The annual Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers conference is next week in Kissimmee (code word for “Orlando”) Florida! Looking forward to seeing many friends there – on both the client and vendor side – and meeting lots of new folks as well.
If growing your professional network is on your mind, I’ll be leading a session on Wednesday morning at 11 am called Five Ways Social Media will Shape your Future in Pharma, plus hosting a breakfast roundtable Wednesday morning on Social Media and Learning: Would eHarmony Match Them Up?
I’ll also be part of group-led discussion on Vendor Selection (Strategic Sourcing: Meeting Training Stakeholder Needs with Best-in-Class Solution Providers) Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock.
So, what other sessions to attend? Well, looking over the program of workshops, here are some of the sessions that look appealing to me:
Period 1: I like the looks of the session Incorporating Managed Care Training in a Specialty Curriculum (Ed McCarthy/Lynn DiBonaventura), as I get many vendor recommendation requests for both areas. Also tempting is The Younger Generation of Doctors: Understanding and Meeting their Needs (Peter Shaw et. al.), because that one may focus on some of the progressive social media/learning themes that are near to my heart.
Period 2: This time slot is so loaded with good stuff that I may need a bunch of clones! I may well attend the Curriculum Analysis: Why and How session (Bob Holliday/Brenda Goolsby), but frankly, every single session in this period appeals to me – which is very rare. If you need a dose of serious motivation and fun, hang out in Jim Smith’s “Hot Seat” session. There’s some good technology stuff during this period too, with web 2.0 and tablet computing themes. A bunch of my clients and partners are presenting during this time. I don’t think attendees can possibly lose with any of these workshops.
Period 3: This time slot is very heavy on vendor-led sessions – however, a lot of the topics focus on forward-looking themes and boutique areas of interest, which is good. I’m leaning a bit toward Designing and Implementing a Corporate Medicare Communications Platform (Thomas Hromin/Dennis Falci/Steven Shuck), but am also intrigued by the Expanding Coaching workshop.
Period 4: I don’t have much choice here – I’ll be leading a session on Five Ways Social Media will Shape your Future in Pharma. You will walk out with your mind buzzing! If I could skip my own workshop and go incognito into someone else’s, however, I’d probably grab a seat at Developing Business Acumen Training (Garry O’Grady) – definitely a hot topic these days.
Period 5: This is another packed time slot. I don’t know how I’m going to choose between Learning Transfer and Retention (Chris Ayers/Seana Ziliak), Utilizing 3-D Virtual Worlds (Ron Burns/Cindy Skirvin), Key Account Management (John Miller), The Sherpa Project (Bill McDunphy/Dan O’Connor), and Using Competency Models (Diana Kramer/John Sjovall). And some of the other sessions are equally compelling. Wow.
Period 6: Again, my selection is pre-made here, as I’ll be co-leading a panel discussion on Vendor Selection/Strategic Sourcing with Gary Marinko of Proficient Learning. This will be a very lively and interactive session. But maybe I can prop up a cardboard cut-out of myself half-way through and sneak over to the Sales Training for Medical Devices workshop (Philip McCrea/Tom Egan/Darleen Weghorst).
Period 7: I’ve had a long-standing interest in this topic, so I’m likely to be at Bridging the Gap between Training and Marketing Brand Teams (Howard Hessel/Cindy Monastersky) – but otherwise I’d be seriously torn between Training Directors’ Playbook (George Schmidt/Sue Iannone) and Science-Driven Sales (Mark Vince).
These are just my probable choices based on areas of interest for me this year – obviously, you have specific needs and interests that will dictate what you choose. There are some really great presenters/trainers in sessions I haven’t even mentioned.
There are many familiar names in the exhibit hall, but also a good bunch of newer companies. It’ll be enjoyable getting to know new friends and renewing ties with long-standing colleagues.
I am available throughout the entire conference if you wish to network, catch up, or get vendor recommendations from me. In fact, you can download a digital business card with all contact info (including cell): text swoodruff to 50500. I look forward to seeing you in Orlando!
[This blog post from 2 years ago, with a brief video about maximizing your SPBT time and a downloadable form, is still a good resource, esp. for those attending for the first time.]
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[...] Looking Forward to the SPBT Conference – here’s what I’ll be doing, and the workshops that look appealing. Will I see you there? Download my digital business card (see linked post) and let’s get together in Orlando! (SPBT = Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers) [...]
Nice write-up, Steve! Have a great show. I’m going to miss not being part of the action! Looking forward to reading your recap.
[...] Daily will not be published next week, as I will be attending the annual Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers conference (SPBT) in [...]
[...] no good way to give a summary to the variety of workshops that was offered, because I was only able to attend one per time slot, and two of them I led or [...]