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Press Release: 2009 BIO International Convention Attracted Global Industry Leaders and Public Officials for Networking, Deal Making and Partnering

Atlanta, Ga., (May 21, 2009) – The 2009 BIO International Convention, produced by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), wrapped up today at the Georgia World Congress Center with 14,352 industry leaders from 58 countries and 48 states.

“The 2009 BIO International Convention was a phenomenal success, bringing together thousands of leaders from industry, government, academia and other disciplines who are working to solve some of society’s greatest challenges,” said BIO President and CEO Jim C. Greenwood. “I personally want to thank our many partners in Georgia, the region and throughout the industry who help make this event a success year after year."

“We worked throughout the year to ensure that this event provided a valuable experience for all attendees,” said Russell Medford, president and CEO of Salutria Pharmaceuticals LLC and Co-Chair of the 2009 BIO International Convention’s Steering Committee.

“We are thrilled to have had the honor to be the local hosts for the 2009 BIO International Convention,” said Charles Craig, president of Georgia Bio. “This Convention has raised visibility for Georgia as the gateway for the global life sciences industry for the region. We look forward to hosting another BIO International Convention in the future.”

Industry leaders representing 1,800 companies participated in 14,040 one-on-one partnering meetings during the four-day event. Additionally, 190 companies presented as part of the Business Forum.

“In this challenging economy, it’s more important than ever to be able to meet face to face with potential customers and partners,” said Andrew Reaume, PhD, MBA, president and CEO of Melior Discovery, Inc., a small biotechnology company located in Exton, Pa. “Exhibiting here at BIO gave us the opportunity to do just that.”

“The BIO International Convention provided Mexico and many other countries the opportunity to share innovations, challenges and opportunities. The colleague-to-colleague connections and the interactions we made  with public officials proved to be invaluable for global progress in feeding, fueling and healing the world. The BIO Exhibition was great for us and opens doors for us,” said Fernando Quezada, Biotechnology Center of Excellence Corporation.

The Tuesday keynote featured Sir Elton John who spoke about the urgent need to develop improved treatments, delivery methods and a cure for HIV/AIDS. Wednesday’s health care policy keynote featured Sen. Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.); William Frist M.D., former Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.); Mr. Karl Rove, former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush; and, Susan Dentzer, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs. The panel discussed current biotechnology-related bills under consideration in the U.S. House and Senate, policy options to increase access to quality health care, the need for capital and investment in the biotech industry, and how to control costs within the health care system.

The full Convention program featured more than 170 sessions in 22 breakout session tracks, including new tracks on drug delivery, global biotechnology issues, translational medicine and vaccines, among others. In addition, this year’s BIO Exhibition covered an estimated 176,000 net sq. ft. and hosted 1,827 exhibitors.

The BIO International Convention is the world’s largest annual event for the biotechnology industry. The 2009 Convention ran Monday, May 18 through Thursday, May 21 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga. Next year’s event will be held May 3-6, 2010 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.

The BIO International Convention helps support BIO programs and initiatives. BIO works throughout the year to create a policy environment that enables the industry to continue to fulfill its vision of bettering the world through biotechnology innovation. For more information on the global event for biotechnology, including program and housing information, please visit http://convention.bio.org.

2009 BIO International Convention Social tagging & Social Media

Be included in official convention coverage: Tag your convention related content, blog posts, photos and videos with #bio09 Twitter with us: #bio09 Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BIOconvention Listen to our podcasts: http://biotech-now.org/ Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12611785695 Connect with us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=35214 Visit our YouTube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/BIOchannel View our photo albums on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/biophotos/

 

Upcoming BIO Events

BioEquity Europe June 9-10, 2009 Munich, Germany World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing July 19-22, 2009 Montreal, Quebec, Canada About BIO BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.