See You in San Diego: An Interview with the 2025 Annual Meeting Co-Chairs

Jill Abasto (Qualcomm Incorporated, USA)

INTA’s 147th Annual Meeting is taking place from May 17 to 21 in San Diego, California, USA—a favorite destination among long-time Annual Meeting registrants. This Annual Meeting marks the Association’s return to the vibrant city after a decade away. In 2015, INTA’s Annual Meeting in San Diego broke the record for the number of registrations at that time, with 9,875 registrants.

Okan Can (DERIS, Türkiye)

With more than 10,000 esteemed colleagues from around the globe expected to attend this year’s Annual Meeting, the Association anticipates breaking this record. Registrants can look forward to new educational programming, invigorating discussions, and a range of Business Development opportunities, all curated in the spirit of San Deigo—a regional hub for innovation, optimism, and well-being.

With the general registration for the Annual Meeting now open, the INTA Bulletin sat down with Jill Abasto (Qualcomm Incorporated, USA) and Okan Can (DERIS, Türkiye), co-chairs of the Meeting, to find out how the planning is going.

Here, the pair discusses a new approach to education with the introduction of two hotly anticipated educational series aimed at in-house lawyers and those wanting to delve into the patent world; the joys of San Diego; and how their experiences as leaders in the INTA community have helped to guide them in their professional journeys and is informing them in their roles as Annual Meeting co-chairs.

Providing in-house counsel insight is Ms. Abasto, who has worked at San Diego–based Qualcomm Incorporated for nearly 15 years and who currently serves as vice president and legal counsel at the semiconductor company. She leads the trademark, copyright, and marketing legal team for Qualcomm and its subsidiaries around the world.

Meanwhile, Mr. Can delivers a private practitioner perspective. As senior partner at Deris Intellectual Property Attorneys, Mr. Can counsels and represents market leading companies for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights. His expertise extends to IP litigation, including patents, IP strategy, transactional IP, and technology licensing.

What was your first INTA Annual Meeting and what do you remember from the experience?
Okan Can: My first INTA Annual Meeting was in Washington, D.C., in 2002. As a young practitioner, it was an incredible experience and allowed me to engage with the global intellectual property community at the largest IP conference in the world.

I remember the excitement of meeting clients—who I had been previously working with for some time—for the first time in person. Those meetings strengthened my professional relationships with them. The educational sessions were also very impactful because they provided valuable insights into the industry trends and hot topics that were shaping the IP profession at that time. By joining those sessions, I could translate my learnings into my daily professional work back at the office.

Overall, it was an inspiring event, it deepened my understanding of the field and allowed me to engage with the IP community.

Jill Abasto: San Francisco in 2011 was my first Annual Meeting. I’d been with Qualcomm for six months and had never been to an Annual Meeting before. That first year, I walked so much more than I anticipated—I’ve learned to never again pack a pair of heels for the Annual Meeting! That’s definitely something I would tell every registrant because of the sheer amount of running around from place to place.

The first year was almost overwhelming because so many people wanted to meet with me as an in-house counsel and I over-scheduled. It was a learning experience. The people with whom I met at the beginning of the Meeting probably got a much better version of me than the people who met with me later in the week, but I made very important connections and was able to meet a large number of Qualcomm’s foreign counsel, whom I otherwise would never have gotten to meet in person. Those connections have lasted throughout the years.

As a registrant, how has your approach to navigating the Annual Meeting changed over the years?
JA: I’m more careful, thoughtful, and intentional with my time. Months before we attend, it’s important for me and my team to sit down and to think about our goals for the Meeting. We make sure that everything we schedule is working towards those goals.

OC: Over the many years of hosting the Annual Meeting, INTA has shaped its strategies and programs in accordance with the needs of the industry. As a private practitioner, when I’m attending an Annual Meeting, I try to balance my roles at INTA. If I’m a committee member or serving on a project team, I usually try to split my time between meeting with my clients and meeting with the project teams or the committee.

One important piece of advice I can offer is to first add the educational sessions you want to attend to your schedule and then book all your meetings around the education. Otherwise, you may not have time to attend sessions, and you’re losing out on this huge opportunity to learn, skill up, and participate in world-class educational programming.

I also try to create some time for some Business Development opportunities. The Annual Meeting provides an incredible opportunity for this kind of networking and establishing very meaningful friendships.

How are your various Annual Meeting experiences informing your role as the 2024 Annual Meeting co-chairs?
JA: We’ve used our own experiences with the things that have worked and not worked over the years to help plan an event that will resonate with registrants. We’ve been carefully considering factors that motivated us to attend sessions and how we could improve upon sessions that we felt didn’t work as well.

