(Washington, D.C.) Major announcements from North Carolina companies were few and far between at the first full day of exhibits at the BIO International Convention 2011 in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. Foot traffic overall seemed to be down from previous BIO International events, including at the North Carolina pavilion which featured many familiar faces and just a handful of new companies. While no major announcements were coming from the NC pavilion, several other states across the country were pushing hard to drive the spotlight to new and emerging life sciences operations.

For example, a new directory listing more than 1,000 biotechnology & life sciences companies throughout New England was released today at the Convention, the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council announced. The Complete Guide to the New England Life Sciences Industry was compiled in partnership with Mass High Tech, to promote the scope of the industry in New England, and highlight the world class organizations doing business there.

The directory provides contact information and company descriptions from more than 1,000 biotechnology and life sciences organizations as well as MassBio’s associate members, including service supplies and non-profit organizations that support the region’s biotechnology cluster. Company categories include agricultural/industrial biotechnology, bioinformatics, contract research & manufacturing, drug development, human diagnostic development, medical device, and research products & instrumentation.

The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology and biotechnology association with nearly 500 members employing more than 250,000 in the region, and the MdBio Foundation Inc., its private charitable affiliate, began showcasing the best of the state’s biotechnology industry. Maryland companies and educational institutions exhibiting at BIO were joined by Gov. Martin O’Malley, who participated in the ceremonial ribbon cutting to open the show.

The TCM was exhibiting the MdBioLab, a custom-built, 45-foot tractor trailer equipped with 16 state-of-the-art lab benches that serves as a mobile bioscience education laboratory for Maryland high schools. To date, more than 75,000 students have had the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, in ways that would not have been impossible in a classroom setting.

The Oregon Bioscience Association (Oregon  Bio), City of Beaverton, 13Therapeutics and eight  Oregon entities debuted yesterday at the first ever Oregon Pavilion at the BIO International Convention’s Global Event for Biotechnology.  Eleven Oregon companies and organizations joined together to create the Oregon Pavilion at this week’s BIO event to display each entity’s latest technology, increase commercialization opportunities, and create industry collaborations and partnerships for Oregon’s growing biotech and life science industry.

The annual BIO event is the industry’s largest and most connected conference to showcase scientific innovation domestically and around the world.   The event creates opportunities for emerging as well as established companies to obtain mentoring, make connections to increase commercialization readiness, to preview pre-and post-clinical assets, and to find capital formation opportunities. Investors, public officials and academia also convene with company leaders to discover how to attract and retain biotech and life science companies.