BIO International 2013 Review   

The annual BIO International Convention, organised and hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), is focused on supporting BIO programs and initiatives and is the global event for biotechnology bringing together industry leaders for networking, partnering, and deal making. BIO, as a powerful industry group, works year round to create a policy environment that permits the industry to continue to fulfil its vision of bettering life and the world through biotechnology advances. 

BIO members include more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic research institutions, state funded biotechnology groups and related organisations across the United States and in more than 30 other countries worldwide. The BIO membership is focused on Global Innovations and Markets, US Health Policies and Reimbursement, Biosecurity, Biotechnology Business Development, Food and Agriculture, and Biofuels and Bio based Chemicals.
BIO International Convention is the world's largest meeting of, and for, the biotechnology industry. The BIO International convention 2013 was held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. USA, 22-25 April, with 13,594 registered visitors from 47 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and 62 other countries.
The top 10 largest international delegations included (in order): Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, China, Brazil, Turkey and Australia.
Attendance was lower in 2013 compared to previous years mainly due to a competitive pharmaceutical manufacturing meeting and exhibition, Interphex 2013 USA, which ran concurrently from 23-25th April in New York USA. Interphex boasted a 20% increase in attendance this year.
The BIO Convention program featured more than 125 breakout sessions across 17 tracks, which included Achieving Regulatory Approval and Compliance for Biotechnology companies, Biofuels and Bio based Chemicals, Biotech Patenting and Technology Transfer, Business Development, Finance, Food and Agriculture.
The BIO Business Forum, a cornerstone of the BIO Convention provides an opportunity for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academic research institutions and investors from around the world to schedule one-on-one meetings and discuss potential business opportunities, hosted a record-number of 25,573 meetings in 2013 and scheduled partnering meetings between 2,800 companies, featuring 167 corporate presentations, including the Rare Disease Partnering Summit featuring presentations by pediatric institutions. These partnering meetings and panel sessions cover the latest science, policy issues and business opportunities and challenges facing the biotechnology industry today.
In its second year, Exhibitor partnering hosted 5,400 meetings, a 25 percent increase over 2012.
1,722 exhibitors covered 180,000 ft2 along with 60 US state and international pavilions.
2012 addition, the 180,550 ft2 BIO Exhibition featured more than 2,000 exhibitors. The BIO Exhibition included 34 country and 26 state pavilions.
BIO works all year to create a policy environment that permits the industry to continue to fulfil its vision of bettering the world through biotechnology advances.
This year’s convention was attended by Ten US Governors: Iowa Governor Branstad, Illinois Governor Quinn, Indiana Governor Pence, Kentucky Governor Beshear, Missouri Governor Nixon, North Carolina Governor McCrory, Pennsylvania Governor Corbett, South Dakota Governor Daugaard, Texas Governor Perry and Wisconsin Governor Walker.
"The 2013 BIO International Convention brought together global leaders from industry, government and academia who are working together to move innovation forward," said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. "Our Convention provides biotech leaders with opportunities to showcase our industry's promise to offer real solutions to the most pressing global challenges such as curing disease, reducing health care costs, combating hunger, discovering alternative forms of energy and creating high-wage jobs."
"Chicago, the 'City of Big Shoulders' embraced and welcomed the global biotechnology community as host to the 2013 BIO International Convention," said John Flavin, BIO Program Committee Co-Chair, M D, Flavin Ventures, LLC and Executive Director of Chicago Innovation Mentors. "I sat in on many standing room only presentations and panels discussing the cutting edge of biotech business, scientific and regulatory topics. I walked the crowded, expansive exhibit hall seeing so many familiar faces and organisations representing diverse geographies, universities and companies all focused on developing breakthrough technologies and products to cure diseases and improve our standard of living around the globe. I leave the Convention today with renewed optimism, energy and enthusiasm for the biotechnology industry as a whole and intend to leverage and enhance our Chicago bioscience ecosystem and make a global impact with the assets and talents we have here."
The 2014 BIO International Convention will take place on 23-26th June at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, another major US Biotechnology hub.
"We are very excited to host the 2014 BIO International Convention in San Diego for the third time. San Diego's biotech community has continued to make significant advances since the Convention was last here in 2008. Since then we have worked at building a strong biotech start-up ecosystem and emerged as a leader in genomics and personalised medicine. We look forward to welcoming the Convention and all of our global biotech colleagues to California," stated Joseph D. Panetta, President & CEO of BIOCOM.