10 Reasons to Attend CPHI Barcelona 2023
The reasons why you should be attending CPHI this year are not limited to the destination itself…
As we approach October, the pharmaceutical supply chain industry is looking ahead to its flagship event: CPHI. This year, the event takes place at the Fira de Barcelona - you guessed it, in Barcelona - and it’s promising to be a great show for all of us involved in the industry.
If you are unsure of whether to attend CPHI Barcelona, here are ten reasons why you should attend this year. Grab a coffee, read on and I hope to see you there!
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1. CPHI is held in Barcelona for 2023!
Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona is one of the must-visit cities in Europe and generally trumps all other CPHI cities as a destination. The city has a rich culture and architecture, and its social side is also great with lots of interesting places to eat and drink. All of which, is accompanied by its own beach.
So, if you visit CPHI Barcelona this year, you will have a wide range of options for pre and post-show restaurants and bars, as well as a long list of attractions which you can see. We’d suggest getting there a day or two early or staying behind for a few days after the show to really make the most of CPHI being in this city. Or if you aren’t able to do that, it might be worth thinking of setting that alarm clock early on the mornings of the event and heading out and about! This alone is a great reason to attend!
And as the Barcelona tourism website states (where you can also see a list of places to visit): “You already know that Barcelona is Gaudí, the Mediterranean, culture, football… now we invite you to discover other sides of Barcelona to make your trip unique. Combine them with the more famous sights, and enjoy.”
2. The key players of the global pharma ingredients industry will be present
If you have been to a CPHI event previously, you will know that the event is tailored to professionals in the pharmaceutical industry. Over 1,800 exhibitors will showcase their products and services representing all areas of the pharmaceutical supply chain over a three-day period and under one roof. So, whatever your area of expertise, you can be sure that the key players which you are looking to speak to will be present.
It’s estimated that 40,000 people will be attending CPHI Barcelona in total, allowing attendees to discover innovation at the source and meet the innovators of tomorrow face-to-face. If this wasn’t enough to convince you to attend CPHI Barcelona, read on for more reasons to attend…
3. Fira Barcelona (Gran Via) is a great venue
The Fira de Barcelona has over 500,000 square metres of exhibition floor space divided into two large venues: the Montjuïc, and the Gran Via, where CPHI Barcelona will take place. It also has recently added the CCIB (Barcelona International Convention Centre) to its floor space, making it one of the largest in Europe. By comparison to last year’s CPHI Frankfurt - at the Messe Frankfurt - it has over 100,000 square meters more of floor space, which will come as good news to many, as everything will feel a little less crammed (with considerably less walking around and towards various buildings). The Fira de Barcelona hosts over 150 trade shows, congresses and corporate events per year with 30,000 exhibitors, both direct and represented and receives 2.5 million visitors from over 200 countries. So, you would be attending a conference at a very modern and well-spaced venue.
For CPHI Barcelona this will translate into 8 exhibition halls of the Gran Via and 45 catering points/restaurants (that is, if you don’t happen to find refreshments on the booths you’ll visit!) The Gran Via is one of the most modern show venues in Europe, characterised by its design, functionality and commitment to sustainability. And the easiest way to access the venue is via the Metro: Fira and Europa/Fira stations (line 9 Sud). Alternative routes are by bus: Routes H12, V1, 46, 65 and 79; by train, Europa/Fira station, lines S8, S33, R5 and S4 of the FGC; by car, you can access the area via the AP-7, AP-2, A-2, C-16, C-58, C-31, C-32 and C-33 motorways. It’s worth noting that taxis to the Gran Via won’t be easy to come by, so depending on the location of your accommodation, public transport may be your best option (and luckily, there’s plenty of that in Barcelona).
4. Its digital portal allows for pre-booking meetings to maximise event ROI
CPHI’s online portal is open all year round, meaning if you have the appropriate level of access, you can use the networking and online meeting functions throughout the year. In addition, CPHI Barcelona boasts its own online/even planner website, where exhibitors and attendees can log in to conduct all sorts of tasks. Within this portal is event information, news, content agenda and featured products, but more importantly (to the regular visitors of this blog), is the ability to pre-book meetings at the event. This can be done via the exhibitors or the attendees linked to those exhibitors. So, if you are looking to reconnect with old colleagues, you can search for them by name or if you are looking for manufacturers or suppliers, you can search by company name or activity.
As the CPHI portal explains: “When you register to attend CPHI Barcelona, the information you provide in the sign-up process helps us to match you with businesses and content we think is the best fit for you. With 30+ years of experience in connecting pharma professionals we are pretty good at making successful partnerships that last and the more info you give us, the better the overall result. Couple this smart matching with an app that holds your contact list and meeting schedules and it’s clear CPHI Tech is here to help you perform at your very best on game day!”
If you are thinking of attending CPHI Barcelona, because of its pre-event options, we would highly recommend that you log into the portal early, and browse the various options it provides. Be sure to download the CPHI Event app so that all of the pre-work you have just conducted is transferred to your mobile, as well as having a scanning tool to collect valuable contact details, so you can use it on the floor of the event (be prepared to experience wi-fi/data issues is this is the case). If we are completely honest, this is the best and most user-friendly portal CPHI has provided to date.
