The July PSMG meeting was attended by more than 50 senior pharmaceutical sales managers, who enjoyed a day of informative presentations and lively interactions.

During his introduction, David Garmon-Jones, Chairman of the PSMG, was delighted to announce that PSMG membership now stands at a record 75 members from 46 companies. He was also able to give an overview of the results of a survey held at the last meeting. The feedback showed that the two main reasons for joining the PSMG were the learning and networking opportunities. All the respondents felt that the PSMG had met or exceeded their expectations, and they commended the group for its choice of topics and for the welcoming atmosphere. The key improvements that were suggested by the respondents revolved around increasing and broadening the PSMG membership. The record embership number demonstrates that this issue is already being addressed.

Dr Joan Barnard, Medical Consultant, kicked off the presentations for the day with a look at issues raised in recent ABPI Code cases, with a particular focus on the implications for sales management. An article based on her presentation can be found on page 4 of PSM.

Professor Richard Hobbs, Head of Primary Care and General Practice at Birmingham University, was next to present. His session looked at the changing primary care environment. In addition to providing an update on the latest developments in the Quality and Outcomes Framework, he considered the current status of Practice-Based Commissioning and the implications for the pharmaceutical industry. Click here for a copy of his presentation

Just before lunch there was a brief presentation from Brian Gallagher of Shooting Stars, one of the PSMG’s charities for 2006. Further information on the charity and the PSMG donation can be found on the PSMG charities page.

Finally, in a departure from the norm, World Event Management ran a workshop on "Organising your Best Event Ever" that involved a number of brief presentations, culminating in an interactive teamwork event in which the attendees had to respond to a brief. Some of the key learning points from this session are covered in the article on page 18 of PSM.

The meeting was kindly sponsored by Xperience Systems, In2Focus, Royce Consultancy and Infonetica.

As a PSMG member, you are entitled to attend four such meetings a year for a fee of only £450. Non-members are also welcome to attend at a cost of £250 per meeting, providing they meet the membership criteria.

The meeting was kindly sponsored by Xperience Systems, In2Focus, Royce Consultancy and Infonetica.

The next and final meeting of the year is on Tuesday 17th October at The Oxford Belfry, near Thame.