2024 Trends in Conferences & Exhibit Strategies in the Life Sciences

In the Life Science industry, in-person scientific conferences have always been a valuable channel for the communication and discussion of new and innovative research or breakthroughs. Not only do conference attendees use these opportunities to network, explore, and investigate what is next on the horizon in their fields, they also directly interact with life science vendors to learn about innovative technologies and how best to integrate new solutions into their workflows. Making the most of the information received during these few short days makes planning a successful conference complicated for all involved. Further complicating these murky waters is the pandemic, which forced a shift from traditional in-person conferences to online-only or hybrid solutions. Understanding conference attendee expectations and needs allows both planners and vendors to maximize the potential for positive interactions and creating memorable experiences.

To help vendors/exhibitors and conference organizers better understand attendee preferences for a successful in-person scientific conference, we designed a study to deliver actionable insights to suppliers looking to improve the conference-attendee experience. The outcome is our newest report, “2024 Trends in Conferences & Exhibit Strategies in the Life Sciences”.

The “2024 Trends in Conferences & Exhibit Strategies in the Life Sciences” report features the opinions of scientists regarding scientific conferences which will allow the reader to maximize their positive interactions with attendees and enhance their brand awareness and reputation. The experiences and preferences of 363 life scientists are featured with respect to their preferences on scientific conferences as well as their expectations for exhibit halls. This report also provides actionable information intended to help vendors attract scientists to their exhibit booths and tips to increase their conference lead conversion. The report also features summarized conference attendee personas that track unique aspects which will allow vendors to identify their strategic targets readily.

Specific Topics explored include:

Conference Attendees

• Demographic trends in conference size preferences
• Professional factors influencing conference attendance
• Logistical factors influencing conference attendance
• Motivational factors influencing conference attendance

Attendee Needs and Expectations

• Parameters of scientists' ideal scientific conference
• Entities organizing the "best" scientific conference
• Best times to host a vendor technical training workshop
• Scientists' strategies for visiting exhibit halls
• How exhibit hall visits contribute to recent product purchases
• Advantages that exhibit halls convey for learning about new products
• Factors that encourage exhibit booth visits
• Factors that discourage exhibit booth visits
• How scientists prefer to receive information from exhibit booth vendors
• Popular conference promotional items
• Most disliked aspect of visiting vendor exhibit booths

Trends in Conference Attendance

• Number of in-person, virtual, and hybrid scientific conferences attended annually
• Anticipated changes in in-person, virtual, and hybrid conference attendance in the next 3 years
• Preferences regarding in person, online, or hybrid style conferences