According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), $8 billion was spent on medical meetings in 2023.
There are 1,800 pharmaceutical companies and 3,600 medical device companies in the United States. They hold multiple meetings each year, and it is expected that by 2025, more than 1.5 million medical meetings will be held in the United States. Additionally, Schaumann serves as director of MPI’s Healthcare Conference Compliance Certificate (HMCC) program.
Here are four potential impacts on medical meetings worth considering.
1. Federal funding cuts lead to fewer medical meetings
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research and an important sponsor of scientific conferences. Over the past several weeks, NIH has participated in the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo and the National Advisory Committee on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health hosts events on its campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
The NIH appears poised to make major changes if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Cuttering funding for federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, or reducing budgets for agencies like the FDA and NIH, could have an indirect impact on event budgets and demand for medical meetings,” said Jessica Weller, senior director of global strategy, enterprise accounts, at CWT Meetings with Events. .
2. Decline in international attendance at medical conferences
According to the U.S. Travel Association, international tourism to the United States fell by about 5.4% between 2017 and 2018. Fewer travel visas were issued, and travel bans were imposed on citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
International attendance at major U.S. trade shows and conferences has been reported to be down. This has led meeting professionals to move events to other countries. Additionally, virtual options are available.
Many academic institutions and professional organizations report difficulties in obtaining visas for international attendees. For example: In 2017, some international scientists were unable to attend meetings in the United States, prompting organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to express concern.
In addition, there was the 2018 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, where researcher Aeila Akbari was unable to attend and speak due to travel bans. “Restricting access to conferences harms science and scientists,” she said.
Medical congresses may stay away from U.S.
“Stricter immigration or travel policies may discourage international visitor participation. This will push organizations to adopt more domestic conferences or hybrid conference formats. As the industry prepares for potential changes in priorities and resources, responding to these dynamics will require Adaptable,” Weller said.
If international relations become tense during Trump’s second term, some foreign groups may choose destinations outside the United States to host medical conferences.
“The Trump administration’s immigration policies or global mindset may impact the ability of international attendees and speakers to attend U.S. medical conferences,” said Jacqueline Beaulieu, director of strategic marketing and client engagement at Poretta & Orr and program trainer at HMCC.
Beaulieu is concerned about travel and visa policies. “If restrictions or reforms to travel and visa policies make it more challenging for global experts to attend conferences and events, this could limit the diversity and scope of conference discussions and thus impact attendance,” she said.
3. Less regulation could lead to more spending
If President-elect Trump’s administration repeals or amends the Affordable Care Act, it will affect how medical institutions allocate their budgets. This will impact sponsorship and attendance. Additionally, it may change the focus areas of medical meetings, Schaumann said.
Open Payments is a federally mandated program that requires pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers to disclose their financial relationships with health care providers. This increases transparency and prevents conflicts of interest in medical research, education and practice. Last year, open payment plans paid out $12.75 billion to insured persons, according to CMS.
If the requirements for open payment are reduced, it could impact how companies financially sponsor medical conferences. This could increase event spending because it would make it easier for companies to pay medical professionals for speaking engagements and pay for their travel and meals.
4. Staffing
Staffing shortages at hotels and conference venues have improved but remain a problem. Conference professionals say these shortages will become more severe if there is a vigorous push to deport workers who are not legally present in the United States.
President-elect Trump has appointed former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan as the government’s border czar. Homan said he would organize the largest deportation force in U.S. history.
Additionally, professionals say mass deportations would wreak havoc on labor supply and demand.
