Supporting Our Mission: Meet the Sponsorship Team at Binaytara

At Binaytara, our sponsorship team plays a significant role in bringing our continuing medical education programs to life. Through their efforts, we are able to not only organize over 50 oncology conferences across the U.S. but also fund our global oncology initiatives.

Today, we are thrilled to introduce you to two key members of the sponsorship team: Vivian Scheidt and Elaina Harris. They both work under the leadership of Justin Marquart, the Chief Development Officer, who oversees all revenue programs to drive Binaytara’s mission forward. Justin elaborated on the impact of the sponsorship team at a recent all-staff meeting, stating, “Dr. Shah [Binaytara’s president] always says, ‘No money, no mission.’ The revenue from sponsorships, like exhibit booths, product theaters, and educational partnerships at our conferences, goes directly into supporting our programs. None of it is profit; it all goes back into the mission.”

Among CME providers, Binaytara is one of the few that are not-for-profit, and our industry partners help make our impactful education and global oncology programs sustainable.

Collectively, Vivian and Elaina’s work helps connect industry partners with healthcare providers, improving patient outcomes and advancing cancer equity. How do they do it? Let’s hear from our remarkable sponsorship team.

Meet Vivian Scheidt, Director of Development and Sponsorships

Vivian plays a crucial role in facilitating relationships between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals through Binaytara’s medical conference partnerships. She strategically develops regional and national exhibit and marketing packages, negotiates contracts with pharmaceutical companies, and builds relationships with commercial and marketing teams. Her work involves securing conference revenue, using data to demonstrate our continuing medical education conference value, and ensuring that industry partners can effectively connect with physicians.

With her strategic direction, Vivian ensures that the value of our oncology conferences is communicated to our industry partners. She shared, “We provide access to hard-to-reach physicians from high-value institutions. This is what sets us apart—helping pharmaceutical companies reach and educate physicians who may not be aware of newly approved oncology drugs.”

Vivian continuously builds relationships with our industry partners. She mentioned, “I am proud of the connections and contracts the team has secured for 2025 and the benefits we have brought to our partners since I joined. Building and nurturing these relationships, some of which were strengthened through in-person follow-ups at ASCO, has been a key focus.” These partnerships benefit everybody as they provide value for our industry partners and ensure resources for Binaytara.

Looking forward, Vivian explains what she hopes to accomplish, sharing, “We want to continue to build value for Binaytara and our industry partners, because that is what allows us to achieve our goals and fulfill our mission.”

Meet Elaina Harris, Corporate Sponsorships Coordinator

“Social,” she said after a brief pause, when asked to sum up her role in a single word.

Elaina began her journey at Binaytara as a media intern in 2024 and quickly advanced to the role of Corporate Sponsorships Coordinator, drawing on her strong background in customer service. She works closely with Vivian to manage exhibitor communications and sponsorships for conferences.

Elaina demonstrates impressive cross-functional skills: collaborating with the marketing team on vendor setup, coordinating with the CME team on attendee lists, and maintaining relationships with both current and prospective sponsors through Cvent.

A proud moment for Elaina since stepping into her role was when the team brought in a record number of companies to exhibit at our CME events. She shared, “We have really focused on bundling, which has allowed us to bring in many companies that were already attending the majority of our events. By offering a discount and additional benefits, we’ve been able to show appreciation for their support. This approach helps us strengthen relationships with the sponsors who are truly invested in our mission.”

When Elaina is not on the phone with a sponsor or implementing sponsorship strategies, she enjoys watching movies and walking her dog.

CME Sponsorship Opportunities for Pharma: Partnering for Oncology Education

We believe in building strong CME partnerships by engaging stakeholders at multiple levels. While our Corporate Sponsorships Coordinator, Elaina, focuses on outreach to regional representatives for exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, our Director of Sponsorships, Vivian, connects with individuals who oversee regional or national budgets within pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

Most of our corporate partners begin with general exhibit tables, an option nearly all participating companies choose. In addition, we offer product theaters, which are non-CME symposia hosted by companies. These typically occur when a company has received approval for a new drug and wants to educate providers.

Our goal is to make our conferences successful for everyone, not just for faculty and attendees, but also for our corporate partners. They are essential to our mission. Without their support, we could not deliver CME education across the country. Our corporate partners’ contributions are strategic in expanding access to high-quality cancer education.

Thanks to the dedication of our sponsorship team, Binaytara continues to expand access to expert oncology education and care, both in the U.S. and globally. If you are interested in partnering with us, visit the Binaytara exhibitor portal or reach out to our sponsorship team at [email protected] or 425-361-0029.