INTA Announces 2021 Schedule of Events, Annual Meeting - International Trademark Association

Meetings and events are heating up at INTA for the global intellectual property community in 2021. The Association has announced plans for its Annual Meeting and several major events and a year-round blend of educational and business development programming for 2021.

The global intellectual property (IP) community’s premier event of the year, the INTA Annual Meeting, will be held from November 15 to 19 in Houston, Texas, USA. This, the 143rd Annual Meeting, is being planned as a hybrid of in-person and virtual participation and will feature a wide range of innovative educational programming, and business development and networking opportunities.

In an announcement on February 5, INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo said, “While we can’t predict the future status of the pandemic, the changes underway at INTA focus on keeping our community whole, prioritizing your health and safety, responding to your needs, offering optimal experiences, and being agile and forward-thinking.”

He noted that INTA has pushed the Meeting into the fourth quarter “in the hope that an in-person gathering will be feasible then.” The November Meeting supersedes the Association’s original plans to hold an on-site event in San Diego, California, USA, May 1–5, 2021, which is canceled due to current safety concerns.

Other key INTA events are in the foreground. With the Annual Meeting pushed as far toward the end of the year as is feasible (in order to be in-person), the Association will hold its 2021 Leadership Meeting virtually from May 3 to 7, rather than during its usual time in November.

Directly ahead, from March 23 to 24, is the virtual “2021 What’s Next for Brands: A View from Europe” Conference. The program will primarily focus on innovation and new technologies, with value-added content about wellness. The event will uniquely integrate cutting-edge legal issues and a view from Europe, into an equal mix of educational sessions and business development opportunities. The latter include workshops, Table Topics, Speed Networking, and social activities. Registration will open shortly.

Also look forward to the virtual “2021 Brand Resilience: Risk, Recovery, and the Future of the Brand Practitioner” Conference, tentatively scheduled for September.

Other educational offerings include live and on-demand INTA TO-GO webcasts. Among them is a six-session webcast series entitled, “Enforcement of IP Rights in Africa,” which premieres February 25. Joining live, local and international experts will discuss the current economic climate, factors contributing to counterfeiting, and the abundant anticounterfeiting activities taking place across the region.

This year, business development also takes center stage. In response to member feedback, the Association is developing a year-round calendar of stand-alone business development opportunities to help members network and meet their business goals. The offerings feature a balanced mix of professional events that further explore IP-related and non-IP related topics in more casual settings, and include social activities. Fan favorites like Speed Networking will be offered on a monthly basis to INTA members.

In addition, these opportunities will be integrated into all the Association’s meetings and conferences—whether in-person or virtual. Marking a big change, meetings and conferences will be 50 percent educational and 50 percent business development. The business development opportunities will build on topics presented at educational sessions, with small group discussions that continue the conversation and will also include other social activities.

This focus on business development emphasizes the Association’s commitment to providing members with both a forum to make new connections and foster existing relationships, and the tools and knowledge to support their professional growth and career advancement.

To hear more about INTA’s plans and the thinking behind them, watch this video interview with CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.