4 Proven Event Formats for Launching Your Next Pharmaceutical Product

  • Event Management News
Apple event 2021

This is an exciting time for your pharmaceutical company. 

You’ve spent countless hours doing R&D, passed all regulatory requirements, and you’re finally ready to bring a revolutionary new product to market. But whether this is your first launch or your fiftieth one, you know this phase is only the beginning. 

An engaging introduction to the market is crucial for your new product’s success. So, how do you effectively engage your audience, increase brand awareness and trust, and ensure your product starts off on the right foot—all at the same time

You plan a successful product launch event.

In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of planning a memorable pharmaceutical event to launch your next product. Let’s dive in! 

What Is Experiential Marketing, and Why Does It Matter?

Whether you’ve gawked at the lineups outside an Apple Store the week after an Apple Event or stumbled upon a unique pop-up during your lunch break, one thing is for certain: experiential marketing is more popular and more effective than ever!

Experiential marketing—sometimes also referred to as event marketing—consists of direct, one-on-one engagement with the consumer in a branded offline or hybrid experience

At its core, experiential marketing encourages interactivity, engages the consumer’s senses, and helps to promote a positive, humanized brand impression that can be seen, heard, and felt.

Pharmaceutical companies can learn from the success of companies like Apple who use event marketing to generate serious buzz and sell out their new products. 

GET THE HANDBOOK: Not sure how to choose the right event management platform for your needs? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered

Key Considerations for Pharmaceutical Event Planning

The first thing you should consider is the type of event that would ultimately make your launch more successful. The key is to create something that your audience will find engaging, informative, and memorable.

For instance, if your audience is healthcare professionals, you might consider a webinar series to launch your product and provide training. Or if you’re looking to connect with the general public, a virtual press conference with medical experts might work best.  

In general, pharmaceutical launch events typically involve a combination of educational presentations, panel discussions with experts, and media engagement to generate awareness and interest in the new product. 

Pharmaceutical Product Launch

4 Top Formats for Your Next Pharmaceutical Event

Next, let’s discuss the best event formats for your next pharma product launch: 

1. Keynote Event

Delivering a keynote address at a major conference is a powerful way to launch your latest pharmaceutical product. This format allows you to showcase your latest innovation on a prominent stage, often in front of thousands of healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry leaders!

A compelling keynote typically features a charismatic speaker—such as a renowned expert or company executive—who delivers an engaging presentation that highlights the groundbreaking science, clinical benefits, and patient impact of the new product. 

For example, at the 2017 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, Novartis delivered a keynote address to launch their new psoriasis treatment, Cosentyx. The presentation featured impressive efficacy data and patient testimonials, generating buzz and excitement among dermatologists in attendance. 

Keynote addresses are ideal for hybrid events, as many are live streamed to reach a global audience. So if you’re looking for a way to elevate your brand and inspire a highly targeted audience of healthcare professionals, a keynote with a strong media focus is ideal.

LEARN MORE: 35 Creative Product Launch Event Ideas to Try This Year

2. Industry Trade Shows and Conferences

Trade shows and conferences are the perfect place to connect with healthcare professionals, industry experts, and potential partners or investors. These events provide an ideal platform to showcase the latest drugs, therapies, and medical devices your company has to offer. 

For example, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting—the world’s largest oncology conference—is a prime venue for pharmaceutical companies to present clinical trial results and introduce new cancer therapies. 

Consider setting up exhibits, delivering presentations, and holding press conferences to generate interest in your product among the medical community and media. 

Plus, by engaging with healthcare professionals and industry leaders at these events, your company can effectively raise awareness about your new product and establish valuable connections within the industry. It’s a win-win!

3. Virtual Press Conference

When launching a new pharmaceutical product, consider hosting a virtual press conference. Doing so allows you to effectively reach a wide audience of journalists, healthcare professionals, and industry stakeholders. 

A well-organized virtual press conference typically includes presentations by company executives, medical experts, and key opinion leaders, followed by a Q&A session. 

For example, Biogen held a virtual press conference in June 2020 to announce the FDA approval of their Alzheimer’s drug, Aducanumab. The event included presentations by company executives, medical experts, and patient advocates, discussing the drug’s potential to slow cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s patients.

