Keep Up To Date with Our Blog

MTA IS

Up On Current Events

After all the experiences we’ve crafted for our clients, we’ve learned a lot. And good news — we love to share.

MTA HONORED AS GOLD AND BRONZE STEVIE® AWARD WINNER IN 2026 AMERICAN BUSINESS AWARDS®

Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) was awarded both Gold and Bronze Stevie® Awards in the Events category for Medical Congress and Partnership Engagement in the 24th Annual American Business Awards®. This is MTA’s third consecutive year to receive awards, winning a Bronze and two Silver Stevie® Awards in 2024 and Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie® Awards in 2025. The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.  More than...

Meet MTA at 2026 Outsourcing in Clinical Trials

Miller Tanner Associates’ Commercial Team will be attending Outsourcing in Clinical Trials events across the United States and Europe this year. Visit our booth to: We’re proud to partner with Life Science Cares; on behalf of every visitor to our booth, we’ll make a donation to support their mission. We look forward to connecting with you—stop by and say hello! Outsourcing in Clinical Trials West Coast February 11-12, 2026 in Burlingame, California Visit us at booth #22 Outsourcing in Clinical Trials Europe May 6-7, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain Visit us...

Introducing ALEX™ A Learning Experience Revolutionizing Life Sciences Training

Introducing ALEX™: The Cost-Effective, Specialized Learning Management System Revolutionizing Life Sciences Training [Nashville, July 31, 2025] — Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) is proud to announce the release of ALEX™, a cutting-edge Learning Management System (LMS) designed specifically for healthcare professionals engaged in life sciences and pharmaceutical studies. ALEX™ delivers essential LMS features tailored to meet the complex training needs of this specialized industry. Developed to navigate the complexities of multi-study protocols and diverse role-based training needs, ALEX™ offers a fully integrated platform that streamlines onboarding, ensures 100% training compliance throughout...

MTA HONORED AS GOLD, SILVER, AND BRONZE STEVIE® AWARD WINNER IN 2025 AMERICAN BUSINESS AWARDS®

MTA Wins Gold, Silver & Bronze at the 2025 American Business Awards® Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) was named the winner of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie® Awards in the Events category in the 23rd Annual American Business Awards®. The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.  Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony...

MTA Strengthens Global Event Operations to Better Support Customers with Strategic Regional Hubs

MTA Strengthens Global Event Operations to Better Support Customers with Strategic Regional Hubs MTA Restructures Operations Across Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific BARCELONA, Spain – April 29, 2025 — Miller Tanner Associates (MTA), a leader in global event operations for 28 years, today announced from the Outsourcing in Clinical Trials Europe 2025 conference in Barcelona, Spain, that it has restructured operational hubs in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions. This strategic initiative furthers MTA’s commitment to providing exceptional international support to its pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device customers. The restructuring aligns...

Trial Equity and MTA Partner to Champion Diversity in Clinical Research

A Bold Step Forward: Trial Equity and MTA Partner to Champion Diversity in Clinical Research [May 20, 2024] – Trial Equity and Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) are excited to announce a groundbreaking partnership aimed at expanding education and participation across diverse patient groups, in a strategic move to address the crucial gap in clinical trial diversity. This collaboration will co-market Trial Equity’s innovative Clinical Trial Diversity Training to pharmaceutical sponsors, CROs, and site networks, leveraging MTA’s extensive global reach and expertise in event management within the healthcare sector. “This partnership...

Audience Engagement Strategies for Events

No matter what type of event you’re planning, we’re willing to bet that audience engagement is one of your top priorities – and, more than likely, one of your biggest challenges. These days, event organizers are facing serious competition when it comes to holding the attention of their audiences. In a world in which distractions are always within reach (literally and figuratively!), figuring out how to engage an audience has become as essential as it is challenging. But with a few tips and a solid variety of audience participation ideas...

How to Plan an Incentive Trip on a Budget

Incentive trips are a smart, essential investment for any company, including major corporations and small businesses alike. Offering incentive trips for employees can directly contribute to stronger business results, in addition to a multitude of other advantages. And here’s more good news: an outstanding incentive trip is possible even if you’re working with a limited budget. In fact, with some savvy budget hacks for travel planning, there are plenty of great company trip ideas that are far more affordable than you might think. What is an Incentive Trip? Essentially, an...

How to Start Planning a Corporate Event: A Step-by-Step Checklist for 2026

– Establish clear event objectives and a detailed budget first. – Select a strategic location and the right format, whether in-person, hybrid, or virtual. – Secure vetted vendors and plan compliant logistics well in advance. – Create an engaging agenda and analyze post-event data to measure success. Planning a successful corporate event requires a meticulous strategy, especially as modern audiences expect highly personalized and seamless experiences. Whether you are organizing a global sales kickoff, an incentive trip, or a compliance-driven training seminar, managing the moving parts can quickly become overwhelming....

