Lessons from CILAD 2016: How to Manage Congress Participation from Zero
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Introduction
International congresses are not just scientific gatherings—they are market stages. For companies in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or medical devices, booth participation is a structural act of positioning: it signals presence, credibility, and commitment to the field. Unlike routine marketing campaigns, congresses happen only once a year, making them non-repeatable visibility windows. Missing one cycle means losing an entire year of exposure.
The Standard Process of Booth Participation
While each company adapts to its resources and culture, the standard workflow for managing a booth at an international congress involves several distinct stages and actors:
1. Booth Reservation
Timing: typically secured immediately after the previous year’s congress.
Actors: congress organizers (selling space), company (choosing size and location), often through business development or marketing.
Risk: late reservations force the company into poor locations or reduced sizes.
2. Booth Design and Construction
Actors: booth constructor (official or third-party), company marketing team, sometimes external design agencies.
Tasks: prepare design renderings, finalize layout, include functional spaces (storage, posters, shelving, meeting areas).
Risk: overpaying official constructors or neglecting functionality.
3. Gimmicks and Promotional Materials
Actors: marketing team, procurement, local vendors or manufacturers.
Tasks: select giveaways, brochures, props; ensure cultural or symbolic alignment; manage costs.
Risk: overspending on generic items, missing the chance for differentiation.
4. Logistics and Travel
Actors: travel agencies, internal admin staff, customs brokers, logistics companies.
Tasks: book flights, hotels, and transfers; arrange customs clearance for booth materials; ship and track packages.
Risk: misaligned schedules, customs delays, or miscommunication with executives.
5. On-site Execution
Actors: booth staff (sales, medical, marketing), senior managers, local language support.
Tasks: distribute packages during peak breaks, engage visitors, host side events.
Risk: passive staff, language gaps, or unprepared materials.
6. Post-event Reporting
Actors: event manager, finance, senior executives.
Tasks: prepare payment reports, expense reports, booth reports, results summaries.
Risk: late reporting, missing receipts, or non-compliance with corporate procedures (especially strict in some countries, like Korea).
This process involves multiple functions: business development, marketing, procurement, logistics, travel, customs, finance, and executive oversight. A booth is never a one-person job—except in some cases, where it unfortunately becomes exactly that.
Personal Case – CILAD 2016, Buenos Aires
In 2016, I was assigned to manage the company’s participation at CILAD, one of Latin America’s two most important dermatology congresses (together with RADLA). Unlike the standard process with multiple actors, I had to handle everything alone, without support.
1. Securing the Booth
The only instruction I inherited was: “Reserve a 3 × 6 meter booth, confirm, and pay.” That was all. I reserved the booth successfully, but quickly realized this was only the beginning.
2. Selecting the Constructor
The official constructor quoted an inflated budget. I benchmarked three alternatives and, with the help of an industry contact, secured a contractor who delivered 40–50% savings with better materials and finishes.
3. Booth Design
Marketing’s input was minimal: just logos and color codes. I worked directly with the contractor, reviewed three designs, and chose one. I personally added:
Illumination
Poster and shelving areas
A hidden storage zone for brochures, gimmicks, and bags
Without storage, a booth collapses into clutter.
4. Gimmicks and Materials
The budget was tiny. I sought something affordable yet symbolic and found gold-colored metal bookmarks, paired with a mini-poster introducing our company and products. By contacting the manufacturer directly, I cut costs to less than 40% of vendor prices.
I also repurposed items from the company’s storage: fabric bags, English brochures, and mock vials/boxes for decoration. Everything was inventoried, packed, and sent via customs broker.
5. Travel and Transfers
Beyond the booth, I had to manage flights, hotels, and transfers—not only mine, but also my bosses’. Because I needed to arrive early to supervise construction, their schedules were staggered, making coordination complex. Transfers from airport to hotel to congress center became a daily headache.
6. On-site Execution
Execution required:
Distributing packages during recesses, the only moments when crowds gather.
Staffing the booth with proactive, multilingual personnel. Senior managers often stood silently, arms crossed; juniors who could engage in the local language created more value.
7. Post-event Reporting
After the success came the real nightmare: Korean reporting culture. At least three reports (payments, booth, gimmicks/expenses) had to be submitted, plus pre-booth plans, execution reports, and final results. Every receipt had to be physically glued onto A4 paper and handed in within four days. The workload was crushing, despite the event’s success.
Final Lessons
From both the standard process and my CILAD 2016 case, key lessons for juniors are:
Booth reservation is strategic: timing defines location and visibility.
Never overpay blindly: benchmark constructors, use networks, and cut costs without cutting quality.
Design must include functionality: storage, lighting, shelving—without these, booths fail operationally.
Gimmicks should be symbolic and cost-effective: direct sourcing and creativity beat generic vendors.
Logistics are as heavy as design: flights, hotels, transfers, and customs are full projects themselves.
Execution is about interaction: proactive, multilingual staff matter more than passive senior presence.
Reporting is part of the job: especially in Korea, post-event bureaucracy can be as demanding as the event itself.
Conclusion
Managing congress participation is one of the most complex tasks for a professional because it touches almost every corporate function at once: finance, logistics, marketing, procurement, and executive management. My CILAD 2016 experience proved that even with minimal resources and no support, it is possible to deliver success—but only through structural thinking, cost discipline, and relentless attention to detail.
