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60 Pavilions Showcase Countries, Regions and States at the 2012 BIO International Convention

Pavilions attract attendees and media alike, affording a space to tell your story within the context of a particular geographic region or specific focus area.

North Carolina Pavilion Brings Small Biotech Companies

The North Carolina Pavilion is one example of a repeat participant, having attended the Convention for more than 10 years and continuously invited numerous companies to exhibit within their space. North Carolina-based companies that produce biologics, environmental biotech, animal health, biofuels and more have been showcased under their Pavilion umbrella. A complete list of 2011 NC Pavilion company sharees can be found here. Kendyle Woodard, Marketing & Public Events Director with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center had this to say about their 2011 BIO experience:

“The North Carolina Pavilion has offered NC companies in the life science sector a low-cost, all-inclusive way to exhibit at the BIO International Convention.  To help further their business development efforts, the NC Pavilion allows exhibitors to reachinternational life science decision makers.

As a top state for biotech, the pavilion allows NC to showcase a major portion of their life science assets all in one location.  In turn, visitors have immediate access to large and small bio/pharma companies, the university and community college systems, economic development agencies, the NC Department of Commerce, non-profit and government agencies, as well as support companies of all types.The BIO Exhibition allows us to sell products and services, license research, partner with companies and learn, network and have fun.”

Russia Debuts in the BIO Exhibition

For the first time, Russia organized a country Pavilion and plans to return to the event this year in Boston. Sergy Tsyb, Director, Department of Chemical Industries and Bioengineering Technologies, Ministry of Industry and Trade with the Russian Federation is one example of finding value in a country Pavilion:

“Russia had a very positive experience by having a country Pavilion at the 2011BIO International Convention. The Russian Pavilion became a one-stop place for face-to-face business meetings as well as scientific and social networking. Exhibiting at the Convention gave our country extra visibility and helped the exhibiting companies achieve additional international exposure during this important event. We were able to gather under one roof a significant number of companies and governmental institutions to showcase the most recent developments in the Russian pharmaceutical and biotech industries. We see a lot of value in our active participation in this Convention in the future.”

The Russian Pavilion also featured a handful of life science companies and institutions within their space at this year’s Convention. The companies showcased technologies which varied from contract services, clinical trial services, formulation development, tech center and bio processing.The complete list can be found here.

Amongst the BIO Exhibition, the Pavilions stand out, for their primary purpose is to promote a country or region’s biotech efforts. The Pavilion is also a great avenue to make news at the Convention. Participating organizations can issue major announcements related to their area to create a tie-in to the Pavilion or host a special event such as inviting public officials to the Pavilion for a ribbon cutting ceremonyand other special events.

Pavilions Provide Showcasing and Greater Attendee Visits

The Pavilions are often organized not by the country or the region but by various organizations within the area, belonging to the biotech field. In order to highlight the innovations, applications and services in each region, life science companies, biotech organizations and economic development corporations will participate in their local Pavilion. The invitationprovides a mutually beneficial relationship for the Pavilion participants as well as a convenient attendee solution. Otherwise, the companies might not see the attendee visitors if they were on their own in a single booth. The Pavilion becomes a one stop shop for folks to learn about state and country efforts in the industry as well as supporting companies local to that area.

Typically there are close to 60 Pavilions, housing some 1,400 of the 1,800 total exhibitors.

Pavilions are a minimum of 400 square feet and are always based on a state or region. Presently, 85% of the BIO Exhibition space is sold with 30 International Pavilions planned and 23 State Pavilions already committed. Check out the full list, which is constantly being updated, here.

BIO Staff Assist in Organizing a Pavilion

Those interested in organizing a Pavilion or becoming an Exhibitor should keep in mind that with the BIO Business Forum centrally located within  the BIO Exhibitionthis year, exposure will be increased exponentially. Historically, attendees had to make time to visit the BIOExhibition separate from attending Partnering meetings. With the changes implemented at this year’s Convention, attendees can now participate in Partnering at the Business Forum or within the Exhibitor’s booth. Access to the BIO One-on-One Partnering tool has never been so convenient. Learn more about Exhibitor Partnering here. BIO Staff is on hand to guide an organizer through the process and to help with outreach and promotions.

To give your region the best possible chance of reaching as many of the 15,000+ attendees as possible, consider a Pavilion. The quality of attendees is unparalleled and the networking opportunities are endless.