International Trademark Association Collaborates with Dress for Success Seattle to Empower Female Job Seekers

New York, NY— May 15, 2018—The International Trademark Association (INTA) is collaborating with the Seattle, Washington, affiliate of Dress for Success by encouraging registrants of the Association’s 140th Annual Meeting, taking place in Seattle May 19‒23, to bring professional attire to donate to local women in need. 
INTA’s 2018 Annual Meeting will draw more than 10,700 trademark practitioners and other intellectual property professionals from more than 150 countries to Seattle for the world’s largest trademark event. It is being held at the Washington State Convention Center.

Dress for Success, an international nonprofit organization, works to empower women to achieve financial independence by providing them with professional attire suitable for job interviews and employment, as well as the skills and a network of support to succeed in the workplace. 

INTA is encouraging Annual Meeting registrants to bring new or gently used women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories to a drop-off point in the Convention Center. To kick-start the campaign, INTA employees have donated articles of clothing and other items—filling to the brim five 22-gallon bins that were shipped last week from the Association’s New York City headquarters to Seattle. 

“INTA is honored to assist this wonderful organization in creating a world in which more women are empowered to build successful careers,” said INTA President Tish Berard. ”As a professional membership association, we find it especially relevant and heartwarming to do our share to help women get started on the right track.” 
The collaboration comes at a time when Dress for Success Seattle plans to double the number of women it serves, to reach more than 800 job seekers in the area in 2018. 

 “We are happy to partner with INTA on our clothing donation drive,” said Liisa Spink, Affiliate Manager of Dress for Success Seattle. “When you support a woman the way we do at Dress for Success, you support her family, you change her children’s lives, and you help stabilize the community.”

INTA chose Seattle to host its Annual Meeting because of the city’s vibrant economy and status as a global center of innovation. The city, home to some of world’s top global brands, has seen a 37.6 percent increase in gross domestic product between 2009 and 2016.

Contributing to a cause that assists potential employees aligns with INTA’s mission and priorities. Trademarks play an essential role in protecting consumers and in promoting global economic growth, as well as supporting millions of jobs across multiple industries.

In addition, INTA’s strategic plan emphasizes corporate social responsibility (CSR). 
 “At INTA, we have the responsibility to lead by example and give back in any way we can,” said INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo. “Each of our meetings has a large impact on the local community and economy, and we want to further amplify that impact with charitable actions.”  

In other CSR initiatives at the 2018 Annual Meeting, INTA will be encouraging attendees during the registration process to make a contribution to the Pike Place Market Foundation. It also has asked those registering online to make a $10 donation to Carbonfund.org to offset their carbon travel emissions and help “green” the event. 
To learn more about Dress for Success Seattle, visit www.seattle.dressforsuccess.org. To learn more about INTA’s 2018 Annual Meeting, visit www.inta.org/2018AM.

About the International Trademark Association
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Members include more than 7,200 trademark owners, professionals, and academics from 191 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Brussels, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and New Delhi. For more information, please visit www.inta.org.