28,000-plus One-to-one Meetings Take Place at 2014 BIO International Convention in San Diego
June 29, 2014
More than 28,000 meetings took place during the 2014 BIO International Convention, the world’s largest trade show and convention for the biotech industry, June 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center.
“We’re not your typical buyer-seller show,” said Robbi Lycett, senior vice president, Conventions & Conferences for Biotechnology Industry Organization that produces the show. “It’s all about partnerships.”
To help facilitate the meetings, the show offers BIO One-on-One Partnering tool that allows attendees to research and contact companies, as well as schedule 30-minute meetings with them in the Business Forum area on the showfloor.
It also offers several webinars and guides on how to prepare for meetings and score big with big pharma.
To navigate the extensive convention program, the show launched myBIO, an event planning tool that marries attendees’ interests with sessions and forums. For the first year, the partnering tool and the scheduling tool began to “talk “to each other in a show’s app, making it easy to keep track of all show activities.
Another innovation that is geared towards fostering relationships is transforming the Gaslamp Quarter downtown San Diego into a connections hub for the Wednesday evening reception. The show identified seven interest areas, assigned each a restaurant and promoted the arrangement, encouraging attendees to network with a group of their interest.
Spanning 250,000 square feet, the trade show featured 1,810 exhibitors and attendance was 15,000, up 2,000, compared with last year.
Lycett explains the increase by the location in San Diego, a hub of the biotech community and the overall improving economy, as well as the changes implemented since last year.
“We spent a whole summer working with consultants and analyzing every aspect of the show,” she added. As a result, the show condensed the event to three days, lowered convention access registration price and added more interactivity during sessions, such as various discussions formats and mandatory Q&A time at the end of each session.
“We wanted our attendees to walk away feeling that this was really easy and that they need to come every year,” Lycett said.
It was also inspiring and exciting. The keynote speakers were Sir Richard Branson on Tuesday and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.
Among the notable areas on the floor were the Innovation Zone, in partnership with National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and the new Digital Health Zone. “Over 200 meetings were scheduled in the Digital Health Zone through our system,” Lycett said. “It’s going to be a big growth area for us.”
At the Oklahoma exhibit, Ziad Kawar with Selexys Pharmaceuticals saw an increased number of meetings at their space. “We are a small biotech company and we found our partners here last year,” he said. “It’s been a very good show for us.”
First-time attendee Peter Quinzio, the co-founder of Stemcycle, was at BIO to make industry connections. “We’re trying to be asset light and leverage available technology,” he said. “Here, we found potential partners and also met people we didn’t expect to connect with. And coming to San Diego is not that bad either.”
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
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