KALAMAZOO ? Rob DeWitt, president and CEO of the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, said he?s using the Internet to reach out to the life sciences industry to present a virtual visit to SMIC on its 10th anniversary.
On Oct. 9, SMIC will host ?Leading Life Sciences: A Virtual Visit,? an online exploration of the incubator, its clients and the strengths that southwestern Michigan offers for present and future bioscience companies. Modeled on a traditional trade show with booths and presentations, the virtual visit will be held entirely online, giving entrepreneurs and investors around the world a glimpse of what makes SMIC and the region unique. Some 22 organizations, from life sciences companies to universities and investor groups, will participate.
The online experience will run from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and is open to all at no cost, but registration is required. To register, click on SMIC
?We want our virtual visit to reach out to a wide audience to point out the life science skills and talent we have in the region,? DeWitt said. ?Life science is and has been a global business. Many of us who worked in pharmaceuticals did our work globally. We have a lot of global contacts. We hope this virtual visit will help the world learn about our clients.?
DeWitt describes the virtual visit as a three-hour live moment. But the video will be archived for 52 weeks so it will be available on-demand for interested parties who can?t attend through their computer screens.
?We know potential clients in Chicago, San Francisco, and Cambridge from a distance,? he said. ?But it?s hard to identify who we would meet. Once we have the names of those who register, we will prospect for clients.?
SMIC also is working with its incubator clients, and graduates of the incubator, and asking them to share the invites with their email lists. DeWitt said thousands of email invites have yet to be sent before Oct. 9.
?We?re trying a brand new way to identify people we can reach,? he said.
