The global medical manufacturing industry is booming—biotech, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies from around the world are eager to meet with healthcare professionals to introduce them to innovations that are constantly emerging. What does this mean for Kelowna? With Canada leading the way in pharmaceutical research and development, it means a greater opportunity to attract more meetings from across the country to our destination.
Medical meeting planners from various associations and corporations must consider a multitude of factors when selecting appropriate destinations and venues. Manufacturers must comply with strict regulations when any transfer of value occurs and many jurisdictions around the world require detailed reporting, that is often shared publicly, in order to ensure transparency and compliance within the healthcare field.
To help their partners understand the complexities involved in hosting meetings for this industry, Destination Canada sponsored an intensive Healthcare Meetings Compliance Certificate (HMCC) Program, delivered by its founder, Pat Schaumann, Manager of the HMCC Program for Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Director, Life Science Development for McVeigh Global Meetings & Events.
Both myself and my colleague, Pat Gappmayr, have now completed the certification and will be able to better position Kelowna as a suitable destination for medical meetings, guiding our partners on preparing proposals that align with the integrity mandates of various organizations. As medical meeting experts look to work with destinations and venues that have HMCC designation, our team is now ready to share our expertise and to welcome more meetings, events, and conferences from this thriving industry.
For more information on the HMCC designation or Tourism Kelowna's meetings and conferences program, please contact me at nicolle@tourismkelowna.com or (587) 716-5599.
