INTA Announces 2021 Annual Meeting, Other Events - International Trademark Association

INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo today announced plans for the Association’s 2021 Annual Meeting and other events to be held in the coming year. In a letter to members and other stakeholders, he wrote:

There’s no doubt that the past year has been difficult for all of us from so many professional and personal perspectives, affecting each of us, perhaps changing each of us, in our own way.

As an organization, we, too, have been changing. And we’re turning a situation that none of us ever could have imagined into something positive: transforming our calendar of events.

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.

Thus, our 2021 calendar of events includes:

Introducing valuable business development opportunities year-round, as stand-alone events or incorporated into meetings and conferences;
Converting our Annual Meeting into a hybrid event, and all conferences into virtual events; and
Switching the usual time of year for the Annual Meeting and the Leadership Meeting.

We hope you’ll see these changes as innovative, yet practical. Both are critical given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

We didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer, so below is a general overview of our offerings. In the weeks ahead, our team will be working at a fast pace to pin down additional details.

2021 Annual Meeting

INTA’s 143rd Annual Meeting will take place on November 15–19 in Houston, Texas, USA. A mix of in-person and virtual programming, it will feature a wide breadth of innovative educational programming, business development, and social networking opportunities.

We’ve pushed the Meeting into the fourth quarter in the hope that an in-person gathering will be feasible then. This supersedes our original plans to hold an on-site meeting in San Diego, California, USA, May 1–5, 2021, which is cancelled due to current safety concerns.

Watch for more details about the 2021 Annual Meeting, including the registration dates. We will be closely monitoring the pandemic and adjusting the format, as necessary.

And, looking further ahead, mark your calendars for the 2022 Annual Meeting in Singapore, April 25–29, 2022.

2021 Leadership Meeting

INTA’s 2021 Leadership Meeting will be held virtually on May 3–7, 2021 (rather than its usual November time slot). Volunteers will benefit from leadership labs and educational sessions, gain insight into INTA’s new Strategic Plan and other initiatives, participate in committee meetings, and experience the new range of business development opportunities.

Trademark Administrators and Practitioners Meeting

We will not be offering a TMAP Meeting this year. Look for programming relevant to trademark administrators at our other events throughout the year.

Conferences

We will be hosting our conferences on user-friendly virtual platforms.

“2021 What’s Next for Brands: A View from Europe” will be held on March 23–24, 2021. The Conference will primarily focus on innovation and new technologies, with value-added content about wellness, and will uniquely integrate cutting-edge legal issues and a view from Europe, into an equal mix of educational sessions and business development opportunities, such as workshops, Table Topics, Speed Networking, and social activities.
2021 Brand Resilience: Risk, Recovery, and the Future of the Brand Practitioner is tentatively planned to take place in September. The date will be forthcoming.

Expanded Year-round Business Development Opportunities

We know how important it is for you to generate new connections and maintain existing business relationships—and our expanded business development and networking opportunities will help you do that. Year-round, these opportunities will be available as stand-alone events or incorporated into meetings and conferences.

New initiatives will complement longtime favorites. We’ll be integrating business development with programming content through, for example, small group discussions on hot intellectual property and non-IP topics. INTA mainstays like Table Topics and Speed Networking will return, and social networking events will span myriad interests.

Again, watch for more details about the above programming soon. In these uncertain times, our events will offer knowledge, development, and much-desired connection—and keep our community strong and safe in the year ahead. Let’s look forward together.

Renew or join INTA today, and maximize your membership, including registering for events at a discounted member rate.

Watch the video interview to gain more insights.

Note: Unlike our typical (Saturday to Wednesday) cadence, the Annual Meeting in 2021 will be held Monday to Friday, with the Opening Ceremonies and Welcome Reception on Tuesday, November 16.

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.