The Partnerships Team: Megan Antonelli

As the 20th Partnerships in Clinical Trials approaches next April, we wanted to you get to know the staff behind the event. Every two weeks, a Partnerships Team Member will share some of their memories and experiences with the event. Today, we have Megan Antonelli, the Managing Director of this year's event.

1) What do you do for Partnerships in Clinical Trials? How long have you been working on the Partnerships Event?
I started with IIR in 1998 as a conference producer and became Managing Director of the Pharmaceutical Division in 2008. In this role, I work with the team to deliver provocative and compelling content and unparalleled networking at all of our events. This of course includes working closely with the team on Partnerships in Clinical Trials, the largest event in our portfolio.

2) What is your favorite part of working on this event year after year?
Each year, we create the event from scratch. To keep the content fresh and ensure that the networking can’t be compared to any other event in the space, we have to approach the event with a fresh perspective every year and speak to brand new people in the market. I love working with all of the advisors and experts to shape the new program which new experiences and new perspectives.

3) Which conference has stood out in your mind and why? Who has been your favorite speaker at Partnerships? Last year’s event was second to none and the speakers as usual were phenomenal. However, I have to say Ethan Zohn really put everything in perspective by sharing his story as a Cancer survivor. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I’m also a bit of a healthcare IT geek so Chris Anderson’s look at how technology will shape clinical trials and how consumers will interact with their health data was also great. I can’t wait to hear Tom Goetz this year as he takes this discussion to the next level this year.

4) What’s your favorite food?
Well I’m pregnant so I’m not sure we have the room.

5) What are you looking forward to the most for our 20th Anniversary?
I can’t wait to see all of the hard work of our team, advisors, sponsors and speakers come together. There are so many great sessions including Emerging Markets Jeopardy with Bob Eubanks and Dan Heath’s talk on Change Management. Also I’ve seen Vijay Govindarajan speak before and he is just brilliant. Really there is no way I could pick just one so I have to go with….the whole thing!