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Lessons Learned at Veeva Systems European R&D Forum
From May 30th to June 1st the Valiance team was in Copenhagen for the 3rd annual Veeva Systems European R&D Forum. For those who weren’t able to make it, here’s what you missed and some of my tips for how to get the most of future trade show events.
What is the Veeva Systems European R&D Forum?
This annual event is the place to be for manufacturing, regulatory and IT employees in the pharma and biotech industries considering a move away from their current technology to Veeva. Event attendance this year nearly doubled from last, with everyone looking for the latest from Veeva and its partners. As a Veeva partner, Valiance not only showcased and presented at the event, but we were also a proud sponsor.
Over the course of three days, attendees had plenty of opportunities to attend sessions that were scheduled to correspond with job functionalities and responsibilities, such as clinical, quality and regulatory. My colleague and managing director of Valiance Partners David Katzoff co-hosted a session along with the Veeva Director of Services Engagement, Henri Valentin. They spoke to a captivated audience about how to plan a successful migration, sharing recent experiences and lessons learned.
Don’t Miss Out on Veeva Systems Insights… or the Giveaways
In our sponsor booth, Valiance hosted a giveaway promotion for the newest Amazon Echo. Everyone who visited us at the booth and/or attended our presentation was entered into the drawing. While this contest was only available for event attendees, everyone can still access the free whitepaper below with Veeva product insight – download our whitepaper and take the migraine out of migrations.
Taking the Migraine out of Migrations
Read about how to plan and execute a successful migration to Veeva Vault that avoids common pitfalls and keeps your project on time and on budget.
Tom’s Top Three Tradeshow Tips
In my years of experience, I’ve attended my fair share of conferences, forums and events. On the heels of the Veeva Systems European R&D Forum and as we prepare for the Veeva Systems Global R&D Summit this October in Philadelphia, I would like to share my top three tips on how to optimize your time at a tradeshow:
Tip #1: Don’t pass by a booth just because you already know the company.
If you have the time, spend a few minutes at the booth of a familiar company – they will have new information to share about clients doing exactly what you might be doing. While we do plenty of educating on our company and offerings in our booth, we also love hearing from existing customers and sharing special offers, promotions and relevant updates.
Tip #2: Network! Network! Network!
Perusing booths and attending educational sessions or workshops are important, but my priority when attending an event like Veeva Systems European R&D Forum is to network. It’s so important for me to talk to as many current customers, new prospects and partners as possible. Not only does this help keep me in the loop of new industry trends and topics, but also builds relationships.
Tip #3: Connect with companies and speakers before you go.
In today’s digital world you can expect any event to publish the list of sponsors and speakers on the event’s or/and company website. If you see a company that you would like to meet with at the event – whether it’s to learn more about the company, explore a specific topic, network with a particular thought leader or to schedule some one-on-one time for a software demo or consultation – engage with them on their company website or LinkedIn page. Speaking from my own experience, we are more than willing to meet and connect with those who raise their hand.
Tip #4: Visit with event sponsors – especially if your company is hosting the event!
When a company takes the time and effort to host an event, it surprises me that some don’t take the time to visit with event sponsors. This is a missed opportunity! In the period of a year, much has often changed with a sponsor, and having hosts mingle with sponsors can be very enlightening. I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be talking to a manager or rep and they’ll say, “I didn’t realize that.” You’ll never regret learning about a product update or new approach to solving a tricky problem.
For more information about future Veeva events, please click here: Veeva Systems Events
For our upcoming event schedule, including where we’ll be next, please click here: Valiance News and Events
To download our free whitepaper featuring Veeva Vault migrations, please click here: Taking the Migraine out of Migrations
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Witmer, Vice President of Business Development
Tom Witmer is head of business development for Valiance Partners. With nearly forty years of sales and sales leadership experience in enterprise software companies in the database and content management space, Tom specializes in serving the life sciences and software industries.
