An attendance increase at this year's US Biotechnology Industry Organization international convention could signal a stronger outlook for the industry, conference officials speculate. Turnout at the 3–6 May event in Chicago, Illinois, rose by nearly 7% to 15,322. Last year's meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, drew 14,352 attendees, compared with 20,108 in 2008 in San Diego, California. Geographic locales also affect numbers. “[Attendance at] the convention often reflects the environment of the overall biotech industry,” says spokeswoman Erin Reese. “There are signs that the industry is rebounding.” This year's convention also had 2,125 companies participating in business partnership meetings, up from 1,770 in 2009 and 1,476 in 2006.