises. The use of social media during events is ideal for promoting your presence at a show, as well as creating a sense of community. At exhibitions as big as CPhI (make sure to wear comfy shoes if you are visiting Messe Frankfurt!) it can be easy to lose track of who is attending, but when you’ve got someone’s face smiling from their stand at you on your phone it’s much easier to remember!
Trade shows are a brilliant opportunity, but we know they can be demanding. From building stands to meeting the press, BDB is on hand to help you through all aspects of trade shows. Get in touch to make sure your next exhibition is a success: [email protected].