CPhI Worldwide to go ahead! Wait, what?

Last week, Informa, the company that owns the CPhI brand, announced that its flagship event, CPhI worldwide, would go ahead as planned in October. The tradeshow is synonymous with the pharmaceutical industry, and every year tens of thousands of industry peers make the pilgrimage to the Europe-based event. This year in Milan, Italy. 

Although CPhI has a reputation for being intense and exhausting, the marathon of a tradeshow offers the opportunity for the entire industry to come together. Both business and personal connections are made and reinforced, and on the whole, a positive experience. Why else would you attend? Well, the other side of CPhI is one of expectation. As an exhibitor, it is not enough to attend; you must be seen. Exhibitors compete for bigger, bolder stands and prominent positions in the halls. Huge banners draped in the hallways, and any number of marketing options are available to promote your company above the noise. All well and good, I suppose and no different to many other industries. 

However, 2020 brings a new world, a new way of working and connecting with those industry peers. And so far, we've all done a rather excellent job at keeping our industry, companies and lives going during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Despite every other single tradeshow and conference within the industry being cancelled or postponed, CPhI worldwide appears immune to the changes required by COVID-19. Curious. Is CPhI that important? Will the pharmaceutical industry be forever changed by the event not going ahead for one year? After all, even the Olympics, the biggest sporting event in the world, is at the mercy of the virus. Disappointing, but absolutely the right action to take. No question. See you in 2021 Olympics! 

Timing is a factor, of course. I appreciate the world changes every day and with it the effects of the virus on our lives. Surely that's the point? We don't know what will happen next week or next month with the pandemic. Like you, I hope for a swift eradication of the virus, and I am encouraged, although cautious to hear of the lifting of some restrictions. However, we must remain realistic, and October really isn't that far away. The preparations for CPhI take months. Plans are made for the following year before the current year's show has passed. As I write this, personal and business travel remains out of reach. The virus is still here. How can we be expected to make plans to visit Milan in October? And safely? Social distancing might well work in the supermarket, but at a tradeshow? Unlikely to be effective. The whole event is based on networking and connecting. Surely what can be said 2 meters apart can be said virtually, like every other meeting I've had since mid-March?

Exhibitors face significant penalities by cancelling attendance at CPhI, coupled with uncertainly for securing space at future events. But it's neither about the money nor the presence. It's about integrity and doing the right thing. 

Will be you attending? Should CPhI worldwide be cancelled? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Please note, while I have organised the exhibition of Johnson Matthey at CPhI for the past eight years, these views are my own.