WASHINGTON, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The exhibit hall at BIO 2006 will be the largest gathering of biotechnology exhibitors in history, encompassing more than 1,600 companies, organizations and institutions representing every aspect of the biotechnology industry. With 176,000 net square feet of exhibit space, the hall is approximately the size of three football fields.
The hall will house exhibits from 43 states and 36 nations as well as specialty theme pavilions.
The Food and Agriculture Pavilion will include a 1,000 square foot cornfield featuring farmers from six continents. These farmers will share their stories of how biotech crops have made a dramatic difference in their lives, enabling them to feed and shelter their families and, in some cases, even send their children to school. This pavilion will also feature the Green Kitchen, constructed from bio-based products such as cabinets made from wheat straw, where visitors can taste and touch the future. Dieticians will be available to describe how biotech foods benefit consumers every day.
The Industrial and Environmental Pavilion will showcase companies involved in the “third wave” of biotech innovation and will highlight biofuels, bioplastics, and unique products made with industrial enzymes and microbial systems. The pavilion will also feature the Team Ethanol Indy Car. The car’s driver, Paul Dana, will be available to answer questions about the car and discuss racing on Tuesday evening during the Exhibit Hall hospitality reception. In 2007, all cars in the IndyCar Series will run on 100% fuel- grade ethanol.
Convention attendees can get their blood glucose and blood pressure checked at the Abbott Architour “Lab on Wheels,” a semi-trailer customized as a mobile medical testing center. This truck was dispatched to Houston, Texas last year to assist in disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
The Exhibit Hall will be open from 9:30am - 5pm on Monday, April 10th; 10am - 6:30pm on Tuesday, April 11th; and 10am - 3pm on Wednesday, April 12th.
On Tuesday, April 11th, from 5 to 6:30pm, the Exhibit hall will host hospitality receptions with live music and many regional food and wine tastings. Attendees can enjoy live blues, jazz and Latin jazz, Austrian waltzing music and dance lessons, and traditional Thai and Irish dancing. They can also enter to win a variety of prizes, such as a trip to France (France Pavilion), a Ford F-150 Flexible Fuel Vehicle (Illinois pavilion), Waterford crystal (Ireland Pavilion) and a Harley Davidson motorcycle (Pennsylvania pavilion).
To register for BIO 2006, please visit http://www.bio.org/events/2006/reg/. In addition to full conference registration, it is also possible to register for a single day conference pass or for a three day exhibit hall pass.
Advance media registration for BIO 2006 is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credential members of the news media. 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 Friday, March 31, 2006.
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.
Biotechnology Industry Organization
CONTACT: Stephanie Fischer of Biotechnology Industry Organization,+1-202-312-9263
Web site: http://www.bio.org/
