Philly will host an inaugural pharma conference next month

A recently launched pharmacy news platform called Lincoln Health Network has chosen Philadelphia to host its first digitally minded pharma conference next month.

The three-day event, dubbed FWD Pharma, will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Center City and will include panels, case studies, workshops and other series focused on helping life sciences companies understand the impact of digital trends on their business strategies.

The conference touts itself as the “number one digital transformation event” for biotech and pharmaceutical leaders.

Breanna Jacobs, a conference producer with the Global Strategic Management Institute, said the Philly area was an obvious choice for an inaugural conference because of its strong pharmaceutical industry.

“With such a strong foundation there, with a launch of a conferences it really works to our advantage to be near those hubs,” she said. 

The list of attendees will be small, with around 100 people (compared to, say, the estimated 16,000 of last month’s BIO International Convention), but includes mostly digital specialists, people who work on customer journey and healthcare, and executives. Jacobs said the group is trying to create a diverse roster to serve as many people as possible throughout the event.

Different sized companies will also be represented, she said, including folks from startups and well-established companies to talk about their digital and data priorities.

Ashley Ryneska, the associate director of global communications at Merck, which has U.S. offices in Lansdale and elsewhere in the region, and will serve as a “thought leader” for the conference, speaking about developing a brand’s social media presence.

“I’m looking forward to sharing insights that empower my colleagues to effectively connect online audiences to the science and inventions that are saving lives,” Ryneska said of the conference.

Jacobs believes once the conference is past the inaugural phase, it’ll see a growth in attendees. It will also likely operate on the West Coast next year.

The FWD Pharma conference will run Aug. 6 through 8, and registration costs start at a whopping $1,799.