PALAIS DES CONGRÈS DE MONTRÉAL
Montréal to host world-class pharmaceutical sciences conference as part of the centennial celebrations of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Université de Montréal

On May 22nd, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which is currently holding its 6^th FIP Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, announced that Montréal and the Palais des congrès have been selected to host the 7^th FIP Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC). It will run from May 22 to 27, 2020 as part of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Pharmacy's centennial celebrations, and will be organized jointly with the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences Annual Symposium. The events will draw 2,500 participants from all over the world and generate a total of 7,000 room nights in hotels across the city, and ultimately an estimated $5,300,000 in tourism revenue for Montréal and the province.

"Montréal is the top host city¹ in the Americas for international events, and the health sciences sector is a key reason why the city enjoys such an enviable worldwide standing. By joining forces to bring these conferences to Montréal, our universities, the leaders of the health sciences sector, and the Palais des congrès make it possible for Montréal to maintain its role as a leading host of large-scale scientific gatherings," stated Raymond Larivée, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal. The Palais des congrès and Université de Montréal collaborated together on the bid.

The remarkable work of professors of the Facultry of Pharmacy at Université de Montréal, Denis deBlois and Michelle Savoie, who were actively involved in the development and presentation of the bid, will enable Montréal to shine internationally, and also generate significant intellectual wealth for this key segment of the life sciences sector. "This congress will examine the rapid emergence of precision medicine, with medication better adapted to individual patients and being made more accessible to communities that need them all over the world," emphasized Denis deBlois, Chair of the PSWC 2020 congress.

Denis deBlois, PhD
A Université de Montréal Professor and member of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Mr. deBlois specializes in experimental medicine and applied pharmacology. He is the Director of the B.Sc. Program in Biopharmaceutical Sciences, and Co-Director of the Groupe de recherche universitaire sur le médicament (GRUM), whose mission is to develop and support interdisciplinary research, training and technology transfer for the discovery, evaluation and optimal use of drugs.

Michelle Savoie, PhD, MBA, MPH, LLM
An Assistant Professor, Practical Training, at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Université de Montréal, Ms. Savoie is an expert in: pharmaceuticals and public health, strategic analysis, drug development, pharmacoeconomics, and evaluative research. She was also actively involved in organizing the 1^st International Congress on Personalized Health Care, held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in June 2016.

Life science and health technologies
Over 600 pharma and healthcare organizations operate in Greater Montréal, making it Canada's biggest laboratory. Ranked 7^th among North America's Top 20 cities for life sciences and health technology employment concentration, it is home to 600 establishments and institutions, including 150 public and university research centres². In 2016-2017, the Palais hosted nearly 30 life science events, which generated $67.5 M in tourism revenue.

Montréal, convention city
Since 2011, Montréal has been hosting more international events than any other city in the Americas, according to the rankings released by the Union of International Associations. Recipient of the highest quality standards certification in the industry and shortlisted for the World's Best Congress Centre award (AIPC), the Palais des congrès de Montréal enjoys the collaboration of life science industry leaders, who in turn can count on the Palais' experience and support, in order to foster the international reputation of an industry that is continually evolving.