BIO 2004 Draws Record Attendance

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 9, 2004) -- The BIO 2004 Annual International Convention today ends its four-day run at the Moscone Center with new records for attendance and international representation.  Total registration as of 2 p.m. today was 16,901, with representatives from 61 countries, 49 U.S. states (plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), and 10 Canadian provinces.  Of those registered, 15,200 were on-site during the meeting.  (These numbers do not include spouses, companions, hosts, vendors, and staff.)

The economic impact on the city of San Francisco — its hotels, restaurants, taxi operators, etc. — is estimated at $35 million, also a record.

“San Francisco is the home of our industry, and it’s been ‘home, sweet home’ all week,” said BIO President Carl B. Feldbaum.  “As we close biotechnology’s signature event, I want to thank our volunteers in the San Francisco biotechnology community and thank the city of San Francisco, including the mayor, the police, and the hundreds of other city employees who helped us host the world and make this convention a spectacular success.

“That success extends beyond the convention itself,” added Feldbaum.  “The discussions, the networking, and the education that went on this week will have effects for years to come as new discoveries are pursued and new drug therapies find their way to patients. That’s the ultimate measure of success for this convention.”

For the second year in a row the BIO convention welcomed a Head of State — this time, the Right Hon. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia — as well as the following non-U.S. leaders, all of whom participated in the Ministerial Seminar on Sunday, June 6: Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Minister for Science and Innovation (U.K.); The Hon. Ian Macfarlane MP, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources (Australia); The Hon. Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (Germany); His Excellency Suwit Khunkitti, Deputy Prime Minister (Thailand); The Hon. Pete Hodgson, Minister of Research, Science and Technology (New Zealand); and Dr. Maharaj Krishan Bhan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology (India).

Altogether, more than 50 high-level officials from at least 15 countries outside the United States attended the convention.

In addition, BIO welcomed Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, and six governors:  Jeb Bush (Florida), Tom Vilsack (Iowa), Ernie Fletcher (Kentucky), Mitt Romney (Massachusetts), Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota), and Bob Holden (Missouri). 

Other Facts About the Convention

·                                                   The exhibit hall featured a record 1,469 displays, with almost 60 state and international pavilions.

·                                                   The BIO 2004 Business Forum hosted more than 5,200 one-on-one meetings between biotech companies and prospective partners (as of Tuesday evening).  More than 275 companies delivered business presentations, and 830 participated in partnering meetings.  

·                                                   More than 900 speakers shared their expertise in 192 program sessions.

BIO 2005 and Beyond

Philadelphia is the site for BIO 2005, to be followed by Chicago (2006), Boston (2007), San Diego (2008), and Atlanta (2009).

BIO represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations.  BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

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