Letter from 2022 INTA President Zeeger Vink
“With the 2022 Annual Meeting Live+, we enter new territory. We continue to learn, innovate, and adapt as necessary.”
It is exciting to be truly returning to in-person INTA events this year, starting off with the 2022 Annual Meeting Live+. Indeed, we have many reasons to be hopeful again.
Despite the Omicron variant, we entered 2022 full of optimism. With a better understanding of COVID-19 and with vaccines and testing more widely available, we are now much more confident—and, I would say, realistic—about making plans, booking travel, interacting with others, and safely enjoying other “normal” pre-pandemic activities.
So, it is with much confidence that INTA is bringing our community back together for an Annual Meeting—the global intellectual property industry’s premier event of the year.
As always, health and safety are our top priority, and we are taking all necessary precautions to host a safe and enjoyable Meeting. We are extremely satisfied with the cutting-edge health and safety protocols at our in-person venue, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, located in the heart of Washington, D.C. And we have implemented our own health and safety protocols for entry to the Convention Center, with high yet easily achievable standards. We continue to monitor the situation and will adjust accordingly, based on local and federal guidelines and the progression of the pandemic.
With this in mind, we arrived at the decision to host an Annual Meeting Live+. It was a strategic and informed decision. In 2020, we hosted a fully virtual Meeting. Last year, we held a “Virtual+” Meeting with small in-person mini-conferences in select locations. We learned a tremendous amount from these Meetings that has informed our planning for the Annual Meeting Live+ and will further inform INTA events for years to come.
This year’s transition to a “Live+” event merges—and takes advantage of—the best of both formats: in-person plus virtual. No doubt, we are excited at the prospect of connecting in person again. Integrating a virtual platform provides those who prefer to attend virtually (including those who cannot or prefer not to travel) with a way to participate. This Live+ format is here to stay.
With the 2022 Annual Meeting Live+, we enter new territory. We continue to learn, innovate, and adapt as necessary. And, as always, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Annual Meeting Project Team. Led by Co-Chairs Sergio Barragan (PepsiCo, Inc., Mexico) and Stacey Watson (Markery Law, USA), the Project Team, along with the INTA staff, has designed an educational program laser-focused on brand owners’ and professionals’ current and future needs, reflecting both the ways in which our industry and profession are evolving and the ever-changing global marketplace and regulatory landscape in which we operate.
The Meeting will also feature myriad Business Development opportunities in person and virtually throughout the week. And, with both formats, there will also be ample time to meet with outside counsel and/or clients—and get a lot of work done! I have participated in countless Annual Meetings now, and the opportunity to meet my outside counsel from around the world in one place and over one week has always been of tremendous value. I am looking forward to repeating this strategy at this year’s Meeting.
We are incredibly excited to bring our community back together again and look forward to a very successful and well-attended Meeting. On behalf of the INTA Board of Directors, thank you to the more than 5,000 of you who have registered so far and who share our enthusiasm and our confidence. For those still deciding, there is still time to join us, either in person or virtually! And, no matter how you choose to participate this year, I look forward to seeing you soon.
Zeeger Vink, 2022 INTA President
Footage used under license from Adobe Stock / megaalex11590
Mark your calendar and join us for the Opening Ceremonies
Sunday, May 1, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm EDT
Special Guest Speaker: World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Daren Tang
Keynote Speaker: Andy Stalman, leading branding expert and co-founder and CEO of Totem Branding (Spain)
In person in Washington, D.C. Livestreamed for virtual attendees.
Daren Tang
Andy Stalman
Thursday, March 24, 2022
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