True to its slogan “At the heart of pharma,” CPhI 2024 in Milan was one of the largest pharmaceutical trade fairs globally, attracting 62,000 attendees and 2,400 exhibiting companies. For the BENEO Pharma Team, attending CPhI is one of the most important events of the year, and this year, we were excited to spotlight BENEO at CPhI 2024 Milan with our innovative filler-binder, galenIQ™. Personally, this year was particularly special for me, as it marked my first time being involved in the entire planning process. Naturally, I hoped everything would go well.
Day 1: Arrival and Preparation – Team Work Makes the Dream Work
My day began very early with a flight from Frankfurt to Milan. Most of the team, including my colleagues Michael Black (Head of Sales Pharma), Maj-Britt Cepok (Head of Business Development Pharma), Oliver Luhn (Head of Pharmaceutical Technology), Laura Baro (Project Manager Events) and Larry Walsh (Sales Manager Pharma & Nutraceuticals) arrived early in Milan and after having a coffee, Laura and I began preparing our booth. Sharing a booth with our sister division Südzucker, we received great support from their colleagues as well. After settling in at the hotel other colleagues joined us and we all enjoyed a nice dinner together, which was a perfect start to a busy week.
Day 2: The Fair Begins – A Buzzing Booth with High Interest in BENEO’s galenIQ™ at CPhI in Milan
After a good night’s sleep and an early breakfast, we were ready for the first day of the fair. A rather long metro ride brought us to the very crowded venue, where BENEO at CPhI 2024 Milan was finally coming to life. At our booth, we were joined by Charlotte Keulen (Digital projects manager marketing communication), who was with us for the first two days to support us in creating content to promote our pharmaceutical filler-binder galenIQ™ on LinkedIn and other channels. Our schedule was quite full with many pre-arranged meetings with sales network partners (SNPs) and customers, discussing current topics and catching up. Additionally, many visitors stopped by to learn more about galenIQ™, with my colleagues always ready for detailed discussions.
Especially our new sample tablets were a highlight, drawing a lot of attention. galenIQ™ is perfectly suitable to make great-tasting chewable tablets and compressed lozenges. Our unique tablet prototypes not only looked impressive but also allowed visitors to taste and experience the benefits of using galenIQ™ in these applications.
The day concluded with a team dinner with SNPs from all over the world. It was a great opportunity to catch up with everyone and finally meet many people face-to-face. The food was excellent, and the evening was very enjoyable.
Day 3: galenIQ™ as Ingredient of Choice for Nutraceuticals
The second day of BENEO’s presence at CPhI 2024 Milan continued as busy as the first one with many interested visitors to our booth and very inspiring talks. Additionally, Michael also had the pleasure to talk to the online magazine NutritionInsight. They exchanged about trends in nutraceuticals and that galenIQ™ is an excipient of choice for these applications because of its balanced sweet taste and excellent mouthfeel. Find out what he additionally talked about by watching his video.
The second day concluded with a happy hour at the booth with customers, prospects and partners.
Day 4: Wrapping Up a Successful Event for BENEO at CPhI 2024 Milan
The third day of the fair was more relaxed. While the majority was about to leave Milan in the evening, we of course still met customers.
Reflecting on the week, it was clear that BENEO’s presence at CPhI 2024 in Milan had been a busy and successful experience. The fair provided an excellent platform to reconnect with existing partners and meet new potential clients. It is also always a great opportunity for catching up with colleagues from around the world.
I am pleased that we had a successful fair, everything went smoothly, and I am already looking forward to next year.