Product Show Attracts Thousands on September 20th

Last month, on Wednesday, September 20th, 2023, we hosted our 31st Annual Product Show at Gillette Stadium! And honestly, it was the biggest, best show we have had yet. We are just now recovering. There was record attendance once again, beating out last year’s attendance with over 4,500 attendees! Our new mobile app helped people find exhibitors, look up sessions and speakers, and participate in a scavenger hunt. See below for photo highlights.

The day kicked off with a Keynote and Chapter Awards session in Gillette’s newly renovated North End Club. Katie Leitch from Seres Therapeutics and Dr. Timothy Watson from Gilead Sciences spoke. The Show Floor opened as the keynote finished, with attendees visiting over 400 exhibitors on the East and West side of Putnam Club.

Of course, no Product Show is complete without the Career Fair. There were over 20 hiring Biotech companies represented, and several career-based presentations, with free headshots to all attendees.

This year’s show featured six educational sessions with topics spanning from Operational Readiness to Oligonucleotide Synthesis. NEW this year, there were five Community-of-Practice sessions, including an introduction and presentation from Tim Postlethwaite, ISPE’s Director of Technical Communities. These new sessions were well attended, some being standing room only. Thank you to Joe Manfredi, who nearly single-handedly organized them from inception to end.

We cannot forget our chapter committee events either. The Student Development Committee hosted “Product Show 101″ with guidelines for student attendees. Women in Pharma hosted a session on work appreciation languages, and Emerging Leaders hosted a session on AI. The Ethnocultural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (EDEI) Committee hosted a cocktail mixer and player social with former New England Patriot, Vernon Crawford, Jr., and Veterans in Pharma had their annual networking social. A Committee Volunteer Drive and Social was hosted in the North End Club to share how our valuable volunteers contribute to the Chapter.

The day concluded with the annual After-Party (sponsored by Laminar Flow) which was held on the concourse this year, as the Billy Joel concert that weekend derailed our plans. However, we still had a ton of fun, with 12 Barz Band providing exceptional live music. Celebrity guests Brad Marchand, Bruins Captain, and Brian Scalabrine, former Boston Celtics player, made an appearance as attendees enjoyed Lombardi Trophies, Super Bowl Rings, and tailgate games set up all over the place.

This event would not have been possible without the dedication of our Product Show Committee. They volunteer countless hours to make this show bigger and better every year. A huge thank you goes out to them.

Save the date for our next Product Show, on Wednesday, September 18th, 2024!!