2,000+ attendees explore the future of regulatory at RAPS Convergence 2023

More than 2,000 attendees from 32 countries and 5 continents filled the halls of the Palais des Congrès de Montréal for RAPS Convergence 2023, the world’s largest annual regulatory-focused event, from 3-5 October in Montreal, Canada.

RAPS Convergence brings together representatives of industry, regulatory bodies, research, academia, and clinical organizations directly involved in managing the regulatory process and aligning science, regulation, and business strategy.

This year’s conference provided attendees with the chance to learn the latest developments in medical devices, biopharmaceuticals, and IVDs, and allowed exhibitors and sponsors to showcase their innovations and build business relationships, all among the backdrop of historic Montreal.

"How we move forward has to be together. Our expertise, as regulators, industry, and patients, centers on remaining curious,” said Kimberly Belsky, chair of the RAPS Convergence planning committee. “Having everyone come together to ask questions and having it all happen together—there’s nothing better.”

Here are some highlights from this year’s historic gathering.

More than 150 expert-led educational sessions

Across three informative days, attendees had the chance interact with more than 280 speakers in 150+ educational sessions.

These included Health Authority Forum and Conversations that Matter sessions, providing attendees the opportunity to ask questions of health authority representatives. These speakers included FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock, FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Director Peter Marks and many others.

Presenters included speakers from more than 10 health authorities and notified bodies, hailing from an assortment of organizations around the world, including:

• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• European Medicines Agency (EMA)

• Health Canada

• Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency

• Malta Medicines Authority

Tuesday’s opening plenary marked the official start of the conference, where panelists discussed the futuristic regulatory professional.

Preconference workshops provided a deep dive into focused topics, including making the most of your engagement with the FDA, IND submissions and more.

High-energy, interactive exhibit hall overflowing with exhibitors and sponsors

Every year, regulatory professionals come to RAPS Convergence to continue their professional development, partake in pertinent discussions and network.

The exhibit hall at this year's conference showcased innovations from more than 130 organizations, allowing attendees to explore the latest solutions in regulatory affairs and meet new business partners from across the industry.

The chance to reunite with the regulatory community

Attendees from around the world gathered to make new connections and reunite with colleagues across the profession at multiple networking events for guests of all backgrounds and experiences.

RAPS honored its 2023 Fellows and Award winners at the Honoring Excellence ceremony on Wednesday 4 October. The Convergence Networking Party at Le Cathcart the same evening, and the RAPS Farewell Jazz Soirée on Thursday, offered attendees the opportunity to share learnings and celebrate an exciting week of professional development. Chapter Meet and Greets allowed attendees to deepen local relationships, and several programs for students enabled the next generation of regulatory professionals to network and chart their regulatory affairs career journey.

“Anticipating and managing change is so central to a regulatory professional’s career,” said Megha Deviprasad Iyer, RAC, the vice chair of the RAPS Convergence planning committee and the global director of strategic regulatory affairs at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “In order for those changes to land successfully, it’s important to have this time to learn from each other and sharpen our skills that will help us guide business to successful outcomes.”

What’s next?

RAPS Convergence is headed to Long Beach, California from 17-19 September 2024.

Future RAPS conferences include the all-new RAPS European Clinical and Risk Management Conference, part of RAPS’ new Conference Series, on 25-26 October 2023 in Brussels, Belgium and RAPS Euro Convergence 2024 on 6-8 May in Berlin, Germany.