Annemieke Timmers is the Global Brand Director for UBM Live, a division of UBM Plc, leading provider of business information services for diverse industries. She has been with UBM since 2006 and her role encompasses the strategy, planning and operations for the global CPhI events portfolio. In an e-mail interview with AD Pradeep Kumar , she talks about global pharma ingredients market, this year's CPhI event and the progress of the events in general.
What are your views on global pharma ingredients scenario?
As an events organiser, we have a unique perspective on the market. The full line-up of events, including the flagship CPhI Worldwide for pharmaceutical ingredients and co-located events ICSE for contract and outsourced services and logistics, P-MEC for pharmaceutical technology and machinery and the new InnoPack event for pharmaceutical packaging needs, have shown strength despite the downturn the market experienced over the last few years. Last year in Paris was a record year, and we have once again seen an upswing in numbers for 2011. There have been some rough times, but companies in this market are learning to become more fluid and flexible in order to answer the changing demands of end users. A great example of this is the growth seen in the ICSE event which indicates the fact that many of the major pharma companies are cutting back on internal manufacturing and finding growth through consolidation and specialisation strategies. The industry is learning how to effectively partner and outsource to continue growth.
What are the reasons for choosing Germany as the venue of the event?
Frankfurt has proven to be a successful venue for CPhI events in the past, including the 2005 and 2008 editions of the event line-up, and now once again in 2011. Frankfurt is a convenient destination for attendees because it offers exceptional transportation and accommodation options. The logistics of global travel are well-served by an industry leading airport which receives flights from across the globe daily. Additionally, Germany is the fourth largest pharmaceutical market in the world behind the USA, Japan and China. As such it is the largest pharmaceutical market throughout Europe.
What are your comments on the German pharmaceutical industry in general?
Frankfurt is a global business centre and is even often considered the heart of the European pharma industry. Germany serves as home to many pharmaceutical companies, with a heavy concentration in the city of Frankfurt. In fact, the strong pharmaceutical industry was able to act as a stabilizer during the recent economic downturns. Since 2009, the export ratio for the German pharmaceutical market has increased by 61.4 per cent and shows signs of further growth in the future.
What are the novel features of the expo this year?
There are many new and returning features which have been developed to maximise visitor potential during the show. Newly introduced features include Lunch Time Learning Sessions, the stand-alone InnoPack event and the LABWorld Pavilion within P-MEC Europe. The Lunchtime Education Series offer three days with two interactive sessions and a lunchtime networking session each day to address some of the key issues and trends currently affecting the pharma market and feature a lunch networking session. The debut of InnoPack offers innovative resources for more sophisticated and varied pharmaceutical packaging and delivery methods. Finally, the LABWorld Pavilion has been introduced to offer resources for high technology areas such as instrumental analysis, measuring and testing technologies, materials testing, quality control and laboratory equipment.
Returning features include the Pre-Show Conference Series, one day before the events open on October 24, which is formatted as two strategic forums aimed at understanding how the pharma industry can take advantage of new market developments and drive future competitive advantage in global sourcing and contracting. Also making a return are the popular CPhI Innovation Awards that celebrate new, innovative and commercially scalable technologies and an expansion of the successful zoning format which was introduced in 2010.
What is the nature of the visitors profile and expected participation?
This will be our third year of record-breaking projections. Over 29,000 visitors are expected, which is phenomenal.
Our visitor profile remains diverse and you see a clear reflection of the global nature of the events. Beyond the global diversity, we also have an exceptional cross-section of visitors with unique needs across the specialised pharma sectors.
What was the outcome of the last year's event?
In 2010, CPhI Worldwide, P-MEC Europe, ICSE and BioPh were hosted at the Paris Nord Villepinte in Paris, France and had a record breaking year. There was an overall increase of over 14 per cent from the 2009 events with over 28,500 attendees and exhibitor numbers grew year over year from 1,808 to 1,934. Some exciting statistics include 109 new exhibitors participating in the events and information from our post-show research. 83 per cent of attendees surveyed said they found the products or services that they were looking for and over 90 per cent of attendees said they successfully made new business contacts.
What are your views on the progress of CPhI Worldwide events in general?
Visitors attend CPhI Worldwide, ICSE, P-MEC Europe and InnoPack to make new business contacts and reconnect face-to-face with existing contacts over the three days of planned events. The comprehensive and industry specific programmes allow for each person to plan their own unique experience and serve their specific needs while on-site at the events. In essence, UBM looks to offer the world's largest pharmaceutical events platform that still has a personal feel. We are the only event line-up of its kind and size to offer all of this to the pharma industry under one roof and are pleased that the events effectively offer a global meeting point covering every aspect of the pharma industry. Moving forward, we will continue to work towards the same goals and continuously improve and evolve the line-up.