Beyond the Conference Stand: Getting More PR Value from Healthcare Events and Awards

Healthcare and health technology companies invest considerable time, money and resources in attending conferences, exhibiting at industry events and entering awards. There are exhibition stands to organise, presentations to prepare, meetings to arrange and, quite often, several members of the team taken away from their usual work for a couple of days. Given that investment, it makes sense to extract as much value as possible from the experience, yet I sometimes wonder whether the communications opportunities are being fully explored.

A press release announcing attendance, a few photographs on LinkedIn and a post thanking everyone who visited the stand are all useful, but they barely scratch the surface of what's possible. Conferences in particular bring together an extraordinary concentration of expertise, experience and interesting conversations, many of which have the potential to become valuable content long after the event has finished.

I was reminded of this recently when I attended Healthcare Excellence Through Technology (HETT) at London's ExCeL with Graphnet Health, supporting the company's public relations and social media activity. I came away with pages and pages of notes, ideas for industry insight articles, material from senior leadership and customer panel discussions, and several potential media stories that emerged from conversations with customers and other speakers. Some of the most interesting opportunities were things I almost certainly wouldn't have heard about had I not been there in person.

Finding the stories that haven't been told

One of the things I've always enjoyed most about working in PR is getting to know the people behind an organisation and discovering what they're working on. This is particularly true in healthcare, where some truly remarkable projects are being delivered by people who are so immersed in their day-to-day work that they don't necessarily recognise their wider significance.

At HETT, I had the opportunity to speak with Graphnet customers about how they're using technology and data to address some of the challenges facing the NHS. These conversations covered everything from remote monitoring and proactive approaches to frailty to the practicalities of implementing technology across complex healthcare systems. They also revealed developments and results that hadn't previously been on my radar, but which could make compelling stories for healthcare and technology journalists.

It's often a question of asking the right follow-up questions. Someone might mention a project in passing, assuming it's already well understood or perhaps not particularly newsworthy. But when you start exploring the scale of the work, the outcomes being achieved or the problems it's helping to solve, a much more interesting story begins to emerge. Being able to have those conversations naturally, rather than arranging another formal meeting or sending a list of questions by email, is one of the real advantages of attending an event alongside a client.

There is also something valuable about hearing people discuss their work in their own words. You get a much better sense of what matters to them, where the challenges lie and what they're excited about. That understanding helps enormously when it comes to developing stories that are both accurate and interesting to audiences beyond the organisation itself.

Making more of the expertise on stage

The presentations and panel discussions were another rich source of material. Graphnet's leadership and customers contributed to conversations about population health, prevention, remote monitoring and the role of better-connected information in helping health services move towards more proactive models of care. These are important issues for the NHS, and there was plenty of substance in the discussions that deserved a wider audience.

Rather than simply producing a post announcing that a director had spoken at HETT, I've been using the arguments, examples and observations from those sessions to develop more substantial thought leadership content. A good conference presentation often contains the foundations of an excellent article, particularly when a speaker is drawing on years of experience or challenging established ways of thinking. With some additional research, context and editorial work, those ideas can be developed into pieces for industry publications, company websites or targeted media pitches.

Customer contributions can be particularly valuable because they bring practical experience to discussions that might otherwise remain fairly theoretical. Hearing how an NHS organisation is approaching a problem, what it has learned along the way and what it plans to do next can provide a much stronger basis for a story than simply describing the capabilities of a technology platform.

For me, this is one of the most worthwhile aspects of post-event communications. The original audience for a presentation might have been a few dozen people in a conference theatre, but the ideas discussed can continue reaching relevant audiences for weeks or months afterwards. Given the preparation that goes into these sessions, it seems a shame not to make more of them.

Where PR and social media come together

Alongside the media relations and editorial work, I was also supporting Graphnet's social media activity during HETT. It's something I've been doing increasingly across my clients recently, although social media has actually been part of my communications work for many years, including during my time working with major international brands overseas.

