AAPS PharmSci 360 2019

San Antonio, also known as the Spirit of Texas, is a city enriched with captivating history. From its discovery by Spanish explorers to the Battle of the Alamo, the deep cultural history of this amazing city can enthrall its visitors for days at a time. And now it’s going to be home to one of the biggest pharmaceutical conferences in the world, AAPS 2019 PharmSci 360.

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) 2019 PharmaSci 360 event is organized by The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and will be held during November 3rd - 6th, 2019 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, in San Antonio, Texas, USA. 

Founded in 1986, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists is a professional, scientific organization of approximately 7,000 individual members and over 10,000 actively participating stakeholders employed in academia, industry, government, and other pharmaceutical science-related research institutes worldwide. [1] The association’s main mission is to advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists in order to develop products and therapies that improve global health, and they sure have scored big with their annual meeting, commonly known by every industry professional as the most important conference to attend if you’re in pharmaceuticals or biotech. 

For such large scale events like AAPS, it can quickly become overwhelming for a team of company attendees, particularly if limited in size. With so much potential ground to cover, making the most of your time and investment is key, so we’ve put a few tips together for planning out your time in San Antonio:

Know the area

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is a giant facility, encompassing over 1,600,000 square feet of meeting space, ballrooms, exhibit halls, and even a theatre. The Grand Hyatt San Antonio, a 1,003 room convention center hotel, has a direct connection with the facility for easy access to the event. 

AAPS PharmSci 360 is the best of both worlds, combining the greatest features of a large scientific event along with the closeness and camaraderie of a niche meeting scenario. The conference is divided into 5 major biomolecular and chemical tracks, covering all areas in the pharmaceutical sciences, including: Preclinical Development, Bioanalytics, Clinical Pharmacology, Manufacturing & Bioprocessing, and Formulation & Quality. What makes this conference particularly interesting is that the Dynamic Solution Center floor is divided into neighborhoods that essentially mirror the tracks, creating a very efficient and effective experience for all attendees. AAPS holds hundreds of exhibitors, dozens of additional workshops, and thousands of scientific posters featuring the latest and most innovative research in the fields. There’s even an area called the Career Development Center offering training as well as opportunities to meet recruiters if desired. Each track is split equally between chemical and biomolecule areas, resulting in 10 sub-tracks covering the research of every facet in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.      

Identify the right companies to meet

With over 20,000 attendees and 500+ exhibitors, more than 100 scientific sessions, 2,200 posters, workshops, and short courses, there will be more than enough opportunities to network with companies from around the world, and in every aspect of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. From early discovery screening technologies to commercial manufacturers, analytical services to biometric software providers, and even regulatory groups, this conference will surely meet your expectations for finding more companies to work with, as well as expanding your knowledge on countless topics. The exhibit halls will have so many booths, it will be very important for you and your team to map out a visiting strategy before attending the event, and luckily the AAPS website can really help with this endeavor. 

There are a few ways to check out the exhibitor booths, plan out your visit schedule, and explore the map before attending the event. Through the interactive exhibition floorplan, you can view each of the booths and the companies occupying them. You may also view the exhibitor list in the side panel, and have the ability to print out the floorplan if needed, making your journey much easier once you’re there. 

Find out who’s going

One of the best ways to set up your meetings and view the full event schedule is through the AAPS scheduling webpage. In the side panel, you will see all of the features available to you, including the following tools:

• Schedule - Here you can view the full schedule, and also browse by Track, Session Type, Speaker, and even do a Keyword search if needed.

• Poster Abstracts - This tool lets you browse the multiple posters presented per topic. 

• Solution Center - Here you can review the interactive floorplan and also browse the booths by Company, Booth Number, or by Track. 

• Networking Activities - This tool lets you view the many networking activities available throughout the event, including the Healthy Start (5k run and yoga), Philanthropy activities, Reception times, and multiple Affiliate-related events. 

• Sponsors - You can search for all Sponsors of the event here. 

• Attendees (login req’d) - After logging in, this is an important tool where you can set up your meetings with other attendees and companies. 

• My Schedule (login req’d) - This helpful tool will manage all of your scheduled meetings and is a must for any business development team. 
  

Wear comfortable footwear 

This point is really worth mentioning, and since exploring this 4-day event has such a long distance to traverse, please make sure to wear your most comfortable footwear in order to avoid those sore puppies during the remainder of the week. You’ll want to be at peak endurance during the show, so be sure to drink plenty of water, and don’t miss out on any important exhibits, sessions, and most of all, meetings! 

Learn more about Zymewire

The best tip is always saved for last, but it’s a good one. We may not be exhibiting, but we would love to hear about your attendance at the event nonetheless. If you are interested in empowering your business development team, please connect with us at Zymewire to learn more about our platform and how we can help propel your sales and marketing teams today!