Ultimately, virtual press conferences allow your company to deliver a compelling narrative around your new product, generate media coverage, and build excitement among relevant stakeholders—all without breaking the bank. 

LEARN MORE: Healthcare Events: Ideas for Every Size and Type

4. Webinar Series

Webinars are another powerful format to launch your latest pharmaceutical product. This format allows you to deliver in-depth, informative content that showcases the science behind your new product while providing valuable insights to medical experts. 

A well-structured webinar series typically consists of multiple sessions spread over a period of time, each focusing on a specific aspect of the new product, such as its mechanism of action, clinical trial results, and patient management strategies. 

Gilead Sciences, for instance, successfully launched its hepatitis C medication, Harvoni, in 2014 through a series of educational webinars. These events highlighted the drug’s high efficacy and convenient single-pill regimen, providing healthcare professionals with the knowledge and confidence to prescribe the new treatment. 

By leveraging event management software, a webinar series can help your company educate and engage with healthcare professionals and ultimately drive the adoption of your new product. 

LEARN MORE: Best Practices for Hosting a Webinar Event

Uncomplicate Your Pharma Event Planning with Event Management Software

Launching a new pharmaceutical product requires careful planning and execution.

By choosing the right event format—whether it’s a keynote address, trade show exhibit, virtual press conference, or webinar series—you can showcase your product’s unique features, share compelling clinical data, and establish your company as a leader in the field. 

Need a helping hand with your pharmaceutical event planning? Attendease provides a powerful suite of tools to manage all of your events—large and small—in one place. 

35 Creative Product Launch Event Ideas to Try in 2024

  • Event Management
35 Creative Product Launch Event Ideas to Try in 2024

Launching a new product can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking time. You’ve invested months or even years into developing an innovative solution, and now it’s time to introduce it to the world. A successful product launch kicks things off on the right foot, generating buzz and allowing you to bring your offering to market in a memorable way.

But coming up with fresh, creative product launch ideas takes effort. You want an event that captures attention and gives your audience a stellar first impression. The last thing you want is a boring, cookie-cutter affair.

To help launch a new product more exciting and engaging, this blog shares 35 creative product launch event ideas with real-world examples to consider in 2024. Let’s dive in!

What Is a Product Launch Event?

A product launch event is a strategic marketing event designed to introduce a new product or service to the market. It typically involves a combination of presentations, demonstrations, and promotional activities aimed at generating excitement and interest among potential customers, media, and stakeholders. These events are carefully orchestrated to create buzz, showcase the product’s features and benefits, and ultimately drive sales and brand awareness. Successful product launches often involve extensive planning, coordination, and attention to detail to ensure a memorable and impactful introduction to the market.

What Are the Benefits of a Product Launch Event?

Generating Buzz:

Launch events create excitement and anticipation around the new product, attracting attention from customers, media, and industry influencers.

Building Brand Awareness:

Launch events provide an opportunity to showcase the product’s unique features and benefits, helping to raise brand visibility and recognition in the market.

Driving Sales:

Launch events can directly influence purchasing decisions by providing attendees with hands-on experiences, demonstrations, and exclusive offers. This can lead to immediate sales and long-term customer loyalty.

Gathering Feedback:

Product launch events allow companies to interact directly with customers, enabling them to gather valuable feedback and insights that can inform future product development and marketing strategies.

Strengthening Relationships:

Launch events provide a platform for companies to engage with key stakeholders, foster stronger relationships, and build trust in the brand.

35 Creative Product Launch Event Ideas & Examples

Planning your next product launch doesn’t have to be difficult with these unique and engaging event ideas. 

1. Interactive Virtual Product Launch Party

Hosting a virtual product launch party makes your event accessible to a global audience. Set up live video streams and demos so attendees can engage with your product in real time. Interactive elements like live chats and Q&A sessions also allow them to ask questions and provide feedback.

For example, when Adobe launched its Creative Cloud software suite, it hosted a virtual launch event featuring product demos and opportunities for attendees to interact with Adobe team members.

2. Influencer Takeovers

Leverage social media influencers in your industry by having them “take over” your brand’s accounts leading up to the launch. They can provide sneak peeks, share their early experiences using the product, and host Instagram Lives or TikTok videos to generate buzz among their followers.