Why Luxury Incentive Travel is Still the Best Retention Tool for Top Sales Talent

– High sales talent turnover costs organizations significantly in lost revenue and recruiting expenses. – Incentive travel and reward programs can improve employee performance by 22% on average, with top-performing programs driving 25–44% gains, while also supporting retention in a competitive sales talent market. (Source: IRF) – Luxury sales incentive travel rewards high achievers in a way that cash bonuses cannot match. – The elite prestige of a President’s Club program drives sustained motivation across the entire sales team. – Investing in experiential rewards builds long-term loyalty, directly improving retention...

Executive Retreats That Drive Strategy

– Establish clear, measurable corporate goals prior to selecting a venue. – Balance intensive, high-level workshops with structured collaborative time. – Select a distraction-free environment that encourages long-term vision. – Partner with event orchestration specialists to handle complex logistics seamlessly. The annual executive retreat often suffers from a reputation problem. Too many corporate leaders view these gatherings as glorified vacations or expensive networking opportunities that produce minimal actionable change. At Miller Tanner Associates, we know that when your leadership team steps away from daily operations, the investment must yield a...

Why Specialized Biotech Events Require More Than Just a General Event Planner

The landscape of biotech events differs significantly from that of standard corporate gatherings, requiring a level of precision and regulatory knowledge that goes far beyond traditional hospitality. While a typical corporate meeting might prioritize team building or sales milestones, a biotech event often serves as the critical junction for complex clinical data, high-stakes investigator meetings, and rigorous international oversight. Choosing a general event planner for these high-compliance environments is a risk that many life sciences companies simply cannot afford to take. When the success of a clinical trial or a...

Transforming Clinical Trials Through Event Technologies

5 Lessons Learned from Experienced Event Planning Professionals Clinical trials have never been more complex—or more demanding. Today’s studies span numerous global sites across multiple time zones. High staff turnover means you’re constantly retraining new team members. Protocol amendments move at lightning speed. Documentation and compliance expectations continue to rise. And through it all, there’s relentless pressure to deliver studies faster without compromising quality. Traditional methods—emails, spreadsheets, static agendas, and paper documentation—simply can’t sustain this level of complexity anymore. All of these factors also impact any events involved in a trial, threatening to compromise the efficacy of training and — ultimately...

Meredith Shottes Named Chief Operations Officer of MTA, Bringing 20+ Years of Global Scale and Crisis-Tested Leadership to the Role

Nashville, TN — [May, 19, 2026] — Miller Tanner Associates (MTA), a global leader in life sciences and corporate events, today announced the appointment of Meredith Shottes as Chief Operations Officer. Shottes brings more than two decades of operational leadership to the role, including guiding the company through the collapse and subsequent rebuilding of the live events industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been the architect of MTA’s expansion into more than 55 countries across six continents. In her role as Chief Operations Officer, Shottes leads Global Operations and technology-enabled customer experiences across MTA’s global organization. She oversees three core...

Executing Complex Congress Management, Rapid On‑Site Solutions, and Exceptional Attendee Experience

Event MTA supported a pharmaceutical client across multiple congress symposia, internal meetings, KOL events, and off-site dinners spanning several therapeutic areas. Our end-to-end services covered event logistics, on-site staffing, AV and signage, digital check-in, room turns, ad hoc requests, and stakeholder liaison, enabling consistently high attendance and positive attendee experiences under tight timelines. Goals Events delivered The MTA planning team navigated highly complex logistics — from pop-up activations and VIP dinners to housing block coordination — and managed every detail to deliver seamless congress events. Events delivered included: Solutions MTA...

Beyond the Ballroom & Unique Corporate Retreat Themes for 2026

Why the “Standard” Retreat is No Longer Enough Your retreat is a high-cost, high-value investment, and a unique theme can help you get more bang for your buck. You want a space where your employees can spark a connection and enjoy being part of a team. For hybrid teams this retreat is their chance to meet up in person. The current trend in corporate retreats is purpose-driven engagement with activities designed to teach you something or build relationships in new ways. These activities thrive in a deep focus environment. Miller...

Modern AV & Engagement & A Tech Blueprint for Interactive Global Town Halls

Highlights: Virtual meetings may be far more popular than they were a decade ago, but that does not mean that all video software has caught up with the high demands of corporate communication. Many standard platforms simply do not have the technological capabilities or interactive features to make sure that every meeting runs smoothly and is engaging enough to support your goals. Here are some of the most important things to know about why being intentional about creating engaging global town halls is such an important step in keeping attendees...

Hiring for High Stakes & Questions to Ask a Finance or Life Sciences Event Planner

Hiring for High Stakes: Questions to Ask a Specialized Event Planner for Regulated Industries Highlights: Hiring for High Stakes: Questions to Ask a Finance or Life Sciences Event Planner When it comes to planning events in highly regulated industries such as finance and life sciences, there is no room for mistakes. These sectors demand precision, compliance, and an acute understanding of their audiences, whether it’s a boardroom investor summit, a scientific conference, or an exclusive networking gala. Why a Generalist Event Planner Isn’t Enough for Regulated Industries Generalist event planning...