Communiqué Medical Affairs Agency of the Year

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This category is open to any agency whose predominant focus is delivering scientific programmes with Medical Affairs personnel within pharmaceutical companies, med Tech and biotech aimed at the healthcare professional, payer or patient. This would include medical education, publications, market access and health economics outcomes and research.

Emphasis should be placed on the agency’s achievements within the period covered by this year’s awards.

You must have entered at least one Healthcare Communications Awards category. You should highlight your entries for the year in your submission and include them within your supporting materials.

2024 PROCESS:

There will be two stages for this award in 2024

  • Stage 1 will consist of a written entry, which should be completed using the criteria below.  The written entry does not include any marks for an oral presentation, as this will be judged separately from the written presentation.  The judges will review the written entries in Stage 1 and those teams whose written entries have been shortlisted will be invited to present to the judging panel during Stage 2.
  • Stage 2 will consist of a live presentation to the judging panel, as previously for this category. This will take place on Friday 17 May 2024. Stage 1 scores will not be carried forward into Stage 2. The shortlisted team will be required to give a short presentation on their entry and will then be asked questions by the judges relating to their team performance. The judges will select the award winner based on this presentation, and the extent to which it supports and validates the original written entry. When planning your presentation, the judges will want to see a compelling story. Demonstrate how your agency optimises the use of tools available.

The organisers will send invitations by 3 May 2024, therefore it is advisable for up to four members of your team to hold the date open. You may use slides or other materials in your presentation, which should last no longer than 10 minutes and enhance your entry. Full information on what will be required will be sent to you when notified by Friday 3 May. Following your presentation the judges will ask questions relating to your submission, business performance and the healthcare industry.

Suggestion from the judges: In order to best support your financial statements, bring along a member of your finance team.

JUDGING CRITERIA AND ENTRY FORMAT:

CONSULTANCY AWARD KEY INFORMATION FORM

Must be fully completed and submitted. All financial information MUST be signed off by an accountant or Finance Director.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (max 200 words) – 0 (zero) Marks

If you are nominated for an award, PMGroup may publish extracts from this summary, so ensure that it contains no confidential or sensitive information. No other part of your entry will be reproduced and the main content of your entry will remain confidential at all times

Photo

Please upload a high resolution, print quality photograph or collage of the team.

Main Entry

1. SITUATION ANALYSIS AND BENCHMARKING – 10 Marks (400 words)

  • In this section you should show the judges how well you understood the situation for your consultancy at the start of 2023, clearly laying out the challenges and opportunities that you were facing at the start of the year
  • Include information on any new challenges or opportunities that arose during the year
  • Where appropriate, lay out benchmark data that you will refer to in your measurement of effectiveness later
  • Show the judges the best information, data and insights you have about the challenges and opportunities that you faced
  • Tell the judges very briefly about the culture and vision and values for your consultancy
Judges’ top tips
  • This information provides vital context for judging everything else that follows in your entry
  • Think carefully about including data or information that you don’t refer back to later in your entry. This may not be helpful to the judges

2. BUSINESS STRATEGY AND EVIDENCE OF DELIVERY – 25 Marks (500 words)

  • Please tell us what your business strategy was for 2023 referring to the data and insights in the situation analysis section
  • Briefly explain why this was the right strategy e.g. how it maximised opportunities, addressed challenges and supported the wider, longer-term strategy for the business and was in line with the consultancies vision and values
  • Tell the judges how the strategy ensured that the business was well positioned within the market
  • Provide details of how the consultancy has successfully delivered against the strategy and how this was measured or evaluated
Judges’ top tips The judges will:
  • Reward clarity of thought around strategies and how they are communicated – bullet points may be better than long prose
  • Assess how well the chosen strategy/strategies might address the key challenges and opportunities
  • Expect clear and robust evidence that the strategies have been delivered
  • Expect to see financial performance included here but also measures of effectiveness of non-financial strategies

3. OPERATIONAL/INTERNAL EXPERTISE AND SUCCESS – 25 Marks (500 words)

  • You should clearly show the judges how you have approached and succeeded in the key operational aspects of running the consultancy
  • The judges want to specifically hear how you have approached people management and development, including your record in attracting, training and retaining staff
  • Please outline goals, initiatives and successes in addressing key industry issues specifically including:
    • promoting diversity and inclusion within the agency
    • promoting environmental sustainability and minimising the impact of the business on climate change.
Judges’ top tips
  • You should only include initiatives or activity from 2023 or initiatives where significant new activity has taken place in 2023. Be clear what is new activity for 2023 and keep mentions of activity from previous years to a minimum
  • The judges will consider the resources available to your consultancy when assessing the results achieved and awarding marks
  • The judges are looking to reward genuine success and real change so make sure your evidence is based on appropriate and robust measurement
  • This is the third year we have specifically asked for your consultancy’s activities and achievements in relation to environmental sustainability and climate change and we recognise that as an industry we are only just embarking in this journey. Our expectations will be realistic.

4. CLIENT SUCCESS AND SATISFACTION IN 2023 – 40 Marks (750 words)

  • Describe some of the key pieces of client work that you have delivered during 2022 and provide evidence of their success in delivering health outcomes and enhancing the reputation of your clients or the wider industry
  • Provide evidence of client and brand retention and satisfaction
  • Include comments from clients or other third-party stakeholders in this section but ONLY if they clearly help to demonstrate the impact of the work
  • If any of the projects or programmes implemented by your team have been entered for other Communiqué Awards this year, please state that in this section
Judge’s top tips
  • You should bear in mind that more marks are available for this section than any other and make sure your entry reflects this
  • Include client feedback or quotes within this section
  • When describing the impact of client projects or programmes focus on outcomes wherever possible – these will always be more highly marked than just outputs or out-takes.
  • Ensure that the judges know what measurement techniques were used in evaluating your work
Don’t forget: if you have submitted any work into other categories this year, please include these entries within your supporting documents for this category.