The fourth annual IQPC sponsored cold-chain conference was held in Brussels, Belgium, on January 31st and February 1st, 2006. The event was well attended and the comments were mixed with about 170 delegates, mostly from the EU states in attendance. This was about twice the size of last years conference as interest in cold chain management and best practices continues to gain momentum. There was, for the first time I can recall, representation from a commercial supplier from Russia.

There was plenty of new, valuable discussion on regulatory trends presented by John Taylor of MHRA in the UK, Greg McGurk from the Irish Medicines Board , and Rafik Bishara from the PDA in the U.S.

Of particular interest was a presentaion made by Petra Kleditzsch, Merck KGaA, regarding their efforts in forming a multi-pharmaceutical team within Europe who are developing a guideline on validation methods for refrigerated trucks, and quality agreements for cold-chain partners and suppliers. Merck has long been in the forefront of developing sound cold-chain management practices and their leadership and willingness to share information among their colleagues in the industry is admirable.

However, the general comments I heard from the attendees echoed what many in North America have recently expressed. Many delegates complained about the diminishing return on the value of repetitive presentations year-to-year and the increased cost to their organizations. Others were dissatisfied with the amount of presentations which differed from those outlined in the program. What can commercial conference organizations do to remain viable, sustain interest and encourage additional attendance?

Your comments welcomed...