Exciting YMC Event In Los Angeles At USC

By Shayne Phillips

On Friday, June 16th the Third Annual Pan-American LESI Young Members Congress was held in the Penthouse Suite of the University of Southern California’s USC City Center building. Hosted by the USC Stevens Center for Innovation, almost 70 attendees heard from experts from around the world regarding Big Data and Data Analytics.

Local events first kicked off Thursday with an all-day CLP Exam Review Course, held in the USC City Center building’s 23rd floor board room, followed that evening by a speakers’ and sponsors’ Thank You Dinner. Held on the outdoor patio of LA’s Border Grill, Thank You Dinner attendees were treated to handmade margaritas and modern Mexican cuisine. 

The formal Friday Congress got underway with an informative welcome speech from current LES (USA & Canada) President and Chair Brian O’Shaughnessy. He discussed many new initiatives of the USA & Canada group, including its Licensing Standards push (and recent certification), and ongoing outreach to members of Congress and the USPTO on issues important to the licensing community. Next, four highly educational panels were held related to Big Data Analytics, Digital Healthcare, Standard Essential Patents and Cyber Security/Data Privacy. Panelists included IP professionals and industry experts from both North America and Europe from diverse industries such as financial services, healthcare and high-tech. The daytime session at USC City Center concluded with a Virtual Reality demonstration by Dr. Skip Rizzo, Director of Medical Virtual Reality at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies. Dr. Rizzo’s work focuses on the use of VR technology to help with military and civilian-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as with other psychological disorders that may benefit from event exposure therapy.

The Congress then moved a few blocks away to the newly opened Prank Bar, where attendees were treated to a delicious meal and to amazing cocktails expertly mixed by LA’s own, highly sought-after mixologist, Dave Whitton. The event has seen a very high level of activity and visibility on social media, with attendees and presenters alike being quite active on social media before, during and after the event, through YMC social media outlets such as the YMC Twitter account @YMC_LESI and through the use of the hashtag #YMCLosAngeles2017, as well as through the YMC’s LinkedIn Group “LESI YMC (Young Members Congress).”

A good time was had by all and the LESI young members group looks forward to the fourth annual Pan-American event, which will be held in Cancun, Mexico on September 21, 2018.  Championed by Hector Chagoya, President of LES Mexico, the event will be Chaired by Roxana Aispuro of Becerril, Coca & Becerril, and Cristian Dávila of GreenMomentum, Inc. The Young Members Congress, as always, is open to younger licensing professionals, as well as to “the young at heart,” so mark your calendars now for the fourth annual event in Mexico!

Attendees of the LESI Young Members Congress Thursday speakers and sponsors thank you dinner enjoy Mexican cuisine on the outdoor patio of Border Grill in Downtown Los Angeles.