The 2015 BIO International Convention, for global biotech community, recently was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia and hosted 29,279 partnering meetings, a new record for the event. 

Organized by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, which changed its name to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the event drew 15,858 industry leaders from 69 countries and 47 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

“This year’s BIO International Convention was a tremendous success, bringing to Philadelphia leaders in industry, government and academia from across the globe to pursue biotechnology’s potential to solve some of society’s most pressing problems,” said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood.  

He added, “From our outstanding keynote speakers, to the record number of partnering meetings, the 2015 Convention was a resounding success.  This event continues to provide biotech leaders with the opportunity to showcase the best of our industry and form connections and partnerships that will drive growth in the sector for years to come.”

The Convention featured dynamic keynotes from legendary journalist Tom Brokaw, leading digital health expert Eric Topol and internationally acclaimed jazz musician Wynton Marsalis. 

Educational programming included more than 750 speakers and 125 sessions in 16 educational tracks which addressed the latest business opportunities, breakthroughs in medicine, diagnostics, the environment, energy production, food and agriculture and more. 

The top 15 largest international delegations included (in alphabetical order): Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

Several U.S. Governors attended this year’s event including Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard. New Jersey Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno also was in attendance, as well as numerous legislators from around the country.

The BIO Business Forum hosted a record-breaking 29,279 scheduled one-on-one partnering meetings between more than 3,100 companies, and featured 207 company presentations. 

The BIO Exhibition featured more than 1,800 exhibitors and covered 150,000-plus square fee,t with 47 state, regional and international pavilions. The Innovation Zone, featuring SBIR grantees from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as the Digital Health Zone, both doubled in size this year.

“With the support of the BioNJ, the Delaware BioScience Association and Pennsylvania Bio, our tri-state region was able to make this year's BIO 2015 convention in Philadelphia a tremendous success,” said Jack Ferguson, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO. “We were grateful for the opportunity to showcase our wonderful Pennsylvania Convention Center, the hotels and hospitality offerings of our city and our region's life sciences assets, and we hope BIO comes back again in the near future.”

The 2016 BIO International Convention will take place June 6-9 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center. The 2017 BIO International Convention will take place June 19-22, 2017, in San Diego at the San Diego Convention Center. The 2018 BIO International Convention will take place June 4-7in Boston at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

“I would like to thank the Philadelphia Convention & Visitor's Bureau and the Pennsylvania Convention Center for their leadership and assistance in making the 2015 BIO International Convention such a resounding success,” said Scott Whitaker, president of the BIO International Convention. 

He added, “The 2015 BIO International Convention may be wrapping-up, but I know the entire biotech community is excited to be back in San Francisco in 2016, where we expect another great BIO Convention.”