When Instagram was gearing up to launch IGTV, popular creators like Kim Kardashian gave followers a first look at the new video platform.

3. Pop-up Shop Experience

Create a temporary pop-up shop where people can test out your new product and interact with brand ambassadors. This tangible, experiential environment creates an immersive brand launch event that attendees will remember.

4. Launch Event Geofilter

Design custom Snapchat geo-filters for your launch event venue so attendees can overlay this branded, themed graphic onto their photos and videos. It creates shareable social content around your launch.

For instance, geofilters helped Snapchat create buzz for their own hardware launches like the Spectacles 3 announcement event.

5. AR-Enabled Product Packaging

Incorporate augmented reality into your product’s packaging design! When customers scan a marker with their smartphone camera, it triggers an AR experience like a holographic tutorial or demo.

BMW created an AR app allowing users to scan a marker on the 7 Series brochure and visualize features like gestural control in an interactive 3D model.

6. Influencer Product Review Kits

Send your new product to social media influencers, bloggers, and industry experts, allowing them to experience it first-hand. Ask them to share reviews and product highlights with their audiences.

7. Product Teaser Mini-Sites

Launch mysterious, cryptic mini-sites that offer clues and previews about your upcoming product reveal. This creates anticipation and encourages visitors to provide their email for launch updates.

8. Crowdsourced Product Naming Contest

If you haven’t landed on a product name yet, turn it into a crowdsourcing contest. Invite social followers and email subscribers to submit and vote on possible names. Reward the winner with free merchandise or lifetime access!

To name their compact SUV, Chevrolet launched a crowdsourced contest inviting over 130,000 participants to submit ideas and vote.

9. Concept Car-Style Reveal

Emulate a concept car reveal with a staged unveiling of your product like it’s the latest cutting-edge vehicle. This works especially well for tech products.

10. Hybrid Product Launch Festival

Host a multi-day hybrid festival to launch your product with virtual and in-person components. Attendees can livestream sessions along with local experiential activations.

11. Mass Mystery Mailing

Send cryptic, unlabeled mystery boxes or envelopes containing teasers about your upcoming launch to industry mailing lists and existing customers. Inside, include clues urging recipients to join the upcoming reveal.

For the Stranger Things season 4 premiere, for instance, Netflix mailed mystery boxes to fans with 1980s artifacts hinting at plot points.

12. User-Generated Launch Hype Videos

Solicit quick video messages from beta testers, influencers, and potential customers sharing their excitement for the upcoming launch. Compile them into a hype reel to promote across social media.

13. Product Launch Pop-Up Restaurant

Partner with trendy eateries to offer limited-edition menu items or cocktails themed around your product. These help cross-promote your launch to new demographics.

14. Easter Egg Hunt

At your launch venue, hide Easter egg-style clues that reveal more information about key features or direct people to exclusive launch content. Make it into a game!

15. Movie Trailer-Style Product Promo Videos

Produce hype videos modeled after popular movie trailer formats. These trailers can showcase product features in a dramatic, suspenseful style to get viewers excited.

The Apple Watch Series 7 announcement emulated the feel of an action movie trailer with its fast-paced edits and booming soundtrack.

16. Launch Event Live Stream

Live stream your entire product launch event to virtual attendees. Consider hosting a separate online component with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews that showcase your product launch event planning process.

Microsoft has often live-streamed major product launches, like the reveal of the Xbox One, allowing online viewers to feel part of the action!

17. Product Launch Hashtag Campaign

Rally anticipation around your launch with a viral hashtag campaign. Encourage early access users, fans, and partners to post teaser content using your branded hashtag.

For example, GoPro’s HERO8 camera launch incorporated a #MillionDollarChallenge offering prizes for video creators highlighting the new product.

18. Launch-Themed Cocktail or Food Item

Develop custom cocktails or food/dessert items inspired by your new product. Feature them at in-person events or offer the recipes digitally as part of virtual product launch parties.

19. Limited-Edition Product Launch Merch Drop

20. Launch Event Pop-Up Arcade

Make your product launch more festive by setting up vintage arcade games or hiring a company to provide pop-up gaming kiosks for attendees. Tie-in custom gaming leaderboards showcasing your brand.

