Ahead of CPHI Milan, Contract Pharma got a sneak preview of what to expect at the event from Adam Andersen, Executive Vice President, Pharma at Informa Markets. 
 
Contract Pharma: Reflecting on the 35th anniversary of CPHI, how has the event evolved in terms of scale, scope, and impact on the global pharmaceutical industry since its inception?
 
Adam Andersen: CPHI has not evolved in isolation, we have grown alongside the industry in those 35 years, and outsourcing and globalized supply chains are now integral to the industry – so CPHI has very much contributed to this growth. We have gone from just few hundred attendees to over 62,000 expected this year. 
 
One of the main reasons for this is that we have always tried to listen to customers and adapted our offering as industry needs and expectations change. So, for example, the CDMO part of the show has grown massively over the last 15 years and more recently we continue to bring in bioprocessing supply chain to the event through the expanding BioProduction zone.
 
Contract Pharma: What are the key highlights that attendees can look forward to at this year’s CPHI event, and how do they reflect the current trends in the pharmaceutical industry?
 
Adam Andersen: The CPHI celebration is something we are very proud of as contributing to the industry for this length of time is no easy feat and should be rightly celebrated. So, we have Awards ceremony as part of that, but also a few inspiring ways to honour the industry, such as the ‘Pharma Champions’ – where we celebrate those that have made big contributions to advancing science. 
 
However, being back in Lombardy itself is also a big positive as it is one of the true centres of pharma manufacturing – and was voted the best location in Europe for pharma manufacturing in a recent CPHI survey. So, it’s exciting to be in a location that is really at the heart of pharma in Europe. BioProduction is another big highlight, and you will see this part of the show become much bigger in the years ahead – not just in Europe but globally as well.
 
The final aspect we have strived to improve is to make CPHI not just a fantastic business and networking event, but also an enjoyable experience. We recognise that with global partners, and often global teams spread out around the world, CPHI is integral part of building people to people connections. It’s a social event as well as being vital for business and this means it’s important, we offer a really engaging event with lots to do, and post event activities.
 
Contract Pharma: Over the past few decades, how has Informa Markets adapted to the changing landscape of the industry to maintain the event’s relevance and influence?
 
Adam Andersen: The industry has become much bigger and more diverse and more global. So, in practical terms that means we have a much wider spread of company types attending at CPHI and you can see the shift directly on the show floor. Three decades ago, there would have been no CDMOs, but now we have over 600 at the event, and increasingly we see new technology innovators and, of course, the bioprocessing and bioproduction participation is growing quickly.
 
As the industry is also much more global, it’s why we have launched new events as market requirements change. For example, in China we introduced a CPHI Shenzhen event this year so that we can empower the expanding Greater Bay Region. While later this year we are very excited to introduce CPHI Middle East in Riyadh which is designed to support the ambitious goals of both the Government and industry here – as they work towards building a new regional pharma manufacturing infrastructure.
 
Contract Pharma: Looking ahead, what are Informa Markets’ strategic plans for CPHI over the next 3-5 years, particularly in terms of expanding its global footprint and integrating new technological advancements?
 
Adam Andersen: Improving our mobile app has been a major addition to the event in the last few years, and much of onsite experience now begins in a very personalised way through the app in the run up the event. In the next few years, you will continue to see CPHI expand the year-round sales process and helping our audiences connect digitally as well as in person at events.
 
Contract Pharma: Sustainability is a growing focus across industries. How is CPHI addressing sustainability in its events, and what initiatives can we expect to see in the future to support a more sustainable pharmaceutical industry?
 
Adam Andersen: It’s such a big issue for the world and for pharma and you cannot fail to notice the increasing role we see for this theme at our events. We are contributing in two main ways: one looking at the onsite footprint and reducing carbon impact with everything from local suppliers to our Better Stands program. But we are also helping empower the industry with new content resources, such as our annual sustainability report and a special sustainability theatre – the latter exploring everything from green chemistry to scope 3 emissions. One other new programme we are very excited to launch is the ‘sustainability collective’, which is where are centring debate and invite industry professionals to join. The aim is to help shape a more sustainable future for the pharmaceutical industry worldwide.