From Theresa Phillips,
Your Guide to Biotech / Biomedical.
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The 2008 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing was held from April 27-30, 2008, in Chicago, IL, USA. This meeting was well organized and packed with interesting sessions that addressed many topics in industrial biotechnology. It was well attended by record numbers of delegates from the industry and government institutions.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Great networking opportunity!
• Very informative sessions.
• Well organized.

Cons:

• Heavy on the biofuels.

First Impressions

The meeting addressed a broad range of topics and would appeal to anyone with an interest in industrial biotechnology and bioproducts used in everyday life. While the plenaries and breakout sessions were tightly scheduled, that ensured succinct presentations and there was plenty of time at the end of each session, for questions and a meet-and-greet with the presenters.

As a member of the media, I was particularly impressed with the greeting I received from BIO representative Paul Winters, especially since it was my first time at such an event in that capacity. He made me feel welcome and showed an earnest interest in my work and needs.

World Representation

The meeting drew a record number of delegates from various governments and companies. World leaders in bioproducts and biofuels research were there to present their insights into the bioproducts industry and words of wisdom. The industry representation was strong and global in nature, but, from what I could tell, academic representation was scarce. This was definitely a corporate event but an excellent opportunity to meet with CEOs of large and small companies, hear how they got started, learn about their products and pick up tips on investing in biotech or obtaining VC funding.

Delegates from government organizations were primarily from American states and some regions of Canada, seeking to draw interest to their locations for building biotechnology hubs. For anyone interested in building a business or relocating, there was a session on the final morning that focussed on developing incentives for biotech companies.