BIO International Convention Closes in Chicago, Heads to DC in 2011

The 2010 BIO International Convention was a huge success - hosting a record-number of partnering meetings and highlighting a broad array of top-level speakers addressing critical global challenges and the top issues in biotech. The event drew 15,322 industry leaders from 49 states and 65 countries.

The full Convention program featured more than 125 breakout sessions across 17 tracks, addressing the latest scientific, policy and business opportunities and challenges facing the biotechnology industry today. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, former Vice President Al Gore and BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood gave insightful keynote addresses. Other high-level speakers included Margaret Hamburg, MD, FDA Commissioner; Roger Beachy, Chief Scientist for the US Department of Agriculture and Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; and David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United State Patent and Trademark Office.

Seven U.S. governors attended this year's event: Pat Quinn (IL), Jennifer Granholm (MI), Jay Nixon (MO), Jim Doyle (WI) , Steve Beshear (KY), Martin O’Malley (MD), David Heineman (NE). In addition, more than 80 high-level public officials attending, including:

• The Honourable Robert Ghiz, Premier of Prince Edward Island, Canada
• The Honourable Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec, Canada
• The Honourable Anne-Marie Idrac, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, France
• Hon. Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia
• The Honourable Miguel Sebastian, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, Spain
• The Honourable Jin-Fu Chang, Minister of State, the Executive Yuan, Taiwan
• Sir Michael Rawlins, Chairman, National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE), United Kingdom
• Premier Stelmach of Alberta and The Canadian Minister of Industry, Tony Clement

The BIO International Convention is the world’s largest annual event for the biotechnology industry. The 2010 Convention ran from Monday, May 3 through Thursday, May 6 at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Ill. Next year’s event will be held June 27-30, 2011 at the Washington, DC Convention Center.

"We are very excited that the BIO International Convention will be coming to Washington, DC in 2011," said Dr. Lawrence Mahan of the Maryland Biotechnology Center. "We have received strong commitments from the state's biotechnology industry toward making the 2011 event a huge success. Led by Governor Martin O'Malley, the state has shown consistently strong support for the biotech industry, which will be a good foundation for the event."

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/.