The BIO One-on-One Partnering™ system opened last Monday. The system is your secretary, your portal, and your who’s who list for the partnering activities that take place during the BIO Business Forum, May 4-6. As you already know, attendees at the 2010 Partnering for Global Forum will have access to the Forum.

In 2009 a record-setting 14,202 30-minute partnering meetings took place through the partnering system. And with over 1,000 organizations in the system, there can be a lot of information to sort through in order to make sure that you make the best use of your time and partnering opportunities during the event. After all, as we heard from Mel Spigelman, President and CEO of the TB Alliance and Mark Feinberg, VP of Medical Affairs and Policy, Merck Vaccines, doing your homework beforehand makes all the difference.

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to navigate the system and make the most of your time –in preparation before the meeting and while you’re there.

1) Publish your Profile Early

After you register for the Forum (early bird registration ends March 11th), you’ll receive an invitation to join the system. The first step upon receiving your login information is to fill out your profile. It’s important to do this as early and as thoroughly as possible. Keep in mind that you’re not the only one looking through the system. Others might be looking for you. And the longer your profile is up, the more meeting requests you are likely to see.

2) Plan Ahead … and Share the Plan

Before you start looking through the system, give some thought to the types of organizations you would like to meet with and when you will be available. We strongly recommend that you keep your schedule as open as possible during these days to ensure that you maximize your availability to meet with interesting organizations – including during meal times. It is essential that you list your availability through the system so that it can automatically match up available times when meeting requests come through.

3) Use the System

BIO’s One-on-One Partnering™ system is world-class, and has an entire team of individuals that are working to improve its functionality and interface on a daily basis. When an organization wants to meet with you, you will receive a message. Once you accept that meeting, the system will automatically find a time that is available on both of your calendars for the meeting. This is why it is so important to keep your availability listed in the system. It is also why we do not recommend that you go outside of the system to schedule meetings. You don’t want to double-book yourself … or your potential partner.

Once you’re at the meeting, on-site personnel can assist you with last minute changes, meeting locations, and provide a printed version of your calendar. If you want to learn a little more about the partnering that happens at the Business Forum, you can visit the Convention Web site here.

In addition to partnering, the Business Forum also features company presentations. During these presentations, organizations from all over the world provided insights into company stories, pipelines, and partnering objectives in 35 different therapeutic and industry tracks. BIO Ventures for Global Health is excited to host a number of funder presentations on May 4, from 2-5pm. We’ve already confirmed organizations such as the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, and PATH.

If you haven’t already registered, you can do so at pgh.bio.org.

You can also find more information on BIO’s blog, What Would George Do? – The BIO One-on-One Partnering™ Customer Service Channel.

Jennifer Manganello is Development Associate at BIO Ventures for Global Health.