5 things to get right at Digital Pharma East this week

5 things to get right at Digital Pharma East this week

AI and machine learning, omnichannel marketing and HCP engagement will be hot topics at DPE 2023.

While this year’s Digital Pharma East isn’t the event’s first post-pandemic appearance, it might be the first one that feels normal.

“You won’t have a mask wrapped around your hand,” quipped Akeel Williams, VP of strategy and operations at GoodRx.

But beyond the easing of COVID-19 anxiety, Digital Pharma East 2023 arrives with less of a sense of uncertainty about the future.

“What I’m looking forward to is getting on with the business of the business, so to speak, and to actually make plans that don’t have these disruptive, unpredictable, highly variable activities to plan for,” Williams said.

Among the topics set to generate interest at the event are AI and machine learning, omnichannel marketing and the digital-first future. But attendees should also make time for networking and, well, fun. Here are five things to get right at DPE 2023.

AI

“AI is hot at every conference that’s on our radar, and DPE is no exception,” said Carly Kuper, SVP, public relations and corporate communications at CMI Media Group. “Everyone is talking about how generative AI is going to change everything in our lives, but I’m seeing a lot of content that focuses on the other aspects of AI as well.”

Omnichannel marketing redux

Omnichannel will remain top-of-mind at DPE this year. This time around, however, it’s less about omnichannel and more about what Amanda Preto, VP of marketing at CMI Media Group, calls “omni-dynamics.”

“We’ve moved on from the multichannel way of marketing. Omni-dynamics is an even more technology-based, seamless delivery of messaging in a personalized manner to audiences,” Preto explained.

A digital heat-check

HCP engagement and reaching providers at the point of care will be a big part of this year’s DPE conversation. “I’ll be looking forward to hearing about what’s out there around the point of prescribing,” Williams said.

The changing regulatory environment

Recently, the Biden administration released the list of the first 10 drugs that will be included under Medicare’s new negotiating power. While the implementation of lower prices is still a few years away, pharma marketers will soon need to come up with strategies on how to adapt to the new set of regulatory rules. Similarly, they will need to respond to regulatory questions around AI — specifically, how it might be used in healthcare in the long-term and what types of guardrails may be erected.

Don’t forget to have fun

Beyond the conference content, a good part of the magic of large conferences like DPE is what happens outside the panels and sessions.

“I think these conversations can help iron sharpen iron, and make everyone better,” Williams said. “The more people you know, the more ideas you get and the more expansive your thinking can be.”