Image courtesy of MassBio

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council announced plans Thursday to open a new conference and business center in Kendall Square exclusively for its members to hold staff meetings, corporate events and conferences.

The MassBioHub is expected to consist of “state-of-the-art facilities … available for rent at below-market rates” where MassBio members can host events with up to 200 people. The center will include:

• On-site concierge
• State-of-the-art technology and equipment with dedicated support
• Seasonally inspired and all-inclusive catering service and hospitality
• 200-person conference space to accommodate larger events and ability to partition for smaller events
• Full-venue buyout, including all available rooms and common space for up to 300 people
• Access to private meeting spaces, suites and huddle areas for event prep, board meetings, full-day corporate events and other professional meetings
• Creative branding and visibility opportunities for members to market events beforehand
• Digital display branding opportunities on-site for day of event
• Additional event package enhancements and logistical support

The nonprofit’s announcement did not state where, specifically, the conference center would be in Kendall Square nor how big it would be.

“The life sciences industry in Massachusetts is advancing at an incredible speed, and MassBio is evolving in lockstep to meet our members’ changing needs,” said Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, chief operating officer of MassBio. “We know that event and meeting space to conduct business in Kendall Square and across Greater Boston is at an all-time premium – rates are extremely high and availability is limited – so we wanted to address this critical need for our members.”

To run its new center, which will take bookings in November for spring 2020 events, MassBio has hired Athene Sirivallop as its new director of conference center operations. Sirivallop previously worked as the eastern regional facilities site manager for Bloomberg LP, a job in which she provided operational oversight for 10 bureaus.

In its annual industry snapshot released in August, MassBio said the biopharmaceutical industry in Massachusetts tracked its highest year-to-year job growth in over a decade from 2017 to 2018 with 4,300 added jobs. The report said the industry has 74,256 employees in Massachusetts, earning an average annual wage of $161,281.