OP SINGH
For years, events, catering to leaders, experts, and celebrities, have been always instrumental in creating platforms for sharing and building new connections. But, how can something that brings people together to survive during the times of social distancing? OP Singh, President Sales and Marketing, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, shares his views on how iamicon has evolved over the last 8 years and what are ingredients made the 8th edition of Indravadan Ambalal Modi Conclave India’s Biggest Virtual Science and Innovation Conclave, an event that saw more than 50,000 attendees.
“Large mass gatherings are no longer part of the calendar and as we all adapt to social distancing, events have had to adapt too. With more people working remotely, holding a virtual event is fast becoming the preferred option. Studies show that virtual events are up by 1000% since COVID-19, with 52,000 events being held in a year on just one platform”.
Two-month-long webinar
Webinars have long held an important place in any marketer’s toolkit but creating a virtual event that spans over 2 months needs unique content and a grand experience. The fact that we went completely virtual in our approach was equally challenging and interesting. The various technology advancements allow organisations to share their content with audiences across the globe. This was one of the opportunities that we saw could make iamicon grand. The virtual events use web-based platforms to connect thousands of attendees from across the globe and often include interactive engagement features. Like a virtual tour of a city or a museum, delegates can ‘visit’ different stands, download the relevant collateral, and speak directly with the representatives are some of these features.
We felt this would be a great chance to bring the international and national audience to interact with stalwarts and acclaimed experts from the field of medicine to encourage scientific discussions. This year with the 8th edition of iamicon, we, at Cadila Pharmaceuticals broke all physical barriers and took iamicon truly global.
The Indravadan Ambalal Modi Conclave or iamicon started with the vision of the “Medicine Man of India”, Shri Indravadan Modi, the founder chairman of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. His vision was to use innovation to create affordable and quality medicines for the last man in society. iamicon, India’s largest innovation, and scientific conclave is a celebration of this vision. It brings together healthcare professionals from around the country and the world to talk about the latest innovations in healthcare so that the healthcare community can keep doing the noble job of saving lives.
Global Outreach
Virtual events make it easy for the organizers to scale up at a faster pace. It is easy for the attendees as well since there is no travel or safety concern. Although there is some virtual set-up time required, it is way less than what is needed for an in-person event. Moreover, it saves the effort of travelling amidst the pandemic, helping in cutting downtime and expenses spent on traveling. With on-demand content available to attendees 24-7, people can attend overlapping sessions as well. All these factors proved to be a big vantage point for the 8th edition of our iamicon. Since its inception in 2013, from 33 cities, iamicon has successfully reached 150 cities across India, and in 2020, a virtual platform helped us to grow even bigger.
Breaking all physical barriers allowed us to reach out to global professionals and academicians. Attendees were no longer restricted by their locations and got to participate, no matter where they lived, as long as they could connect to the Internet. The promotion of our virtual event was easier through sharing links on websites and social media channels. Hosting a virtual event also gave us a chance to transcend the physical limitations of venue capacity and availability. We were able to reach out to 50,000+ doctors across the country and abroad.
Building a better virtual experience
With 16 global speakers, 200 national speakers, and 16-panel discussions, iamicon 2020 was able to create an experience like never before. The virtual platform helped in many ways to build professional relationships through creating special interest meet-up spaces and providing detailed attendee directories. A global audience in iamicon allowed a lot of young doctors to engage with the industry’s elites.
Emerging trends show that virtual and digital experiences developed during the pandemic are here to stay. Everything from virtual cooking class to virtual conferences will remain in play as these creative tactics have now proven to boost better connectivity, engagement, and revenues for all businesses. The new role of digital platforms in our lives means a virtual component will be a must-have in the new events landscape, even with a renewed desire to connect physically.
Evolve your own work style
“Evolve your own work style. Just remember; never lose your focus towards the customer”. Staying true to these words of our founder Shri Indravadan Ambalal Modi we did not let the barriers of pandemic stop us from celebrating innovation and excellence in the healthcare industry. Times may be uncertain currently, but one thing remains true, there is immense power in people coming together – be it on any platform.
OP Singh is President Sales and Marketing, Cadila Pharmaceuticals
