Interview with Adam Andersen, Pharma EVP at Informa Markets
October 3, 2024 – Pharmaceutical – CPHI, Interview, event
PMPS: CPHI Milan 2024 marks its 35th anniversary. Can you share the evolution of the show, its history, and its current role in your Pharma portfolio?
Adam Andersen (AA): CPHI has come a long way from just a few hundred people 35-years ago to over 60,000 this year – growing alongside the pharma industry. We have expanded the show as the industry needs have changed and we now have a very diverse base of exhibitors. But we also expanded geographically and there are CPHI branded events in all major pharma regions – like India, China, the US, Korea and Japan – but also in emerging regions like the Middle East and Southeast Asia.”
PMPS: You’re anticipating over 62,000 attendees and 2,500 exhibitors from 8-10 October at Fiera Milano. How does this compare to the COVID-19 years and pre-2020 numbers? Is the event fully back to pre-pandemic levels?
AA: The great news is this year is well above pre-COVID numbers – circa 49,000 – and there has been a very strong desire among our audiences to meet in person again. It’s vital part of the industry and building connections. What we have also focused on is ensuring the right people come and last year we significantly grew our C-suite attendees.
PMPS: What are your objectives for this year’s show? Have there been any significant changes in features or approach compared to previous editions? What lessons have you taken from past events?
AA: We are making the event much more experiential and improved the appeal of the event beyond its vital role in building business. Additionally, we have further improved the app and built out our sustainability content and initiatives.
We are always looking at how to improve the show, whether that’s in adding new verticals or growing existing channels, for example, biologics manufacturing this year is a much bigger focus as it’s being more integrated into the show.
This year we are embracing the future with a Manufacturing 5.0 content theatre that features innovative companies that are using artificial intelligence and robotics in drug discovery and development.
PMPS: How crucial are Pharma events like CPHI to Informa Markets and the global medical community? Could you elaborate on the knowledge exchange, product launches, and trade impact that CPHI Milan facilitates?
AA: Very important as this is an industry that is incredibly global but one that equally places a very high value on meeting face-to-face to build trust and develop the complex partnerships needed to advance medicines. Go back 35 years and very few parts of innovative medicine development were outsourced – whereas now CPHI exhibitors are contributing to about half the new drug approvals in the US each year – and you see this patten in all major markets. CPHI has been vital in helping these partners meet and grow the partnering possibilities.
The industry needed outsourcing to expediate the innovation we see today, and CPHI has been the vital component in building the needed outsourcing ecosystem.
