ANN ARBOR — MichBio, the association for Michigan’s biosciences industry, will welcome hundreds of bioscience researchers, manufacturers, executives and service providers to its 2016 MichBio Conference and Expo Sept. 28.
Now in its 11th year, the Conference & Expo will be held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo. The event is the state’s largest gathering of bioscience industry professionals.
MichBio president and CEO Stephen Rapundalo said the association is “switching to a single-day format with provocative general sessions and in-depth breakout tracks that will provide valuable information for everyone who attends, as well as a superb opportunity for networking.”
The theme is “Connecting Technology, Health & Well-Being,” featuring keynote speaker Jeff Elton, managing director of Accenture Strategy and its global lead for predictive health intelligence. Elton co-wrote the recently released “Healthcare Disrupted: Next Generation Business Models and Strategies.” The book is a call to action for bioscience companies on what it will take to develop the next generation of therapeutics, diagnostics and devices to meet the changing demands of the healthcare landscape.
Also, Alec Melkonian, senior vice president of Klick Health, will provide perspective on the “Top Ten Trends in Digital Health” and what that revolution means for early-stage to mid-stage bioscience companies. Toronto-based Klick Health is the world’s largest independent digital health agency.
The morning general session will feature healthcare providers and payers discussing the changing healthcare delivery system, how technology is being integrated to improve patient outcomes and experience, and their expectations of innovators to develop new products. A second session will focus on today’s capital markets, from early-stage to mid-market, and what that means for company growth, mergers and acquisitions, and overall bio-industry growth, not only in Michigan, but globally.
Attendees will hear directly from Michigan-based leaders and senior executives in the “C-Suite Insights” session on the state of bio-industry and their views on doing business in a global bioscience economy.
The event will also include bio-business growth and digital health tracks in the afternoon with sessions on:
* Pricing Wars: Value-Based Innovation for Better Health – The debate about value-based medicine and how bioscience companies should evolve their product development and marketing to meet the expectations of patients, payers and providers.
* Leadership Imperative: Diversifying the Biosciences C-Suite – how companies are trying to diversify their senior management ranks and why it makes good business sense.
* Innovating for Patients, Building Companies for Consumers – what are biopharma and medical device companies doing to integrate digital health into their products to better connect with patients.
* Digital Health Technology Showcase – four up-and-coming digital health companies based in Michigan will showcase their exciting and transformative technologies and products.
MichBio will once again offer a college program for students and faculty. The session will feature a spectrum of industry professionals, from CEOs to technicians and HR to business development, who will talk about the current bio-industry environment in Michigan, opportunities for employment, skillset requirements for employer consideration, and much more, all as an interactive dialog.
The Good to Great and Innovator of the Year awards will be announced at the conference. MichBio is accepting nominations for this award through Sept. 4. A Legislator of the Year award will also be presented.
The agenda also includes more than four hours of designated networking time. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Innovation Exhibitor Hall, where bioscience companies and service providers will be showcasing their products and services. Booth space is still available and details can be found at www.michbio.org/expo/showcase. Companies have the opportunity to raise their visibility to taking advantage of numerous sponsorship opportunities; details are available at www.michbio.org/expo_2016.