CVBs By Bonnie Grant
Almost half of all meetings and conventions that take place in the Pennsylvania Convention Center and within center city hotels are related to the life sciences industries. In recog- nition of this, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) established a division known as the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress (GPLSC), and has invest- ed resources into this division, marketing Philadelphia as “America’s Life Sciences Meetings Destination.”
The GPLSC, comprised of the region’s life sciences leaders, acts as a liaison between Philadelphia’s extensive life sci- ences and hospitality communities, and exists to help board members, meeting planners, attendees and visitors success- fully navigate through the regional life sciences landscape.
In addition, the GPLSC helps to market the city as the destina- tion of choice for life sciences meetings, helping to fill the newly expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center (which promises a bigger and better experience for citywide life sci- ences meetings) along with center city hotels with vibrant, educational and populated meetings that also generate hotel room nights.
This business generates a significant economic impact for the city and surrounding region. For example, the economic impact for life sciences meetings booked by the Philadelphia CVB that took place in Fiscal Year 2012 amounted to $198,934,868. Looking ahead, the economic impact for future convention business booked during the same fiscal year is $339,959,628.
Once a meeting is booked, the PCVB’s award-winning con- vention services staff works closely with organizers to ensure successful and memorable meetings in the city.
In addition, Philadelphia has many medical and science attractions, as well as a variety of venues in which to hold medical meetings and conventions that both educate and entertain attendees. This adds even more appeal to the city as a destination for this market.
Helping Specialized Markets
Venues like The Franklin Institute, the newly relocated Barnes Foundation, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia College of Physicians and the Mütter Museum, as well as the Physick House are ideal spots in which to host off-site tours and events. Philadelphia’s bounty of life science museum treasures include: medical artifacts, antiques, art masterpieces and noteworthy architec- ture relative to science. Each offers its own fascinating col- lections of specimens, tools and memorabilia to interest any medical professional.
The city has extensive collections of medical art, too, ranging from an outdoor mural honoring nurses to Thomas Eakins’ painting “The Gross Clinic.” Medical art enthusiasts will find collections at the world renowned Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and at hospitals and medical schools, as well.
The tri-state region represents 80 percent of the U.S. pharma- ceuticals industry. Here, outstanding academic and research institutions work in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, and many life-saving drugs and innovative diagnos- tic and medical devices can be found within a 50-mile radius of each other.
Given the region’s prime location within a day’s drive of 40 percent of the U.S. population, it is no surprise that life-sci- ences related conventions make up close to 50 percent of all meetings held in Philadelphia each year.
Through the efforts of the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, planners from within these industries will find the city to be inviting, productive and exceptional in terms of its offerings and the ability of its venues to meet their needs.
Bonnie Grant is the Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, which is part of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
bonnieg@discoverPHL.com /
www.phllife.com
Mid-Atlantic EVENTS Magazine 43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92