BIO dates for the next five years

The Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO) has announced that the next five annual international conventions will be held in Philadelphia (2005), Chicago (2006), Boston (2007), San Diego (2008) and Atlanta (2009).

'Over the next five years, BIO will be returning to several cities key to the biotechnology industry, as well as expanding into the Midwest and Southeast,' said Raymond J. Briscuso, executive director of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington, D.C. 'We are looking forward to seeing how previous host cities have grown, as well as enhancing biotechnology's presence in new regions of the country.'

The BIO annual international convention was previously held in Philadelphia in 1996, in Boston in 2000 and San Diego in 2001. In 1996, a little over 3,000 individuals attended the BIO conference; nearly 20,000 attendees are expected at BIO 2004 in San Francisco. When the BIO annual international convention was held in Philadelphia, Boston and San Diego, attendance records were made.

Chicago and Atlanta will be new host cities for the BIO annual international convention, and were chosen for their strong commitment and investments to developing local biotechnology industries. The Midwest has a strong biotechnology industry in Chicago and St. Louis, as well as in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Likewise, there is a steadily increasing biotechnology presence in the Southeast, especially in Atlanta - which is where the Centers for Disease Control and the Carter Center are headquartered - and the states of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.