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s_bukley / Shutterstock.com (Boyz II Men, pictured)
17 June 2015Americas

BIO 2015: Kicking off with a song and a dance

This year’s BIO International Convention in Philadelphia went off with a bang on Monday night as hundreds travelled to the kickoff concert to see three of the area’s most successful music acts of the last 50 years.

LSIPR went with them to the Liacouras Center on the Temple University campus, where we watched (and danced) to a two-hour set by Philadelphia’s own R&B vocal group Boyz II Men, and hip hop band The Roots, who played with members of disco group Kool & the Gang.

There will probably be a few hoarse voices heard among the convention booths today as the Boyz II Men performance became a spirited sing along in time for one of the group’s biggest hits, “End of the Road”. Lucky members of the audience left the show with long-stemmed red roses thrown from the stage.

After Boyz II Men’s performance, BIO president and chief executive Jim Greenwood welcomed the delegates to the event, which this year will host more than 15,000 people.

Why do we come to BIO every year? Is it for the education, or networking opportunities? Greenwood asked. Partly, he said. Mostly, it’s because BIO throws the best parties, he said. Looking out at a delighted crowd with our beers in our hands, it was hard to disagree.

The Roots played next, turning the stadium floor of the Liacouras Center into a dance floor. The band’s set segued into an uninterrupted mix of songs by Kool & the Gang, including renditions of “Celebration” and “Ladies’ Night”, which were gleefully received.

There would no doubt be some sore heads the following morning, we thought as we walked out of the centre into a warm Philadelphia evening, though what better way to break the ice with your fellow delegates than with a drink and a dance?

The 2015 BIO International Convention is taking place in Philadelphia from June 15 to 18.