Scaling Smarter: How a Leading Biotech Reimagined HCP Engagement at ASCO with Event Cadence

At a Glance

A pioneering biotech company partnered with Event Cadence to overhaul how they manage engagement with healthcare professional (HCP) at large-scale medical congresses. Their first full deployment at ASCO 2025 marked a significant shift, controlling expenses, increasing real-time visibility, and giving internal teams full control over their scheduling and engagement data. The result: a leaner, smarter, and more collaborative and cohesive onsite experience on site experience.

The Challenge: Manual Coordination, No Visibility, and Lost Data Ownership

Before using Event Cadence, the company relied on an external agency to manage HCP scheduling. The process was entirely manual, with appointments taking 30+ minutes each to confirm. Internal stakeholders lacked real-time insight and had to wait for post-event summaries to understand outcomes. Critically, the agency retained ownership of all the engagement data, making post-congress analysis difficult and delayed.

This approach was costly, opaque, and inefficient, thus a poor system for a fast-paced, innovation-driven biotech team.

The Turning Point: A Conversation at Pharma Forum

The transformation began with a conversation on the show floor at Pharma Forum, where the company’s event lead connected with the Event Cadence team. That interaction led to a collaborative pilot supported by Event Cadence’s Amy Touchstone, focused on building a more self-directed scheduling experience.

“From our first conversation, it was clear they were ready to own their process. Our role was to help them build the infrastructure and confidence to make it happen. Starting small, learning fast, and scaling with purpose!” Amy Touchstone, Customer Success Lead, Event Cadence.

The team evaluated Event Cadence at two smaller congresses in late 2024 and early 2025, which validated the approach and set the stage for a full-scale rollout at ASCO 2025.

The Solution: Streamlined, Self-Managed, and Data-Driven

With a focus on transparency and autonomy, the implementation included:

1. A refined HCP request form with standardized objectives and structured data fields

2. Dropdowns and open text fields to improve downstream analytics

3. Calendar sync with Outlook for seamless scheduling workflows

4. Self-service tools for managing appointment requests and tracking engagement status in real time

These upgrades provided the foundation for a secure, transparent, and scalable engagement model that aligned with the team’s operational needs.

The Outcome: Big Wins in Time, Budget, and Bandwidth

By the time ASCO 2025 rolled around, the transformation was undeniable:

1. Ability to control event spend achieving budgeting goals.

2. HCP engagements rose to new levels

3. 29 HCPs confirmed meetings within 48 hours of outreach

4. ~73 staff hours saved thanks to automation

5. Teams gained real-time visibility and full ownership of their engagement data

6. Onsite check-ins via laptops and tablets added flexibility and control, making execution smoother than ever.

Feedback from the Field: “Feels Familiar, Functions Better”

Numerous HCPs recognized the Event Cadence interface from previous congresses, which boosted comfort and responsiveness. Internally, team members appreciated the ability to manage their own calendars, update appointments, and respond to changes without third-party delays.

The result: greater confidence onsite, stronger coordination across teams, and better leadership visibility into performance.

Looking Ahead: A Repeatable Model for Future Success

Following their success at ASCO, the biotech team is now expanding this model to future congresses, including ESMO 2025. With the infrastructure and internal confidence in place, they are developing repeatable, scalable processes that ensured historical data availability, operational ownership, and cross-functional efficiency.

This was not just a tech swap; it was a cultural shift culture shift towards empowerment, engaging work with a new trusted partner.

About Event Cadence

Event Cadence is an all-in-one engagement platform designed to help organizations plan, execute, and measure meaningful interactions across every event touchpoint. From global congresses to internal meetings, the platform streamlines scheduling, enhances visibility, and centralizes data to improve cross-functional coordination. With flexible tools, real-time reporting, and secure integrations, Event Cadence empowers teams to take control of their engagement strategy while delivering a seamless experience for both internal stakeholders and external attendees.