It was great to wake up in my own bed this morning. I’m sure several of the road warriors on our sales team felt the same way. It’s been a busy couple weeks on the conference circuit—Palm Springs, New York City, San Francisco and back to the Big Apple—and we’re just getting warmed up.
Why do we do this to ourselves—traveling across the country, fighting flight delays and cancellations, battling not one but two named winter storms, living in hotels, and having to be “on” all the time with never enough sleep?
Because, even with all the ways we have to connect today, there is still no substitute for face-to-face interaction.
Here’s where I and some of my Rx Savings colleagues spent much of the past two weeks, and a few highlights from each stop:
Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute, March 5-7, Palm Springs â Great conference in a great venue with a lot of industry players, namely large and small PBMs but also some in the specialty space. We were also able to connect with a couple of huge prospects we’ve been talking with for a long time.
Conference Board Employee Health Conference, March 8-9, New York â Winter Storm Quinn threatened this “A-caliber” event, but more than 1,000 attendees still made it. Pharmacy prices were a hot topic, starting with the opening address and, naturally, just about everyone we talked to.
Integrated Benefits Institute, March 12-14, San Francisco â I had the opportunity to speak on IBI’s “People First” panel, along with three others. Many topics were covered but all with an underlying theme of innovation and technology. Great exposure for Rx Savings, both from a product and mission standpoint. Many thanks to Gary Earl, consultant and “Disruptor for Change,” for introducing us to this outstanding conference.
SBG Pharmacy Summit, March 12-14, New York â This resembled the Conference Board in more ways than one: another winter storm (Skylar) but also the same strong caliber of attendees, many of whom we were able to continue conversations with from the previous week. The dinner cruise was a fantastic networking opportunity, and I was able to speak on my second panel in two days—just 2,905 miles apart!
Like I said, it’s great to be home for a while. But every time we hit the road, I’m reminded of how valuable these events are. The people you meet. The stories we hear and share. The doors that open. The opportunities that emerge that weren’t there yesterday. Most gratifying is the feedback and interest we hear, and the realization that our mission is resonating with so many people and organizations.
If we thought March was pure conference madness, we’ve got six more shows coming up in April. If you’re headed to any of these events, we hope to see and connect with you there.
