On October 19th the team from Blue Latitude Health flew to Munich to attend the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress and deliver an innovative and immersive booth for a client. This year’s theme focused on securing access to optimal cancer care – a poignant topic and one that resonates across the healthcare sector, impacting patients in all walks of life.

The booths were bigger and better than ever, with organisations and brands using innovative techniques to stave off the competition and showcase scientific breakthroughs. Here, we analyse the creative concepts and explain which organisations impressed us the most and why, along with our recommendations for creating an inspiring space that draws in the crowds.

Best underdog: Ipsen Pharma

One of the biggest challenges for smaller pharma companies is to make the most of the booth’s position, especially when the prime locations in the exhibition hall are often far more expensive than the slots positioned in the outskirts.

Ipsen Group developed an eye-catching attraction to offset this challenge. The booth showcased a single study for a metastatic pancreatic cancer therapy and the brand chose to unite the booth in a single alpine theme. To make an impact, they developed a large statue of a ram, which when viewed up close was made out of individual molecules (pictured right).

These molecules came together as an imposing rams head, with spiralling horns which rose over the hall. The sheer size and striking design of the 3D figure highlighted the location of the booth, with the statue towering above the competing stalls. As a result, the booth enticed oncologists, giving the organisation a greater platform to showcase the brand’s data.

Best attractor: Bayer

It’s not just the beauty of Bayer’s installation that grabbed our attention, it was also the way it was used to tie together a cohesive theme.

Often, it is difficult to unite a PR and comms campaign with the commercial elements needed to “sell in” products. Bayer developed a transfixing fan installation, in which large pieces of sheer fabric flew into the air, knotting together in a hypnotic display (pictured left).

This not only drew in crowds, it connected to a campaign which focused on the way the company’s products are “transforming the lives of people impacted by cancer, through science.” To cement this message, HCPs were asked to label ribbons with what inspires them most and the ribbons were hung on the edge of the fan.

Bayer connected this to a wider campaign, which marked the five-year anniversary of one of its brands by “celebrating” patients. The company asked HCPs to commemorate a patient, and these stories were shown via an eye-catching digital interactive display.

The booth was a successful example of not only using an attractor to engage oncologists, but also uniting it with a wider emotive theme, creating symbiosis between the organisation’s ethos and products – a challenging task.

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