I've always enjoyed the creative side of social media, and events provide plenty of opportunities to capture content that feels immediate and relevant. There's certainly a place for photographs of the exhibition stand and updates about who's speaking, but I think the most engaging material often comes from the discussions themselves. An interesting observation from a speaker, a useful statistic, a short video explaining a complex issue or a customer sharing their experience can all give followers something more valuable than a general event update.

It also makes sense to think about PR and social media together rather than treating them as entirely separate activities. A conversation with a customer might lead to a media story, provide the basis for a LinkedIn post and eventually develop into a more detailed case study. Similarly, an interesting point raised during a panel discussion might inspire a thought leadership article while also providing several shorter pieces of content for social channels.

This doesn't mean that everything needs to be published immediately or that every conversation should become content. Particularly in healthcare, there are important considerations around accuracy, approvals and making sure that organisations and individuals are comfortable with what is being shared. But having someone at an event who can recognise the potential across different communications channels can make a considerable difference to the value generated.

Awards deserve more than a winners' announcement

I think many of the same principles apply to industry awards, which can also require a substantial investment of time and effort. Preparing a strong entry often involves gathering detailed information about a project, speaking to the people involved, identifying measurable outcomes and explaining why the work deserves recognition.

By the time the entry is submitted, an organisation may already have assembled much of the material needed for an excellent media story or customer case study. Yet it's surprisingly easy for all that work to culminate in a single announcement about being shortlisted or winning an award.

Recognition from a respected industry body can certainly strengthen a company's reputation, but from a journalist's perspective, the most interesting aspect is often the work behind the accolade. What was the original problem? How was it addressed? What difference has the project made to patients, staff or services? Are there lessons that other NHS organisations could learn from the experience?

These are the details that can turn an awards entry into a story with wider relevance, whether that's a feature in a healthcare publication, an interview with the people responsible or a thought leadership article exploring the implications of the work. Even when an entry doesn't result in a win, the underlying project may still be deserving of attention.

Awards can also provide a useful opportunity to revisit previous communications. A project that was announced when it first launched may have developed significantly by the time it receives recognition, with new results, additional partners or a clearer understanding of its impact. That progression can provide a perfectly legitimate reason to approach journalists again, particularly where there is meaningful new information to share.

Making the investment work harder

None of this means that businesses should arrive at a conference without a communications plan and simply hope that interesting opportunities present themselves. There's considerable value in reviewing the programme beforehand, identifying relevant journalists and speakers, arranging conversations with customers and planning the content you'd like to capture. It's also worth thinking about how the event fits into the organisation's wider communications priorities, so that the activity contributes to something more substantial than a few days of visibility.

At the same time, I've learned that it's important not to become so focused on the planned activity that you miss what's happening around you. Some of the most promising opportunities I identified at HETT emerged during informal conversations, or when someone mentioned a development that wasn't part of the original agenda. Having the time, curiosity and experience to follow those leads is often what makes the difference.

My two days at HETT have already provided material for a substantial amount of follow-up communications work, including thought leadership, potential media stories and social media content. Just as importantly, the conversations helped deepen my understanding of the work Graphnet and its customers are doing, which will make it easier to identify and develop opportunities in the months ahead.

For healthcare and health technology companies, I think there's a strong case for considering PR and content creation as an integral part of event planning rather than something to think about once the stand has been booked and the presentations are finalised. The same applies to awards programmes, where the process of preparing an entry can reveal stories and evidence that deserve to be shared more widely.

Ultimately, the value of a conference or an award shouldn't be measured solely by what happens on the day. With the right approach, the conversations, expertise and stories they bring to light can continue contributing to an organisation's reputation and visibility long afterwards.

Getting more from your healthcare PR and communications

At Bell Health Communications, I work with healthcare, health technology and digital health organisations to identify and develop stories that deserve a wider audience. From media relations and thought leadership to event communications, customer case studies and social media content, I help businesses make more of the expertise, relationships and achievements they already have.

If you're planning to attend an industry event, preparing an awards submission or simply feel that your organisation has more stories to tell than you're currently sharing, I'd be delighted to have a conversation.

Get in touch with Bell Health Communications at jen@bellhealth.co.uk to find out how I can help.