WASHINGTON, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Former U.S. President Bill
Clinton, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, an
ethanol-fueled race car, and the world's largest indoor cornfield boosted
attendance at BIO 2006 to a record 19,479 attendees from 62 countries. The
14th Annual International Convention of the Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO) closed Wednesday in Chicago with keynotes from actor
Bernie Mac and award-winning journalist Neil Cavuto, capping a week of
business meetings, educational sessions and networking opportunities with
luminaries from the disparate worlds of science, health, politics, and
business.
"BIO 2006 was a spectacular success. The convergence of health, food
and agriculture, and industrial and environmental biotechnology created a
fantastic opportunity for the biotech industry to show the many ways it is
innovating to cure and prevent disease, alleviate hunger, and improve the
environment," said Jim Greenwood, BIO's President and CEO. "I want to
personally thank Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich, Illinois Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Jack
Lavin, our sponsors, Midwest hosts, volunteers, and the Chicago Police
Department."
In addition to Clinton, Leavitt, Mac, and Cavuto, BIO 2006 attracted
high- caliber plenary speakers including former director of the Central
Intelligence Agency R. James Woolsey; NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson;
and industry leaders James C. Mullen, President and CEO of Biogen Idec
Inc.; Miles D. White, Chairman and CEO of Abbott; David Beier, Senior Vice
President, Global Government Affairs of Amgen Inc.; Julie McHugh, President
of Centocor and Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., Chairman, CEO and President of
Baxter Healthcare Corporation.
A record-breaking number of business leaders met, negotiated and
exchanged ideas this year in the business forum. More than 4,260 people
representing 1,476 companies entered the doors of the business forum and
participated in a record 11,018 meetings.
The exhibit hall at BIO 2006 was the largest gathering of biotechnology
exhibitors in history, encompassing more than 1,700 companies,
organizations, and institutions representing every aspect of the
biotechnology industry. Within 176,000 net square feet of exhibit space,
the exhibit hall housed the cornfield, an Indy Racing League racecar and
driver, and exhibitors from 43 states and 36 nations.
Nearly one-third of the attendees were international participants, with
more than 1,000 joining us from Canada, and hundreds more from the United
Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Twelve governors attended BIO 2006 including Host Governor Rod
Blagojevich (Ill.), Bob Riley (Ala.), Jeb Bush (Fla.), Mitch Daniels
(Ind.), Kathleen Sebelius (Kan.), Ernie Fletcher (Ky.), Mitt Romney
(Mass.), Jennifer Granholm (Mich.), Matt Blunt (MO), Bob Taft (Ohio),
Anibal Acevedo-Vila (PR), and Jim Doyle (Wis.).
Next year the BIO International Convention will be held in Boston May
6-9, 2007 with the theme of "Science Converges. Business Emerges."
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic
institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across
the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the
research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and
environmental biotechnology products.
SOURCE Biotechnology Industry Organization
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Related links:
http://www.bio.org/
CONTACT:
Kim Coghill of Biotechnology Industry
Organization, office: +1-202-962-9232, or cell: +1-202-369-0196
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