International Contacts Boost Business

Networking on an international level is essential for successful companies. With this in mind many Austrian companies participated in the world’s largest biotech partnering exhibition: the BIO International Convention, which took place in Washington, DC (USA) this year. In addition to participants from Lower Austria and Styria, representatives of 11 Viennese companies used the opportunity to establish new and maintain existing international contacts.

Rainer Henning, CE O of Biomay, knows how important networking is: “We are using conferences and exhibitions like the BIO2011 to maintain our contact network in the industry and establish new connections. One quality contact is already sufficient to justify the effort of participation.” Angelika Spreitzhofer, Quality Manager of Virusure, underscores the importance of personal contact: “Joining the BIO 2011 as an exhibitor gave our company the opportunity to personally meet with our international clients, identify new projects, discuss synergies and connect with potential partners for future developments. We believe that the professional and excellently organized atmosphere of this event and the faceto- face contact with clients and partners is fundamental for continuing to offer customeroriented services of highest quality.”

Mycosafe Diagnostics is also conscious of the relevance of this partnering-event. Gabriele Senti, Corporate Communications Manager: “The BIO2011 in Washington was an excellent opportunity for us to establish new business contacts as well as maintain existing ones. Conversations with potential customers gave us an update on the current demands of the market – insights that were interesting and valuable at the same time.” Probing the market and finding potential partners was also a goal of Apteptico: “During the 2011 BIO International Convention, Apeptico met with representatives of all leading respiratory medicine pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as with service providers. During these meetings we were encouraged to continue our drug development program and clinical validation strategy for AP301 for prevention and treatment of oedematous respiratory failure,” says Bernhard Fischer, CE O of Apeptico. Moreover companies offering related services to the biotech industry benefit from participating at the BIO International Convention: “The BIO provides an excellent forum to meet colleagues, to network and exchange ideas with other people in the biotech field,” explains Andreas Pföstl, Patent Attorney of Sonn & Partner.

Jumpstart for Start-ups
As long as an enterprise is young and unknown, partnering facilitates contact with other companies or potential investors. Partnering can be considered “business speeddating.” Prior to the exhibition you identify and select the most suitable potential partners on the basis of short company profiles which are presented on the exhibition homepage. So, thousands of half-hour meetings can be planned in advance. The Viennese start-up Evercyte made extensive use of this networking service: “For us as a very young start-up company, BIO2011 was an extremely exciting event,” states Johannes Grillari, CS O, “We had more than 40 contacts with extremely well-matched companies and have more than 50 percent in promising follow-up contacts. Bio2011 in Washington has allowed unparalleled speed in customer acquisition and definitely boosts our business.” Also, the young company Zytoprotec gives a positive summary. “Attending BIO 2011 in Washington was a great opportunity for a start-up company like Zytoprotec to get in touch with a large number of business partners located all over the world.

The convention makes it easy to approach potential future investors, partners and customers or to be identified by those, despite the fact that the company is not yet very welknown,” says Klaus Kratochwill. “Zytoprotec will, of course, pursue the established contacts to eventually explore new business opportunities.” LISA vienna used the opportunity to explore China as new market for Viennese biotech companies. Several seminars and lectures provided insight into the Chinese market. In personal talks at the China-pavilion even more detailed information could be gathered. In order to probe the market more closely, LISA vienna is going to visit BIO-China, the biggest biotech-partnering exhibition in the Asian area.

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