Organizing a medical symposium is a significant undertaking, and its success hinges on careful planning and thoughtful execution. To be successful, symposia should stand out as unique and meet the needs of your audience. CTC has run dozens of symposia for our clients, and so we’re happy to share three important things to consider when you're planning your next big event.
1. Build your presentation around the audience
A common error we see is professionals who re-use presentations at different conferences and events. While the basic information might need to remain the same, your symposium should be tailored to the specific audience it will be delivered to. Conducting research to see who is attending your symposium should be a first step - what organizations or hospitals are they from? What is their age? Where are they traveling from to attend the event? What kind of healthcare professionals will be in attendance? Understanding your audience and customizing your presentation to address these demographic pieces will ensure high engagement and relevance. You can even segment your audience if you see major differences in who is attending and run different sessions for distinct education levels (i.e. nurses versus physicians).
2. Differentiate Yourself from Other Medical Events
An important part of having a successful symposium is making sure it is remembered by those who attended. Differentiation ensures that attendees perceive unique value and are more likely to engage in your materials once they leave the event.
A few ways to do this are:
- Choose a compelling theme that aligns with current or pressing medical trends or issues
- Use an innovative format rather than the traditional “talk at the audience” presentation, such as panel discussions, interactive workshops or hands-on sessions
- Facilitate networking opportunities by providing spaces for attendees to connect, share insights, and establish collaborations
- Provide materials to attendees that they can take with them after they leave such as approved leave-behinds and tools
- Invite Key Opinion Leaders to speak and share their insights
3. Use Engaging Medical Education Tools
To ensure that your symposium delivers impactful educational content, leverage engaging medical education tools, such as:
- Technology: Using interactive apps or online website to facilitate hands-on learning
- Case Studies: Walk through a case study to provide real-world experience and show real learnings
- Visual storytelling: Use animation or other visual cues to help your audience better understand a topic
- Post-Congress Updates: The work doesn’t end once your symposium is over. Ensure you develop follow up communications for afterwards, to keep your presentation top-of-mind with stakeholders!
Bonus: In addition to the advice above, be sure to provide a way for attendees to provide feedback throughout your event. This could be in the form of surveys, live polls, or interactive question and answer sessions. Understanding the real-time preferences of your audience allows you to adapt the symposium to better meet their expectations.
Organizing a successful medical symposium requires a holistic approach that considers the audience, emphasizes differentiation, and employs engaging educational tools. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for a free quote for your next medical symposium, or sign up for our newsletter so we can keep you up-to-date on industry news, our offerings and much more. Just for doing so, we’ll plant 10 trees on your behalf as part of our environmental protection efforts.
