Where Belle Époque elegance met the future of medicine.
For more than a century, Hotel Le Negresco has stood as a living symbol of refinement on the Promenade des Anglais, gazing over the Baie des Anges. Since its opening in 1913, the hotel named after Henri Negresco has welcomed the world’s elite, artists, visionaries, and innovators. Legends such as Louis Armstrong, Jeanne Augier, Elton John, and Bill Gates have all left their imprint within its storied walls.
From 10–11 February 2026, this historic landmark in Nice once again became a crossroads of global influence—this time not for art or music, but for the future of medicine.
A Meeting of Past and Future
Under the chandeliers and curated art collections of the Negresco, two major international gatherings unfolded: the Clinical Trials Innovation Programme and the Clinical Trial Supply Forum, both organised by World BI Group and curated by Mansoor Nasir.
More than 100 senior professionals arrived from across the EU, the UK, Ireland, the USA, South America, Mexico, India, and beyond—transforming the hotel into a multilingual, multicultural hub of ideas. Symbolically, the venue reflected the very nature of clinical innovation: long-term vision, patience, and resilience. Much like the Negresco itself, drug development is a journey—often spanning 20 to 25 years—before reaching patients.
Clinical Trials Innovation Programme: Rethinking Research
The Clinical Trials Innovation Programme championed a smarter, more agile approach to research. Over two intensive days, leaders in clinical trials, digital health, and patient care explored how technology and human-centered design can reshape trial execution—now, not someday.
Moderated by Eric Hajjar and Andreas Panteli, discussions featured insights from an exceptional panel including Dr. Rafik Fellague-Chebra, Diane Chisholm, Dana Le Dizès, Matteo Talotta, Isabela Niculae, Nadir Ammour, Dr. Solange Corriol-Rohou, Rasmus Hjorth, Mounia Chabane de Saint Aubin, Sascha Sonnenberg, Gabrielle Madjlessi, Gabriel Westman, Bernhard Glombitza, Shakthi Kumar, Richardus Vonk, Dagmara Słaby, Anna Łosińska, Abdulrizak Hudow, Guna Dansone, Arijit Patra, Marlene Vincent, Thierry Schulmann, Dorothy Bray, Puja Myles, Katharina Schreeb, Ruba Jaber, Karen Edelmann-Stergiou, and Dr. Violaine Desort-Hénin.
Clinical Trial Supply Forum: Powering the Backbone
Running in parallel, the Clinical Trial Supply Forum delivered a deep dive into the logistics powering global trials. Moderated by Joerg Wania and Alexander Debets, the forum addressed transparency, compliance, and innovation across supply chains.
Panelists included Nika Zigante, Ladislav Vondrasek, Andreas Stoikos, Antonio Tramontano, Kourosh Samini, Davide Carluccio, Manan Trivedi, Michel David, Dr. Claire Quinn, Eamonn McArdle, Ana-Zeralda Canals Hamann, Kamal Amin, Doron Azran, Luiz Alberto Barberini, Dr. Marija Tubic Grozdanis, Kyrillos Sarigiannidis, Dr. Meelis Lootus, and again Dr. Solange Corriol-Rohou.
Industry Voices and the Bigger Picture
The forums were further enriched by active participation from leading companies and their representatives, including Clinigen (Laurent Zaffran, Neli Bonnar), Klifo (Martin Lamb), Euromed Pharma (Samir Azizur), Medair (Duncan Redpath), NextPharma (Desiree Tepper), and Radis Pharma (Véronique Sapone, Chantal Raffy).
Across coffee breaks and candlelit dinners, debates unfolded on AI-driven research, data optimization, regulatory modernization, and the balance between classical clinical protocols and post-COVID bureaucratic reform.
A Concert of Ideas for the Future
As the world navigates political uncertainty and rapid technological change, the gatherings at Hotel Le Negresco felt less like conferences—and more like a carefully orchestrated concert about the future of clinical trials. In a place where history breathes from every corridor, innovation found its stage.
For City for VIP, this was not just an event. It was a reminder that when legacy and vision meet, progress becomes inevitable.
