Quite a story, thanks for sharing your experience. This goes to prove the points I made in my big pharma series. I have my opinion about the pharmaceutical industry from a scientist's point of view, and it's good to get another "insider" experience from a doctor's perspective. Pharmaceutical events funding are routine. Hell, even during science conventions I often saw a load of pharma kiosks scattered between the lab equipment sellers. That's because doctors often attend research conventions, so pharmaceuticals try to reach them on every occasion they can.