The annual CPhI events move back to Paris next month. Hilary Ayshford questioned the organisers on their expectations for the shows and the future outlook
Usually viewed with a mixture of eager anticipation and trepidation, exhibitions are an indispensable feature of the modern pharmaceutical business sector. For suppliers of pharma ingredients and contract services – and increasingly for pharma machinery and equipment manufacturers and the biopharma sector – the annual CPhI show, with its co-located events ICSE, P-MEC and BioPh, is a key date in the calendar.
Last year there were 1,808 exhibitors from more than 125 countries and regions and UBM Live Brand Director for CPhI, Annemieke Timmers, is predicting further growth in 2010, suggesting that pharma companies have a sense of renewed optimism and confidence regarding the future business outlook and state of the global economy.
ICSE is expected to be 10% larger than in 2009, and visitor pre-registrations have risen by a similar amount. According to Haf Cennydd, UBM Live Brand Director for ICSE, P-MEC and BioPh, outsourcing typically thrives during tough economic times as companies take steps to rationalise their production and r&d assets.
Not only is P-MEC also likely to see 10% more exhibitors than last year, but there has been a shift in the type of company exhibiting: the event will now feature instrumental analysis, measuring and testing technologies, materials testing, quality control and laboratory equip-ment, as well as the large capital machinery with which it has traditionally been associated.
And BioPh, which is a relatively new addition to the CPhI stable, will also continue to grow, says Cennydd, as the convergence trend between bio and major pharma shows no signs of abating.
But given the rapid growth of the events over the past decade, is CPhI in danger of becoming a victim of its own success? This year, as a result of exhibitor and visitor research, the organisers are introducing a number of zones – APIs, Custom Manufacturing, Intermediates, Fine Chemicals, Excipients and General – to facilitate navigation of the event, and help visitors to find exactly what they are looking for easily, leaving them with ‘more talking, less walking’ time.
‘By breaking the events out into the separate brands – CPhI Worldwide for pharmaceutical ingredients, P-MEC for equipment, machinery and technology; ICSE for contract services and packaging; and BioPh for the biopharma sector – then further breaking CPhI and ICSE into specific product zones, we are responding directly to such market feedback,’ says Timmers. ‘We hope that the introduction of these measures will enable visitors to plan their attendance in advance and maximise the use of their time.’
Zones are also being introduced within ICSE. ‘The Packaging zone features companies that provide packaging solutions within various stages of pharmaceutical processing, from bioprocess vessels to antistatic film. The Clinical Trials and Contract Research zone will cover not only clinical trials, but also pre-clinical, clinical research, phase 1-4 clinical trials and contract research organisations,’ Cynnedd explains.
In recent years a number of other changes have been made in response to exhibitor and visitor feedback, including the introduction of a pre-show conference and moving the timing from December to October to fit in better with industry budgeting calendars. This, however, limits the number of possible venues because it is in peak season for exhibitions and conferences and the number of large venues available is limited. The event will therefore continue to alternate between Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid.
‘The events represent the disciplines currently prevalent in the industry and we want to offer all of these in the same location to enable people to find what they are looking for under one roof,’ stresses Timmers. ‘We continue to evolve the events to meet industry demands and again go back to the synergy that exists between them.’
Cennydd: ICSE has grown partly as the result of major pharma making some tough decisions regarding rationalisation
The pharma sector is currently facing a number of major challenges, not least the so-called ‘patent cliff’. This is likely to lead to an increasing number of mergers and acquisitions, partnerships with CMOs and outsourcing to/acquisition of biotech companies to sustain growth. ‘ICSE has grown as an event, partly as the result of major pharma making some tough decisions regarding rationalisation and we don’t see this trend reversing in the immediate future,’ says Cennydd.
Firms will also be looking to emerging markets for business development, not just in India and China, but also Latin America, Eastern Europe and Turkey.
And as CPhI 2010 prepares to open its doors in Paris, exhibitors and visitors alike may be reassured that their anticipation and trepidation is shared by the organisers. Cennydd loves to see the halls come together, while for Timmers the thrill is seeing thousands of people at the entrance waiting to come in on the first day. ‘That’s the moment that we have been working towards for 18 months,’ she says.
And when it’s all over for another year, Cennydd has been known to become a bit emotional as the doors close, while Timmers looks forward finally to resting her sore feet.
