Medical congresses are a hub of innovation, connection, and opportunity. They’re where groundbreaking research is unveiled, ideas are exchanged, and relationships with HCPs are strengthened. But to truly make an impact, you need a strategy that’s as dynamic as the congress itself—one that ensures your message cuts through the noise, your engagement feels authentic, and your insights lead to real results.
Here’s how to optimize your pre-, during-, and post-congress plans with tools designed to help you connect with your audience, refine your approach, and maximize results:
Pre-congress: set the stage
Engage: build anticipation
The lead-up to a medical congress is your chance to spark curiosity and start conversations. It’s not about overwhelming your audience but priming them with content that resonates. Get in front of HCPs to share educational materials and teaser campaigns tailored to the event’s key themes.
- Introduce the topics or research you’ll be presenting.
- Share thought-provoking questions or preview new findings to ignite discussion.
Insights: plan smarter
By tapping into ongoing discussions and trends, you can see what’s already capturing HCP attention. Use these insights to refine your congress agenda, focusing on the themes and sessions that will have the greatest impact.
- Identify trending topics and align your messaging with HCP interests.
- Adjust your plans based on real-world peer-to-peer conversations.
Success in action: driving awareness with intention
Sermo is a proven partner, helping its clients fine-tune their outreach before congresses, driving higher engagement and attendance by focusing on what truly matters to HCPs.
During congress: expand and adapt
Engage: reach beyond the room
Not everyone can attend congresses in person—but that doesn’t mean they should miss out.
- Record sessions and make them accessible on-demand to a global audience.
- Host live discussions to engage virtual attendees and spark real-time conversations.
Insights: stay agile
How do you know if your congress strategy is working? The answer is in the data. Track engagement, collect feedback, and understand what’s landing with your audience—all in real time. Use live polls or session ratings to gather immediate insights from attendees.
- Monitor trends to adjust your strategy on the fly and keep your approach relevant.
Success in action: on-demand HFSA annual meeting
To amplify insights from the Heart Failure Society of America Annual Meeting, Sermo hosted a peer-led discussion featuring experts from Duke and Mount Sinai, sponsored by a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer. With editorial guidance tailored to the panel’s expertise, we engaged U.S. cardiologists and PCPs in a dynamic conversation that extended the meeting’s impact far beyond the event.
Post-congress: maintain the momentum
Engage: continue the conversation
Congress may be over, but your work isn’t. The post-event period is a golden opportunity to share key takeaways, reinforce your message, and keep the conversation alive.
- Publish congress highlights or bite-sized content to sustain engagement.
- Host post-event discussions or Q&As to dive deeper into hoEngaget topics.
Insights: learn and improve
Post-congress feedback is a treasure trove of insights. Sermo RealTime makes it easy to collect attendee perspectives and analyze what worked, what didn’t, and how to make your next congress even better.
- Gather data on session popularity, speaker effectiveness, and overall impact.
- Use feedback to optimize future Congress strategies and keep your efforts evolving.
Success in action: boosting education with bite-sized video content
To enhance message recall among Italian cardiologists and PCPs, Sermo launched an interactive, unbranded video campaign featuring poll engagement. Highlighting real-world evidence from a meta-study of 430K cardiology patients, the three-month initiative achieved 2x the targeted video views, reinforcing key insights through concise, impactful content.
Continuously improve: stay ahead of the curve
Great congress strategies don’t just happen—they’re built on a foundation of continuous learning. By analyzing trends and refining your approach with insights you can stay ahead of shifting priorities, ensuring your future events remain relevant, impactful, and memorable.
Success in action: real time insights to measure your global congress strategy
To evaluate the success of an international congress strategy and gather post-congress feedback, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer collaborated with Sermo to conduct a comprehensive quantitative study involving over 150 healthcare professionals. The study targeted Rheumatologists, Endocrinologists, Orthopedic Surgeons, Geriatricians, PCPs, and Traumatologists across the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland.
The project’s success was attributed to several key factors:
- Exclusive HCP panel & partners: Sermo’s proprietary panel of healthcare professionals and trusted partners ensured precise recruitment and reliable data collection, accurately meeting project quotas
- Management & setup: Efficient project organization and seamless execution
- Incentives handling: Effective management of participant incentives
- Programming: Robust and reliable programming processes
- Translations: High-quality translations facilitated clear communication and accurate data collection across multiple languages, preserving response integrity
Medical congresses are evolving—and with Sermo, your strategy can too. From building anticipation to creating meaningful engagement and capturing actionable feedback, Sermo seamlessly integrates into every phase of your congress journey, helping you make each event better than the last.
Ready to see how Sermo can elevate your congress strategy? Let’s get started!
On behalf of Sermo, thank you for checking out our playbook for making the most of every medical congress in 2025 . This is just one of the many use cases of native engagement opportunities and insights with RealTime studies on Sermo.
At Sermo, we turn physician experience, expertise, and observations into actionable insights for the global healthcare community. Engaging with more than 1 million HCPs across 150 countries, we provide physicians with a social platform that fosters impactful peer-to-peer collaboration & discussions about issues that are important to them and their patients. Sermo offers on-demand access to physicians via a suite of proprietary technology to provide business intelligence that benefits pharmaceutical, healthcare partners and the medical community at large.
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