In today’s digital age, in-person interactions remain invaluable. While technology facilitates remote connections, face-to-face communication offers unique benefits. Discover the importance of personal interactions gained at clinical research conferences and in-person meetings.
My colleague, Mike Lakey, and I recently returned from the Outsourcing in Clinical Trials Conference in Southern California (San Diego).
I am based in the U.K. when I am not travelling. Therefore, you can imagine it was a monumental trip over the “pond” for me. One that has benefits as well as challenges. First, there is the obvious time-zone change, which is never helped by the fact that I just can’t sleep on planes.
Even with out-of-office notifications in place, the daily churn of emails and project work doesn’t pause for conferences. After an 8–9-hour day of sessions and post-event networking dinners, I’d crack open my laptop to tackle emails until my eyes refused to stay open, usually around 11 p.m. local time. But in San Diego, two time zones behind my usual rhythm, my body clock would wake me at 2 a.m. and keep me in a restless loop until 5 a.m.
Still, I choose this lifestyle. International clinical trial conferences and client meetings are part of my rhythm, and I’ve learned to function on less than four hours of sleep a night when needed. It’s a challenge, yes, but one I embrace.
In-person Networking at Clinical Research Conferences
Mike and I had the pleasure of spending time with valued partners and forging new friendships. Special shout-outs to our booth neighbors, Courtenay Jensen and Rob Kingston from Peachtree BioResearch Solutions, and the team from MAC Clinical Research, especially Dr. Mark Dale and Dr. Shoona Vincent. I also had a fantastic conversation with Anders Millerhovf from Clinical Trial Consultants AB in Sweden, where we bonded over the shared experience of time-zone shock and the undeniable value of face-to-face networking.
My time away didn’t stop there, and I swiftly moved one time zone closer to home with stops in Boston and Connecticut, connecting with clients and colleagues. Being a few precious hours closer to home meant I was able to increase my sleep from 3-5 hours a night, which was gratefully received.
Since the shift to remote work post-COVID, Imperial has made a conscious effort to keep our team camera-ready, encouraging face-to-face interaction whenever possible. The smiles and convivial conversation we can participate in and enjoy over a Teams or Zoom meeting make day-to-day interaction so much better. We feel more connected even when we live thousands of miles apart.
In-person Encounters Offer Expanded Assessment of Needs
Yet the reality is, there’s so much we miss by not being together in person. Body language, the strength and enthusiasm (or lack of it) in a handshake, and the sense of whether a laugh was polite or if it genuinely exuded warmth.
When you walk past a booth at a clinical trial conference and are drawn into discussions by a warm smile and happy tone of conversation, only to discover useful and tangible insights that can benefit your organization, that would otherwise have gone unnoticed using a website or email alone for reference.
When the around-the-room hugs with clients both before and after a governance meeting cement the value both sides place in the shared partnership. Going that extra mile and taking the time to explore and discuss not just what a client asks for, but what a client actually needs, stands at the center of the approach Imperial takes with our clients.
The Importance of Body Language and Non-Verbal Cues
Researchers at Yale used a novel method of measuring brain activity to answer the question, can virtual meetings engage participants to the same degree as in-person, face-to-face meetings? The findings indicate that virtual meetings produced substantially less activity in brain areas associated with facial processing and social interaction.
In virtual meetings, we miss out on most non-verbal cues. This makes it harder to notice subtle signals, like when someone verbally agrees, but their body language suggests otherwise. While virtual meetings provide a richer experience than email for quick updates, in-person meetings remain the gold standard for a true interpersonal experience.
And this approach to interaction is reinforced when a client sends out a post-meeting email that makes your entire work trip and lack of sleep worth every moment, because you know that they totally understood why it was so important to take that time out from busy schedules. To connect, to listen, to learn, and to pause all other activities, just for a few hours, so that 100% of the focus is on the partnership and the faces right in front of you.
My Imperial colleague Liz and I share a welcome margarita moment between back-to-back meetings, overnight laptop marathons, and shifting time zones.
I view in-person interaction on trips like this as an eclipse, a sudden ring of light. The smiles get broader, job satisfaction and productivity increase. It’s not a pot of gold that awaits us at the end of a rainbow. It’s friendship and long-standing respect for others.
Thank you to all the clients I had the pleasure of meeting at clinical trial conferences and other in-person meetings, and to my colleagues Mike, Dan, and Liz for stepping into my whirlwind work trips. Your presence made all the difference.
Upcoming Clinical Research Conference
Please stop by our booth (#40) at SCOPE Europe 2025 in Barcelona to learn more about how we can simplify your clinical trials, or visit our website at https://www.imperialcrs.com/.
Other Blogs from Imogen
Harnessing the Power of Print and Digital Clinical Trial Materials
Don’t Let Clinical Study Delays Derail Timelines
Clinical Trial Binders: Are You Doing It the Hard Way?