Known for its sunny climate, its outdoor attractions and parks and its vibrant history, this week the city will host some 10,000 trademark practitioners. Ahead of them lies a packed program of educational and networking opportunities, with a few innovations this year.
The Annual Meeting co-chairs, Joshua J Burke of General Mills and Mario Soerensen Garcia of Soerensen Garcia Advogados Associados in Brazil, have been working on this year’s Meeting for nearly two years. “It’s been a lot of fun to be able to put together what we wanted to see in terms of topics and people. Hopefully the hard work is done and now the fun starts!” Burke told the INTA Daily News, while Soerensen Garcia added: “After many years attending conventions we both had our dream formulas and speakers and INTA gave us this super opportunity to exercise that.”
Burke says one session in particular he is looking forward to attending is CM52 Here Comes the Judge, which takes place on Monday from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm: “This will be a mock hearing for a temporary restraining order with an actual judge and two litigators. I’m not someone who really goes to court so I’m excited to see some action.” Another highlight will be tomorrow’s keynote speech by Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods, a brand with a unique profile and appeal.
Tying this week’s meeting together is the theme of music. As Soerensen Garcia says: “California is a great center of music and music is beyond differences and disputes. Music only unites and makes good. Music is a great peace weapon even for people on their own ‘wars’. Music makes all better.” It also provides an opportunity to celebrate trademarks, at a time when IP rights of all shades are often portrayed negatively, says Burke: “We wanted to celebrate brands. Trademarks are a guarantee to consumers that they can feel good and know what they are getting.”
For newcomers, Soerensen Garcia recommends scanning the program to find sessions that interest you and attend as many as you can—you are bound to discover discussions that are relevant, interesting and lively. “With all due respect to the past Annual Meetings, we are trying to raise the bar a lot this time. And I think we will make it,” he says.
And one final tip: make sure you spend some time outside walking through the historic streets or taking a coffee in the open air. Average precipitation in San Diego in May is just 0.8 inches. “As co-chairs, we personally guarantee that it’s not going to rain,” says Burke.
What’s new this year
Even veteran Annual Meeting registrants will notice a few innovations this year, as INTA responds to feedback on both the professional and social aspects of the Meeting. Here are four things to be aware of.
Industry exchanges
The Annual Meeting has long hosted an in-house practitioners’ workshop and reception, but feedback from corporate members suggested that it would also be useful to have industry-specific sessions. So this year a number of in-house industry exchanges will be held on Tuesday afternoon.
Eight groups of industries will be covered, ranging from science-related industries to entertainment and food and beverages.
These sessions are limited to in-house practitioners who have pre-registered. “They will give registrants an opportunity to discuss specific issues that affect their industries,” says Sarah O’Connell, INTA’s Director, Education.
Meeting space
Another innovation will see space being set aside in the San Diego Convention Center for private meetings. The whole of the second floor will be available to corporate members who want to reserve space to hold meetings with outside counsel. This provides an alternative to booking hotel suites or other private rooms.
Meanwhile, INTA is also offering premium and reserved hospitality, where people can reserve tables in the Convention Center to hold meetings with clients. Premium hospitality is more private, while reserved is semi-private. Food and beverages are provided in both areas.
Increased programming on Saturday and Sunday
Arrived early in San Diego? Don’t worry: this year INTA has organized a range of new educational and networking sessions on Saturday and Sunday—and don’t forget that registration opens at 9am today for those who like an early start (or are suffering from jetlag).
The new sessions include two planned by the law firm committee: Paving the Way for the Next Generation of Trademark Lawyers in the 21st Century and An Insider’s View of the Challenges of Law Firm Management. Both run from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm today. After those, you can head to the Next Generation Libations, from 12:30 pm to 1:45 pm in Room 6E, and the First-Time Orientation and Reception, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Room 9. Also this afternoon will be a discussion on How In-house and Outside Counsel Can Achieve Consensus on Reasonable Legal Fees and Taking the Ball and Running with a Pro Bono Case Like the Redskins Trademark Cancellation Action.
Saturday also offers a chance to meet the U.S. IP attaches, while Sunday brings users meetings with several IP offices, a government perspective on trademark issues in Latin America, the first annual Practitioner versus Professor Debate and sessions on public speaking, education and training and INTA committee selection.
Networking excursions
Some Annual Meeting registrants will see a different side of San Diego and the surrounding region this year, thanks to new networking excursions that have been organized by INTA. “We wanted to offer different kinds of networking events this year,” says O’Connell.
The excursions taking place include a hike in the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, a sunset cruise, a kayak tour, a private dinner and a brew quest. Some of them proved so popular that additional times have been added.
Excursions are limited to Annual Meeting registrants and have been pre-booked.
INTA will formally welcome registrants to San Diego tomorrow at 4:00 pm during the Opening Ceremonies and Keynote Address. The Disclaimers band will perform starting at 3:30 pm in Ballroom 20
