From DE&I to AI: The Top Themes Driving Life Sciences in 2024

For many of us, July marks the end of an intense conference season, and for Barrington James, it's been no different! By the halfway point of this year, we’ve already attended 22 conferences across various sectors of the Life Sciences industry, including Pharma, Biotech, Quantum Technology, CRO, Medical Devices, and Consultancy. Each of these conferences has been a unique learning experience, providing critical insights into the evolving trends that shape our industry.

Several key themes have emerged across these events, each playing a significant role in the current Life Sciences landscape:

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) remains a central focus, not only in terms of employee engagement and talent strategies but also as a crucial aspect of patient recruitment for clinical trials. Organizations are working hard to align their internal practices with broader DE&I goals, and it’s clear that this remains front and center for many companies.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is enjoying a sustained renaissance. Having first appeared in conference programs over a decade ago, it is now becoming a mainstream topic of discussion. However, there is still a level of hesitancy among businesses to fully embrace AI. While individuals may be integrating AI tools into their daily tasks, many companies remain cautious about officially endorsing its use with third-party products.
• Funding & Layoffs have been a persistent challenge for many sectors of Life Sciences, exacerbated by the aftershocks of the SVB collapse, the pandemic, and the ongoing global recession. However, there is a renewed sense of optimism for the latter part of this year and heading into 2025. Conversations are shifting towards future opportunities, with companies starting to recover and plan for growth.

This conference season also showcased a clear shift in how these events are evolving. Some of the traditionally large, generalist conferences that were once oversubscribed are now shrinking and losing relevance. In contrast, niche and specialist conferences have gained significant traction, attracting experts and SMEs in greater numbers. These smaller, focused gatherings are proving to be more valuable for attendees, offering deeper engagement, more meaningful discussions, and stronger networking opportunities compared to broader, more diluted events.

Our conversations with vendors, sponsors, and delegates have revealed a growing trend: companies, including Barrington James, are reconsidering how, why, and which conferences they attend in the future. The landscape has changed, with conferences becoming more fragmented and less cohesive, leading organizations to rethink their strategies for engagement and attendance moving forward.

If you’re interested in hearing more about what we’ve learned or want to discuss your own conference experiences and plans, I’d love to chat. Please use my Calendly link to book a time that suits you, and we can explore how these trends may impact your business or career decisions.