Conference Season Is Here — Don’t Just Show Up, Show Up With a Plan

Written by Sergio Armani, Founder of ACG-Clinical

Conference season in clinical research isn’t just about collecting lanyards and tote bags. It’s about playing chess, not checkers — and the companies that win are the ones that treat conferences like a strategic campaign, not a field trip.

Whether you’re a clinical research vendor, a site network, or a technology provider, the formula is the same:

Preparation + Focus + Follow-Up = ROI.

If you don’t have a plan before you land, you already lost.

1. Know Why You’re Going (Before You Buy the Plane Ticket)

You’d be surprised how many companies attend conferences without a clear purpose beyond “being seen.”

That is not a strategy.

Your team needs a primary objective that guides how you prepare, who you meet, and how you follow up.

Here’s how to frame it:

If your goal is generating new pipeline:
→ Pre-schedule meetings and target specific accounts before you arrive.

If your goal is strengthening existing accounts:
→ Host intentional touchpoints: coffees, dinners, and partner check-ins.

If your goal is learning where the market is headed:
→ Attend select sessions with purpose, take notes, and compare patterns.

If your goal is raising brand awareness:
→ Design how you show up: booth presence, messaging, speaking opportunities.

Without a North Star, you’re just wandering hallways.

2. Build Your Target List Before You Arrive

You are not there to talk to everyone.
You are there to talk to the right people.

Do this 2–3 weeks before the event:

• Pull the sponsor list, speaker list, and exhibitor list (if available)

• Identify your priority account list

• Cross-reference with LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Sales Navigator, or just your CRM

• Categorize into three tiers:

TierDefinitionActionAHigh-fit target accounts you want to break intoPre-book meetings + personalized outreachBWarm targets or current pipelineSchedule “check-in” conversationsCOpportunistic networkingDrop-by, handshake, quick value exchange

If you arrive and “walk around to see who’s there” — you’re gambling.
And clinical research is not a casino.

3. Pre-Book Meetings — Don’t Rely on Chance

Conference calendars fill up fast.

Your outreach should not sound like this:

“Are you attending? Let me know if you want to meet.”

That’s passive.

Instead:

“I’ll be at SCRS from Sunday–Tuesday. I’d like to talk specifically about how your network is handling feasibility throughput with sponsor timelines tightening this quarter. Does Monday at 10:20 work, or is 2:45 better?”

Specific → Relevant → Booked.

Pro tip:
Always propose two time options.
It reduces decision fatigue and boosts response rate.

4. Come Prepared With a Conversation Blueprint

If you show up and say:

“So… tell me about your goals…”

You will sound like everyone else.

Instead, come ready to teach something valuable (Challenger Style).

Examples:

• A pattern you’re seeing in sponsor outsourcing strategies

• A feasibility efficiency benchmark they haven’t considered

• A case story showing how enrollment timelines were shortened

Insight opens doors.
Pitching closes them.

5. Work the Room Without Being “That Person”

You don’t need to interrupt circles of people mid-conversation.
You don’t need to sprint booth-to-booth handing out cards.

You need to:

• Be present

• Be curious

• Be human

The goal is connection, not collection.

If you leave with:

• 6 real conversations

• 3 follow-ups scheduled

• 1 relationship that advances pipeline

You won.

Not if you leave with 70 scanned badges and nothing memorable.

6. The Fortune Is Always in the Follow-Up

The conference does not end when you fly home.
That’s when the real work begins.

Within 48 hours:

• Send personalized follow-ups (no mass emails)

• Log notes in CRM while they’re fresh

• Schedule your next touchpoint

• Send something useful, not promotional

Example:

“We talked about enrollment delays in cardiology. Here’s a quick breakdown of the top 3 drivers we’re seeing across sponsor portfolios — thought this would be helpful to share internally.”

Be the one person who follows through clearly and quickly.

It is shocking how rare that is.

Closing Thought

Anyone can attend a conference.
Very few capitalize on one.

The companies that win:

• Know why they’re there

• Show up with intention

• Lead conversations with insight

• And follow up like professionals

Conference season is here.

Don't just show up.
Show up with a plan.

Be Bold.
— Sergio