Here’s a tip if you’re thinking about going to next year’s annual BIO Convention in Atlanta.

Wear a tie. I’m serious. In fact, bring several ties. You’ll need them. Wear them pretty much everywhere. And if you do you’ll blend in ‘cause … these BIO folks are serious.

I’ve spent the last four days in sharing sunny San Diego with the 20,000 strong at this year’s annual BIO fete … me, along with a handful of Brodeur Partners folk. I showed up early on the convention floor in what I thought was appropriate convention attire – slacks, and a jacket covering a polo shirt. You know, business casual.

Not so much. This is not casual business.

The BIO Convention was a collared shirt and tie place. Extra points for lapel pins and cuff links. That is, these were serious folks talking about really serious stuff. Take their theme. No less than “heal, fuel, and feed the world.” That, my friends, is a serious business.

a href=”http://www.brodeur.com/openblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/bio-logo.jpg”>These are people who don’t set the bar low. They are finding cures for diseases. And we’re not talking restless leg syndrome or toe fungus. They’re going after things like Alzheimer’s and Hepatitis C. They are finding ways to solve the energy crisis. The latest news? A bioengineered bug that will eat woodchips and excrete crude oil.

I’m not making this up.

To be sure, there was some convention frivolity. There was the virtual rollercoaster. One company was giving away foot salt. That is salt that you’d use for a foot bath. “Don’t use it on your fries,” the guy said cheerfully. I appreciated the heads up.

By the end of three days I had accumulated so much biotechnology schwag that I had to send it home via FedEx. But it was time well spent. Because healing, fueling, and feeding the planet is … well … pretty serious stuff.

So wear a tie.