Additionally, we all bring diverse perspectives to our planning meetings, so there is a lot of lively discussion. We hope we’ve planned an event that will truly benefit everyone coming from different backgrounds and different jurisdictions with different experiences.

OC: As Jill mentioned, we’ve had very lively conversations and discussions about the program for the 147th Annual Meeting. Jill provides valuable insight from the in-house side, and we work closely with a fantastic team at INTA.

From my perspective, I joined INTA as a member, then decided to volunteer and become a committee member, then chair of a committee, followed by becoming a member of the INTA Board of Directors. My time and various roles at INTA have given me the insight to help guide and understand who might be a good speaker for a session or what topic will really work.

Ultimately, we’ve focused on how we can make an impact and align the Annual Meeting with INTA’s Strategic Plan, our member feedback, and taking into account all the things that we are seeing and experiencing at the Annual Meeting and in our professional lives.

Can you provide a brief overview of the educational program? What is the Meeting’s theme? How many educational tracks will there be?
JA: The theme of the Annual Meeting is the “Business of IP,” featuring three dynamic tracks: Business and Technology, Law and Policy, and Professional Development and Career Advancement. This year’s program also includes two programming series. The introduction of an In-House Practitioner’s Series is an exciting addition—we have at least seven sessions that are curated by in-house practitioners.

OC: The other new series this year is a Patent Series taking place on Tuesday, May 20, which will focus on the business of patents and what trademark practitioners need to know about that world. These new offerings will be a part of our educational programming.

Additionally, we are going to have the largest number of Table Topics ever at an Annual Meeting (more than 500), four Workshops, an Idea Exchange, and a Regional Update Series.

While major corporations such as Illumina, Qualcomm, Sempra Energy, and WD-40 call San Diego home, the city also boasts a thriving startup scene. Jill, as a local, what makes San Diego such a hotbed for innovation?
JA: First and foremost, it’s the people. San Diego has a deep bench of skilled talent with a real innovative mindset to draw from, and the research institutions here play a large role in this.

San Diego has a really strong sense of community with accomplished entrepreneurs who are supporting and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs.

I’m happy to say that the innovative mindset of San Diego has inspired our Innovation Marketplace, where we will host business and technology programming, including the new Patent Series. Additionally, we’re excited to welcome a record 267 exhibitors from 141 organizations—the largest gathering of exhibitors post-COVID—who will showcase their solutions to enhance your work and practice.

Finally, I would say that the climate and attitude here definitely help. It’s a relaxed atmosphere—the shorts and flip-flops beach vibe permeates everything. The work-life balance blends in a way that makes San Diego very attractive.

While announcing San Diego as the host city for the 2025 Annual Meeting, INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo noted that the city was a favorite of many INTA members. Okan, what makes the city such an attractive place to visit?
OC: San Diego has world class conference facilities situated close to many hotels. From my previous Meetings, I know San Diego has exceptional dining and hospitality options. There are also many Business Development opportunities and leisure activities for registrants to attend where they can connect with like-minded individuals over shared interests. The Gaslamp Quarter (a lively downtown neighborhood) is a very short walk from the conference center and is always buzzing with Annual Meeting registrants in the evenings. Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo are other great options that spring to mind.

Beyond that, San Diego is an excellent choice for hosting the Annual Meeting for a variety of reasons that should be taken advantage of. It’s an industry hub for life sciences and technology, and it’s home to many world-leading companies.

What advice can you each offer INTA members joining us for the Meeting, particularly for first-time registrants?
JA: I have a couple of recommendations. First of all, you have to not try to do everything at the Annual Meeting. Sadly, you can’t say yes to every invitation. You need to be thoughtful with the time in your schedule and make sure you build breaks into it.

And, even though you’re working, attending sessions, and networking, squeeze in some fun too. Yes, we’re here to work, but the Annual Meeting is a fun event, which makes it quite unique. With careful and intentional planning, you can have it all!

The most important thing you can do at the Annual Meeting is make connections and take the time to soak in everything that the Meeting has to offer on the educational side.

OC: The First Time Orientation and Reception presented by the Young Practitioners Committee on Saturday, May 17, is a great way to kick off the Meeting, get answers to some common questions, and meet other first-timers.

I’d also advise first-time registrants to check the online program to see what’s on offer before you arrive in San Diego. You can pick and prepare your own program to combine the educational tracks, workshops, and networking events in whichever way suits you. In my experience, participating in a Table Topic is a great opportunity for a first-time registrant to discuss hot IP topics and establish friendships.

If you really want to become a part of the INTA community, it’s a very good opportunity to go and meet members who sit on committees you might want to join in the future. Of course, there will also be lots of opportunities to have fun and to enjoy San Diego!

JA: Finally, to get the most out of the experience you must register for the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting has so much to offer registrants.

Learn more and register for the 2025 Annual Meeting.

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