BIO 2005: Philadelphia Prepared to Host the Largest Biotech Meeting to Date; Convention draws partnership between the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Philadelphia, Innovation Philadelphia and Select Greater Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA -- In eleven days, the BIO 2005 Annual International Convention will be held in Philadelphia, June 19-22, when, according to the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), more than 18,000 attendees are expected to the region using more than 23,000 room nights and creating an economic impact greater than $35 million.

BIO and the Philadelphia hospitality industry are expecting to host the largest biotechnology meeting in its 19-year history. The PCVB, the City of Philadelphia, Select Greater Philadelphia and Innovation Philadelphia have been working together to make sure the attendees to the convention have a positive experience while here and leave a lasting legacy of business opportunities behind.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in 48 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. The program includes more than 150 educational sessions and workshops on topics, including industrial and environmental applications, finance, science, manufacturing, food and agriculture, vaccines, and business development by more than 1,000 speakers.

"We welcome the opportunity to host and showcase the strengths of the biotechnology industry in our city and region," said Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street. "Our region has all of the competitive advantages of a biotech capital, with a large nucleus of major pharmaceutical companies, vibrant academic institutions and a workforce skilled in life sciences. We are hopeful that the BIO conference will result in a direct long-term impact on our thriving technology-based economy, producing a win-win situation for the City and the entire greater Philadelphia region."

Since the convention was booked in October 2001, the convention has outgrown the current size of the PCC and as a result, surrounding hotels will be utilized for additional meeting space. Attendees from 45 countries have already registered, and attendees from 15 more are expected. Twenty-five official foreign delegations, including Australia, India, Japan and many European countries, will attend and up to 100 public officials from 20 countries are expected. For the first time at a BIO annual meeting, the European Union will play a significant role in addition to sending a delegation. A complete list of official delegations can be found at http://www.bio.org/events/2005/programs/delegation.asp.

"The excellent program we have planned, in combination with all of the wonderful things that our Philadelphia partners have, will give us one of our best conventions yet," said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO. "The greater Philadelphia area is a global center for medical research with an entrepreneurial spirit that is fostering a strong and emerging biotechnology industry. The Philadelphia area is home to many top-tier universities and research centers - in 2004 alone over $810 million in NIH grants and contracts were won by local universities and companies. Many large U.S. pharmaceutical companies are also located within a 50-mile radius of the city, so there's a strong biotech-pharma partnership."

"Biotechnology and other life sciences are an economic development focus for Philadelphia, and our goal is to maximize the opportunity before a captive audience of many of the senior executives of the world's biotech and pharmaceutical companies," Mayor Street added.

In working together for an entire year, the following organizations have created a well-rounded hospitality and marketing program aimed at for the biotech executives, investors, journalists, policy makers and scientists that are expected to attend.

--  City of Philadelphia:

        --  Established a Host Committee

        --  Created an "Ambassadors" program, linking VIP
            Philadelphians with VIP attendees

    --  Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

        --  Forty-four welcome banners will be hung up surrounding the
            PCC, City Hall and the Avenue of the Arts, June 13 - 23.

        --  Welcome stations and banners will be located in five
            terminals at the Philadelphia International Airport and at
            30th Street Station, June 18 - 19 from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

        --  A welcome message will be streaming throughout the show on
            the PECO lights.

        --  Hotel staff will be wearing BIO 2005 welcome buttons to
            greet guests and BIO posters will be on display at various
            surrounding businesses, including Reading Terminal Market
            and throughout Chinatown.

        --  A special Web site (www.pcvb.org/BIO2005) was created for
            BIO convention attendees that promotes Philadelphia
            restaurants, attractions and nighttime activities as well
            as encourage attendees to come early or stay later in
            Philadelphia.

        --  There will be three concierge locations within the
            Convention Center where attendees can make reservations
            and inquire about sightseeing in Philadelphia.

    --  Select Greater Philadelphia:

        --  Distributing lab coats to hotel, airport, train station
            and other hospitality workers who will wear them for the
            duration of the conference. Business leadership and
            government officials will also receive them.

        --  Advertising on billboards, taxi tops, taxi receipts,
            airport terminals and the Wall Street Journal.

        --  During the week leading up to BIO, locals will man the
            streets with "thought bubble" signs "thinking" of BIO.

        --  Select will host a breakfast on June 19 and sponsor an
            event with the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce as well
            as the 6th Annual Philadelphia-Japanese Health Science
            Dialogue.

    --  Innovation Philadelphia:

        --  Leading up to the convention, BIO 2005-related articles
            were included each week in their weekly e-newsletter, IP
            Links.

        --  During the week of BIO 2005, Innovation Philadelphia will
            publish a daily e-newsletter strictly focused on the
            conference as well as a special edition magazine focused
            on the BIO 2005 Conference as well as the biotech
            industry.

Advance media registration for BIO 2005 is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. To register, please visit www.bio.org/events/2005/. Only reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register onsite with valid media credentials. All freelancers and online publications must register in advance by June 10, 2005.

City of Philadelphia, through the Department of Commerce, assists with strengthening economic development activity in Philadelphia. Its goal is to stimulate and coordinate economic development projects, programs, and activities to promote Philadelphia as a thriving economic engine. The city especially supports the development of new knowledge-based companies, and the expansion of existing businesses in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), a private non-profit corporation, is the City of Philadelphia's primary sales organization. The mission of the PCVB is to market Philadelphia as a convention, meeting and tourist destination to national and international audiences. Focusing on the meetings and conventions business and the travel trade, the PCVB's sales force works diligently to increase the city's hotel occupancy and average daily rate, while concurrently affecting other segments of the hospitality industry.

Select Greater Philadelphia is a business marketing organization dedicated to building the economy of the greater Philadelphia region. It is a private, non-profit organization that focuses its resources on enhancing the profile and image of the region's business community in order to attract and retain businesses. Select Greater Philadelphia markets the region nationally and globally in order to establish greater Philadelphia as a top-tier place to do business. The greater Philadelphia region encompasses southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware.

Innovation Philadelphia is a public/private partnership that concentrates on four key areas, including investment programs, technology commercialization, workforce development and student retention, and regional research and marketing. Their mission is to grow the wealth and the workforce of the greater Philadelphia region's Innovation Economy by growing, attracting, retaining and connecting technology-based businesses and workforce in the region. Innovation Philadelphia accomplishes this mission by providing technology-based and early-stage businesses with traditional seed capital, access to alternative funding, skilled human capital, commercialization assistance, entrepreneurial resources and intellectual capital.