Strong Response for Biotechnica 2009 in Face of Tough Economic Environment

Biotechnica 2009, held in Hannover, Germany, October 6-8, 2009, showed considerable growth in number of exhibitors and trade visitors as well as display space sold with an excellent response to conference themes of bioinformatics, protein engineering, regenerative medicine, and bio-based economy.

Chalking up an increase in the number of exhibitors and trade visitors in addition to the amount of display space sold, the Biotechnica (Hannover, Germany) exhibition sent some important signals in the midst of an economic downturn. "We have staged a strong exhibition in spite of the tough economic period,” stated Stephan Ph. Kühne, member of the Deutsche Messe, AG (Hannover, Germany) management board, at the close of the tradeshow--Europe's biggest in the biotechnology and life sciences sector. "Increases of more than 21% in exhibitor numbers and 35% in terms of the amount of display space sold, and over 11,000 trade visitors from 40 different countries substantially exceeded our expectations,” Mr. Kühne said, adding, "The importance of biotechnology is now firmly anchored in people's minds.”

Approximately one-third of all exhibitors were from abroad, most of them coming from France, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This year's event saw a record participation from the Netherlands in terms of display space and the number of exhibitors, while Korea was the leading exhibitor country from the Asia-Pacific region. 650 exhibitors from 28 nations were on hand to present the latest biotechnology products and applications for the healthcare, food production, industrial, and environmental protection sectors, over a total net display area of 11,214 square meters. "At a time when many companies are preoccupied with overcoming short-term obstacles, the industry has used this event to acquire a sustainable new focus,” Mr. Kühne concluded.

The event featured a highly international trade audience, with the proportion of foreign visitors up by more than 25%. There were also more visitors from other European countries this year. A significant increase in attendance from North America was a gratifying development, and the proportion of Asian visitors was up a substantial 25% on the previous event. Leading countries in terms of visitor attendance included the United Kingdom, Austria, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States.

Specialists from R&D and science sector represented the most sizable attendee group, accounting for 5,500 trade visitors. Attendance from the information and communications technology sector almost quadrupled compared with the 2008 event. In terms of exhibition segments, visitor attention was primarily focused on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals/medicine. There was also a strong interest in laboratory equipment and chemistry applications.

Over 500 speakers from industry, research, and government made the conference program a genuine highlight at Biotechnica. Top themes included the use of bioinformatics to improve data analysis capability and laboratory processes and protein engineering to treat cancer and immune disorders. Two conference premieres, "Bio-IT World Europe” and the "Protein Engineering Summit--PEGS Europe,” drew a highly positive response.

Another major topic at the event involved financing assistance for startups. The new "Bio@Venture Conference” gave young companies an opportunity to present their ideas and innovations to potential investors. The first "Molecular Food Analytics” symposium highlighted the contribution that new analysis technologies can make towards detecting food allergens and genetically modified ingredients.

One of the key aims of the event was to provide a networking hub for industry, government, and research. In the Biotechnology Project Forum, the German Ministry of Education and Research presented all subsidized research projects completed in 2008. About 120 scientists were available over the three-day show to talk with visitors and answer their questions. An excellent platform for direct networking between exhibitors and visitors was provided by the "Biotechnica Innovation Forums,” which were integrated into the exhibition and allowed for exhibitor presentations of their companies and products. The program of conferences, forums, and workshops drew over 3,000 attendees in all.

The Biotechnica partnering concept proved a successful mechanism for bringing business partners together from all over the world. International participants from 190 companies used this platform to widen their circle of business contacts. The number of scheduled business meetings was up 30% on the previous year.

Biotechnica continues to set its sights on the other major biotech regions of the world. From April 20-22, 2010, the Biotechnica America event will be held in New York, NY, USA, followed by the fourth Biotech China, staged once again in Shanghai June 2-4, 2010. The next Biotechnica in Hannover will run October 5-7, 2010.

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