Exhibitor Showcases - The First “Networking” Event at Informex

For the Informex veteran, even though the Exhibit floor is still a day away, Tuesday is the traditional start of the show. For the initiated, the first stop after registration is always the Exhibitor and Technology Showcase Program. The hallways outside the Showcases constitute what should be considered the actual first networking event at Informex, as hundreds of people congregate and catch up before the 9am kick-off. The 2009 inaugural ‘hang out’ in San Francisco is no different than years past as customers and suppliers run into each other, old colleagues catch up on who is working for what company and Informex first-timers are introduced to the network of people who have been serving the fine and specialty chemicals marketplace for years.

For relatively informal affairs, the Showcases are remarkably well attended. Presenters pop up onto the stage, plug in PowerPoint bearing laptops, set the microphone height and start right in. The diligent Showcase attendee can get an in-depth look at more than 15 companies in a day here.

If you haven’t been to any of these presentations before, most follow an ‘infomercial’ format – where a company gives a 15-20 minute overview of its capabilities. While the majority of presentations at this year’s event are focusing on custom manufacturing capability services & facilities for the pharmaceutical industry, you can discover a number of very different experiences including presentations focused on specific products, ‘green’ technology, biotech applications and even economic development agencies seeking to draw business to their country. The audience is a broad cross section of sourcing professionals, R&D types interested in new technology and, yes, even competitors. Every presentation ends in a Q&A session that is generally pretty quiet. After which the truly interested people make their way to the front of the room with a few private words with the speaker.

Once again this year, every slot on the Program for Showcase Day has been filled - with more than 100 companies giving 125 presentations.

While the presentations are going on, the hallways surrounding get quiet for a few moments. But since each presentation maxes out at 20 minutes, those same hallways are full and buzzing quickly enough – helping to create the bridges between people that make this business work.