5. Inspiration: Keep up with news and trends
The pharmaceutical industry is a hugely innovative and rapidly changing landscape, so keeping in touch with key developments and innovations is a must. Therefore, participating in events and conferences such as CPHI Barcelona is hugely important and can provide insight into where the industry is heading, and in particular your sector, and how to manoeuvre during such change so that you and your organisation can remain competitive. Many of the talks which you might see at CPHI Barcelona offer an excellent opportunity to learn from the successes and failures of others and avoid making the same mistakes.
Stepping away from your day-to-day work, whether it’s from the office or from home, means seeing things a little differently, getting inspiration from new people and gaining new perspectives. Refreshing the mind in this way is often the best way for marketers and commercial professionals to look at things differently, but still in the context of the sectors which they are working within.
6. Learn beyond your field or interest
It may seem challenging to learn a new skill at a conference that lasts three days, but learning something entirely new inside or outside your areas of research - and progressing your professional development - is very much possible at an event like CPHI Barcelona. Just glancing at the content agenda at the show provides confirmation of this. More often than not, the content (and insights that can be further derived from the speakers) provides you with tools and skills which you cannot be taught in-house or online. The focused nature of learning at a conference also allows you to dig deeper with the understanding of your topic of interest - there is always someone willing to discuss things with you in more depth.
Even if learning an entirely new skill at CPHI is beyond comprehension, I’m sure that the various learning resources and options at CPHI Barcelona will allow you to level up your existing skills. “Events and conferences often provide access to experts via panel discussions and workshops who share new information and perspectives. As a result, you can increase your knowledge base and improve your skill set.” (Eventbrite)
7. Supporting physical events (since we are allowed to attend now)
For me, 2023 has felt like things have got back to normal since the outbreak of COVID-19. CPHI Worldwide in Frankfurt in 2019 certainly didn’t feel like normal, and as the pandemic progressed, the show never reached its full potential. In the two years following, we were unable to travel to CPHI in Madrid and Milan as things came to a halt in the entire world, and physical events were replaced by virtual ones. Rewind to last year and to CPHI Frankfurt, and it was great to attend a physical show again and meet our global partners from around the world. But as it was the first one back, you could sense that people were careful with contact - you could even sense this with the exhibition halls not being as full of exhibitors and attendees as they could have been.
But now as we approach the latter part of 2023, the world does seem to be the same again and where better to get back into the CPHI circuit by visiting it in Barcelona, where many people will be as enthused as we are to attend. And we want these shows to thrive and get better and better! Based on the sheer number of exhibitors and additional show content, this really does promise to be a good show. Can you think of a better face-to-face show to show your support?
8. Meet with global partners and build new relationships
You could argue that meeting with global partners and building new relationships would be the number one reason for attending CPHI Barcelona. In our opinion it is, but hopefully by now you have already decided that you would like to attend CPHI without having to note the most obvious reason… and maybe even meet me and the Orientation Marketing team for a drink?!
Out of the estimated 40,000+ attending CPHI Barcelona, I’m sure a handful of those are the types of professionals whom you’d like to do business with or would like to do business with you. Providing that you (1) make your event attendance known to your organic audience on your website and on social media, (2) reach out to your contacts via email to enquire about meeting them and (3) use the CPHI portal to research exhibitors/attendees to arrange a meeting, you will really be able to make CPHI Barcelona a success and contribute towards your commercial and new business goals.
9. Have fun and travel
This is often overlooked… but let’s be honest, sometimes, if our busy lives and schedule permits, travelling is fun! And travelling to conferences offers such a diverse range of activities where you can fill your days up with fun things to do. Yes, you can travel to Barcelona to CPHI to meet with colleagues and learn about new technologies and solutions, but you can also see some attractions with colleagues and then attend publisher receptions that will be taking place at rooftop bars throughout the city. With the temperature also looking to be upwards of 20 degrees, you also have a little time to relax on the beach while you are there.
10. The Orientation Marketing team are attending!
If the nine reasons to attend CPHI Barcelona 2023 above aren’t enough to make you head over to your favourite airline website to book tickets to Barcelona in October, we might have something that will seal the deal…
As with CPHI Worldwide every year, the Orientation Marketing team will be attending CPHI Barcelona. The wider team will be attending - travelling from our UK, US and EU offices - and will be present for the duration of the event. So, if you are looking for support or inspiration with your marketing strategy and campaigns - and need to discuss event tactics, media advertising or digital marketing - please get in touch. We will have a range of experts on hand at the show to be able to discuss how we support our pharmaceutical clients. And if you just want to say hello via a coffee at the show or a drink at the bar, we’d also be more than happy to meet.
For more on events in the pharmaceutical sectors, and how we can support you, see our section on events. And if you are attending CPHI Barcelona, talk with one of our team members by booking a meeting.