Tara Dougal
Event Director – Pharma, at Informa Markets
Reflecting on your decade-long involvement with CPHI, how have you seen the event evolve, and which changes are you most proud of?
Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed CPHI transform from being a primarily transactional business platform into a truly holistic event that serves as a destination for the global pharmaceutical community. The show has evolved with the introduction of structured and targeted networking activities that foster meaningful connections, thought leadership programmes that provide critical insights into industry trends, and wellness initiatives that prioritise attendee well-being. Additionally, our increased engagement with host cities has helped create a sense of community and cultural integration, making the event more of an experience.
Before stepping into your current role as Event Director, you served as Content Director. How did that experience shape your approach to leading one of Informa Markets’ largest global events?
The great thing about working in content is that it gives you fantastic proximity to the industry. Working closely with our Advisory Board and network of contributors gave me direct access to market updates, emerging trends, and the challenges faced by stakeholders across the supply chain. This in-depth industry knowledge has been instrumental in shaping my approach as Event Director. It has allowed me to align the event’s growth and development with the evolving needs of the market, ensuring that CPHI remains relevant and impactful.
Your career has taken you across New York, London, and Amsterdam. How has working in these international markets influenced your perspective on event management and strategy?
Each market has its own unique dynamics, cultural nuances, and business priorities, which really helps with designing events and experiences around the needs to different audiences. Ultimately, the core elements of successful events remain universal: attendees want to connect, learn, and discover new opportunities. My experience has taught me how to adapt strategies to the needs of our audience, exhibitors and market, ensuring that events like CPHI resonate with audiences worldwide.
CPHI Frankfurt 2025 marked the largest edition yet, with over 60,000 attendees and 2,700+ exhibitors. From your vantage point as Event Director, what were the biggest challenges in delivering such a large-scale event, and how did you tackle them?
Delivering an event of this magnitude comes with significant logistical challenges, from managing attendee flow to ensuring safety and creating a seamless experience for all participants. Our top priorities were safety, accessibility, and attendee satisfaction. To address these, we worked closely with our venue partner, Messe Frankfurt, and the City of Frankfurt on initiatives which would help our attendees have a smooth experience in Frankfurt – one example being we provided attendees with free public transport tickets to improve accessibility and reduce travel stress.
Looking back, what aspects of the event’s logistics or planning stood out as particularly successful? And what would you look to refine or improve in future editions?
CPHI is a huge event, and navigating the venue can prove challenging for attendees. We are continuously looking to technology to enhance the attendee experience and help attendees better manage their time at the show. We have a great mobile app to assist with scheduling meetings, browsing exhibitors and attendees, and to navigate between appointments using our interactive map. For future editions, we’ll continue to work on way-finding, and on closer connections to our city partners to explore how we can make the entire experience of coming to CPHI more seamless.
This year’s event was positioned as a hub for innovation and collaboration across the pharmaceutical supply chain. In what ways do you think it delivered on that ambition?
CPHI Europe has consistently served as the annual touchpoint for the pharmaceutical industry, bringing together key stakeholders from across the supply chain. Beyond the business platform, the event plays an important role as a hub for innovation and collaboration through our extensive content programme that addresses critical industry challenges and opportunities. From cutting-edge advancements in drug development to discussions on sustainability and digital transformation, the event provided a platform for thought leadership and knowledge exchange. Beyond that, we saw many companies launch products or services, and formally sign deals at the event, which really shows the value of the show to the pharma industry.
Did you notice any shifts in engagement from particular company types or geographic regions compared to previous years?
What we are noticing is that audience quality improves consistently, 40(percent) of our audience are in C-Suite or senior leadership roles and the show is really a forum for meeting not only a lot of people, but the right people. We also see the event becoming even more global, with over 170 countries represented at CPHI Frankfurt 2025.
With over 130 sessions and more than 250 expert speakers, which themes or conversations do you think had the greatest influence on shaping current industry thinking?
Our AI-related content was one of our most popular themes this year, which I believe shows a real need for more information on what this means for pharma, and how it will be applied – we had over 200 attendees for our Day 2 keynote, AI Disruption in Pharma: From Hype to Real Impact. We are seeing increasing integration of new technologies into drug manufacturing, with companies using CPHI to showcase their results and find new specialist partners.
Another theme which stood out this year, was global supply chain dynamics. With ongoing tariffs and geopolitical constraints, discussions focused on the implications for globalisation and the growing emphasis on localised supply chain initiatives to manage and mitigate potential disruptions.
The CPHI Celebration and Pharma Awards brought together more than 350 senior attendees. How do you see these high-level networking moments contributing to long-term industry partnerships?
The CPHI Celebration and Pharma Awards is a fantastic networking event which it provides opportunities to recognise excellence and innovation within the industry. By bringing together senior leaders and innovators, this event fosters meaningful connections that often translate into long-term partnerships. Attendees have the chance to engage in high-level discussions, share ideas, and explore collaboration opportunities in a more informal setting, which can be incredibly valuable for building trust and rapport.
Looking ahead, with sustainability, digital transformation, and supply chain resilience taking centre stage, how do you envision CPHI evolving over the next five years?
Over the next five years, I envision CPHI continuing to lead the way in helping to address the industry’s most pressing challenges. Sustainability will remain a key focus, with initiatives aimed at reducing the event’s environmental impact and promoting green practices among exhibitors and attendees. Digital transformation will play a central role also – we are looking at building our AI & Tech zone to help our audience discover new partners and solutions which will bring real change to the industry. Additionally, as supply chain resilience becomes increasingly critical, CPHI will serve as a platform for collaboration and innovation, bringing together stakeholders to develop solutions that ensure stability and efficiency. Ultimately, the event will continue to evolve as a dynamic, forward-thinking hub for the global pharmaceutical community.
