With the first half of 2024 now in the rearview mirror, I finally feel like I’m getting my feet under me as editor in chief of BioProcess International. Since the first issue in January 2003, I’ve had the pleasure of helping BPI to establish itself as the leading publication and events brand for the global biopharmaceutical industry. And this September, all the BPI editors will attend our flagship conference and exhibition as part of the Biotech Week Boston festival. We’ll join more than 3200 biotechnology professionals at the Hynes Convention Center to network and share information about advancements across the industry.

Regular readers know the quality of BPI Conference discussions from the reports that we publish. But those are barely the tip of the iceberg. I encourage you to register and attend one or more of the BPI events. Whether in Boston this month; in Kyoto, Japan, this October; in San Diego next March; or in Hamburg, Germany, next May, you have many options to participate as a speaker, exhibitor, moderator, exhibit-hall visitor, or full conference attendee. Taking part in program sessions gives you a chance not only to experience the full presentations, but also to contribute to live discussions and talk one-on-one with the speakers and others who share your interests and work concerns. You’ll recognize a lot of names from our archives and might even meet the author of a favorite BPI article.

We editors love to get that “face time” with our authors, readers, advisors, and conference attendees who haven’t yet become familiar with our work. After the pandemic kept us at home for so long, even the most notorious introverts among us are excited to get together and socialize as well as “talk shop.” Our Informa colleagues are spread out far and wide, some working at home — in Oregon, France, and Ohio, for example — and others in offices as far part as London, New York, and Carlsbad, CA. So even though we’re all just a “Teams” call away from one another, we get very few chances to meet in person. And I’m sure many of you can agree on how precious that time is in helping us to work together the rest of the year!

Speaking of working together, I want to take this moment to congratulate Josh Abbott, formerly BPI’s associate editor and now an editor of our BioProcess Insider online news portal. As founder Dan Stanton has advanced into an editorial director position, he’s still part of our larger team but won’t be focusing on writing for Insider. With both a journalism background and a few years immersed in BPI’s world, Josh was a perfect choice to step in. We hope that you enjoy reading his and Shreeyashi Ojha’s work regularly — as the newsletters come out twice a week. Meanwhile, look for partnering and business news coming soon under the EBD brand from former Insider editor Millie Nelson.

I thank you for your loyal readership, and we all hope to see you in Boston, San Diego, or beyond!