Nintendo has often brought arcade experiences to product launch events, letting attendees play new games. Fun!

21. Product Teaser Podcast Series

Launch a limited podcast series covering topics or themes related to your product. Insert teaser mentions of the upcoming reveal to get listeners hooked.

22. Virtual Product Launch Festival

Similar to a music festival, organize a multi-day virtual launch celebration. Have a lineup of speakers, demos, entertainment, and product experts. Attendees can join live or stream on-demand.

SAP hosted a virtual Concur Fusion event to showcase their latest software updates, including keynotes, demos, and breakout sessions.

23. Crowdsourced User Manual

Engage your community to help write sections of your product’s user manual and guides. This crowdsourced document can then be distributed digitally at launch.

24. Midnight Online Digital Product Launch Party

For online products, do a midnight launch where it goes live online exactly at 12:00 AM. Support it with a virtual launch party counting down to the precise moment.

Video games like Call of Duty have celebrated new title releases with midnight launch parties culminating in players gaining access right at the stroke of twelve. 

25. Product Launch Treasure/Scavenger Hunt

Organize a public treasure hunt by hiding QR codes or clues leading participants to different locations around your city related to your launch. QR codes can link to product teasers, demos, or discount codes.

Apple held a city-wide scavenger hunt for the iPhone XR launch in Paris with iPhone-themed challenges at landmarks.

26. Launch Event Live Theater Performance

Surprise and delight attendees with a custom theater experience like a play, musical, or improv show themed around your new product. This memorable event helps make the introduction of your new offering impactful.

When Salesforce introduced their AI product, Einstein, they hired Broadway performers to act out humorous sketches personifying the AI assistant.

27. Product-Themed Cocktail Experience

Hire mixologists to craft bespoke cocktails inspired by your product and brand. Set up cocktail-making classes at your launch event venue or distribute the recipes digitally.

At a recent Pixel phone launch, Google crafted cocktail recipes like the “Pixel Spritz” themed around product features.

28. Hackathon Challenges

Hold hackathons challenging developers and programmers to build creative projects, plugins, or integrations using your new product and its API. Offer prizes and recognition.

29. Limited-Run Launch Zine

Design unique launch-themed zines featuring announcements, photos, artwork, and details about your new product. Hand them out at events or pop-up shops.

30. Cryptic Skywriting Launch Teasers

In cities where your target audience is concentrated, hire skywriting pilots to fly over, writing cryptic launch phrases. This intriguing aerial advertising builds pre-launch curiosity!

During SXSW 2018, Uber Eats used skywriting above Austin reading, “Hungry for More? Look Up,” to promote their expansion into new cities.

31. AR-Powered Product Inserts

Include AR-activated inserts in your product packaging that trigger immersive 3D demos and tutorials when scanned with a smartphone.

32. Product Release Countdown Timer

Place countdown timer displays showing the days until your product’s availability in high-traffic public areas like shopping centers, transit stations, or screens in your office lobby.

33. Branded Launch Event Tattoos

For event attendees, offer custom semi-permanent or temporary tattoos related to your product launch. These can include logos or graphic symbols representing key features.

34. Crowdsourced User Testimonials

Recruit loyal fans and customers to contribute launch endorsements and testimonials praising your product. Their authentic perspectives build credibility.

Leading up to new product announcements, Apple typically shares user-generated social posts highlighting how current products impact their lives.

35. Launch Event Mobile Charging Stations

Provide branded mobile device charging lockers or stations for attendees to recharge at your launch venue. They’ll appreciate the convenience while staying connected.

Make Your Next Product Launch Memorable with EventUp Planner (formerly Attendease)

The key to a successful product launch event is choosing creative strategies aligned with your target audience, brand values, product details, and business goals. Identify which ideas best fit within your budget, resonate with your customers, and generate the kind of pre-launch momentum you want.

With EventUp Planner‘s all-in-one event management software, you can seamlessly promote, organize, and execute innovative product launches that wow attendees! From email automation to branded registration pages, EventUp Planner simplifies launching your game-changing products. 

Book a demo today to discover how our solutions can level up your next product reveal!

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