Innovation Takes Center Stage At LES (U.S.A. and Canada) Annual Meeting

A revolution of ideas, networking and education will inspire this year's largest gathering of licensing professionals at the LES (U.S.A. and Canada) 2018 Annual Meeting, October 14-17, in Boston. Known as the "Birthplace of Innovation," Boston is a city of historic breakthroughs that date back to the birth of the city and the nation. From early adopters to venture capital, Boston, which opened the country's first patent office, remains a game changer in innovation.

Join us at the LES (U.S.A. and Canada) Annual Meeting, which will celebrate licensing and examine its current trends and evolving best practices through the lens of the world's leading IP authorities. Michael Fluhler, Meeting Chair, states: "The meeting will have all industry sectors represented to welcome legal, technology, financial, and business professionals and to invite interactive participation in this one of a kind annual event."

A Track for You: East or West Coast, Experienced or New to Licensing
The diversity of thought represented at this year's LES (U.S.A. and Canada) Annual Meeting will work to challenge and inspire attendees while providing deal-changing takeaways for licensing professionals in every stage of their career. Nearly 25 Workshop offerings have been planned, beginning Monday afternoon with:

• Connecting Life Science IP to Business
  
• Patenting Machine Learning
  
• 2018 Tax Consequences: Organizational Coordination of IP Monetization & Tax Planning
  
• The Joint Chiefs' Guide to Preparing for Patent War

Spotlight Plenary Sessions and Panel Plenary Sessions will also be plentiful. Many of these sessions are organized into sector tracks to add the greatest value to your experience. In one of Tuesday's Spotlight Plenaries, attendees will learn from "Deal of Distinction" honorees about innovative deal provisions that facilitated successful execution, developments that were not anticipated, and how deal terms or alliance management provisions were amended or renegotiated to deliver the anticipated results. "What Happened After the Ink was Dry? 'Deals of Distinction' Lessons Learned and Best Practices," will feature moderator Jim McCarthy, CorpDev Ventures, and an illustrious panel: Philippe Lopes-Fernandes, Merck KGaA; David S. Thompson, Eli Lilly & Company; Michael Dombeck, Precision BioSciences; Eric Risser, Macrogenics; John DeYoung, Pfizer; and Edgardo Baracchini, Xencor.

Additional Spotlight Plenary Sessions feature great content and enticing names, such as: "When 'NOT' Becomes Hot: Big Pharma's Evolving Shopping List," "Us or Them: Who is Going to Set Standards for Licensing?" and "Funding Start-Ups: The Boston Perspective."

The Annual Meeting will encourage networking in many planned and unplanned ways. Power Networking One-On-One can be scheduled using the official meeting app. Mixers, cocktail hours, dinners, a fun run, sector crawl event, and transitional meeting opportunities will provide networking as well. New members and first-time meeting attendees are encouraged to participate in Sunday night's "Orientation and Speed Mentoring" hosted by Young Members Congress (YMC) volunteers. The session will introduce attendees to ways of becoming more involved with LES.

Register Today!
Registration is open to LES (U.S.A. and Canada) members, non-members, and LESI members. There are also opportunities for accompanying guests and one-day registrations. IP Business Basics 101 will be offered at a discounted price, and a CLP Exam Review is also available. Meeting information and registration can be found at lesmeetings.org.

This year's Annual Meeting will take place at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Room reservations can be made directly with the hotel; discounted rates are available through September 27, 2018.

Join us in Boston, a transformative place, where a revolution of ideas will take place around the LES (U.S.A. and Canada) Annual Meeting. See you there!

Michael Fluhler
Meeting Chair

Check out Copley Square two blocks northeast of the hotel. It features many architectural gems including the Boston Public Library and Trinity Church.

For Fall color, there's a 4.1 mile path behind the Marriott Copley Place that runs parallel to Carleton St. It starts at Dartmouth St. and ends at New Washington St.