Case Studies

JTB Asia Pacific Provides High-Quality Services at International Symposium for the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries

Client :Global pharmaceutical company

Industry :Medical pharmaceuticals

Participants :48（including online participants）

Destination :Singapore

Period :Late August 2024

# Case Studies
# Strategic Meetings Management
# Pharmaceutical and Medical
# Asia

Summary

Planning and organizing a symposium for the pharmaceutical industry in Asia, in collaboration with Japanese sales team
Overcoming major challenges to ensure smooth project progression
Selecting JTB staff with expertise in the medical sector as quality manager
Delivering the same high level of hospitality overseas as in Japan

Objectives

JTB Asia Pacific served as on-site quality management in planning and organizing an international symposium for the medical sector held in Singapore by a client pharmaceutical company. This symposium aimed to present specialized products and research findings to Japanese healthcare professionals, as well as to share prescription practices from various countries.

JTB Japan's Division was in charge of managing the client's events in Japan, and through this connection, we were assigned to manage their overseas events as well. Pharmaceutical industry events require negotiating with clients under strict constraints. While adhering to compliance requirements, the symposium needed to set up a venue to host presentations by guest speakers and doctors, as well as create a stress-free environment for participants to listen to the lectures.

Challenges

There were three main issues in this project. The biggest obstacle was the decision, made a mere month before the symposium, for it to be hosted online as well as onsite. There was also a possibility that the shared Wi-Fi network provided by the venue would not be able to handle the required online distribution. Therefore, we urgently had to define the necessary requirements and conduct fast-track negotiations with vendors and facilities.

We had to build a system to respond to client requests in a prompt manner. Although a specialized department of JTB was in charge of events for the pharmaceutical industry, the coordination involved in organizing events had become so complicated that we had to go through several departments to handle the client's requests. For this project, we streamlined our usual multi-team process. We positioned pharmaceutical industry experts for Meetings & Events as direct liaisons between Japan and Singapore. This approach reduced intermediaries, speeding up responses while maintaining our specialized department's high standards.

In addition, we needed to ensure that the production for doctors when they took the stage met their requirements. The process required an appropriate understanding of the doctors' needs and we repeatedly conducted on-site simulations to improve quality.

Key Points

Achieve Japanese-level hospitality while adapting to local business practices
Establish a structure with greater discretionary authority for JTB Asia Pacific
Assign a staff member familiar with the pharmaceutical industry as the quality manager
Conduct thorough simulations of situations where failure was not an option

Solutions

Develop a reliable online environment

To address the issue of slowdowns due to the use of shared Wi-Fi, we implemented measures to install internet lines at the event venue. When it comes to equipment placement, Singapore does not have the same simplicity as Japan. We therefore selected the plan and defined all the requirements, making full use of the knowledge gained of the event up to that point. Prompt communication, preparation, and negotiation with all parties involved allowed us to create a suitable online environment smoothly before the start of the symposium.

Demonstrated skills as a project leader

We restructured the system to facilitate collaboration for symposiums overseas. Originally, the team from JTB Japan's Division in charge of the pharmaceutical industry took the lead of the project, but JTB Asia Pacific Division in the host region has stepped in between and created an organization capable of promoting the project. In cooperation with JTB Japan's Division, we also reviewed our administrative structure, such as forms, and created improvements which lead to the time required to respond to clients being cut in half.

Assign staff with extensive knowledge of the medical industry as quality management

Symposiums in the medical and pharmaceutical industries are subject to strict compliance requirements in many countries. Compliance was essential, but we understood any lack of knowledge would cause delays in confirmations and other operations., and delay the project. For this symposium, we assigned a member of our team with many years of experience in organizing events in the medical industry as the quality manager. This was to ensure that the project would be carried out under the appropriate conditions.

Responding to unexpected problems

On the day of the event, a background announcement was initially planning to be handled by our client, but the client had to attend a doctor. Therefore, one of our team experienced in facilitation was suddenly called in and took the podium to facilitate the event smoothly.

Uncompromising hospitality down to the smallest detail

We were in charge of editing and preparing the program leaflet for participants where we designed a clear and easy-to-read layout. We ensured that we delivered the same high level of hospitality we would for an event in Japan. This included the overall progress during the day, operations, transportation arrangements and schedule management, including arranging hired cars to coincide with flight times for participants.

Conclusion

The symposium held in Singapore was a great success. The key was our ability to establish a structure that allowed us to strengthen the collaboration of the JTB global network, allowing our knowledge of the medical-pharmaceutical industry to be applied overseas. Another factor was our human resources, which enabled us to select staff with deep experience in the pharmaceutical industry to lead the project.

Our organization in hospitality made it possible for us to respond smoothly to problems that arose. Our greatest strength is our ability to respond flexibly to local conditions. We are committed to delivering successful international events by always demonstrating a high level of hospitality while accommodating necessary requirements.

Project Lead

Yuichiro Takahata

JTB(Thailand) Limited.
Bangkok Office
GBS Department
Manager (SMM Quality Management, Corporate Planning Division, APHQ)

Account sales and meeting planner for Japanese, international pharma for 11years.Quality management for SMM(Strategic Meeting Management) in Asia pacific area for 1 year.