Why Should Your Boss Send You to the Annual Meeting?  

Attending the AUTM 2026 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, is a critical step for your professional growth and a strategic move for our office.

As the leading global technology transfer conference, the meeting focuses on three key areas: learning, networking, and deal-making. You'll join more than 1,500 professionals, broaden your understanding of the field, and build connections that will drive our success.

To help you make the case to your boss, be sure to share why you have to be in Seattle this February!

Technology transfer is a learned art. Whether you’re just starting out in the field or have 30 years under your belt, as the profession evolves, there’s always more to know to be competitive. At the AUTM Annual Meeting, we will have more than 90 educational sessions featuring more than a hundred influential experts worldwide. Or take a deep dive with Kickstart Courses in Marketing, Negotiations, Tech Valuation, and Advanced Licensing. Learning from the best will help you stay ahead of the pack — from learning the essentials to more nuanced techniques to sharing your own expertise with others to support our changing profession. If you’re interested in being better at your job, AUTM has you covered. 

The partnering opportunities are invaluable. At the 2026 Annual Meeting,  attendees have the chance to partner for four days with their industry or academic counterparts. During the 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., nearly 6,000 meetings were scheduled on AUTM Connect. Whether your technology is in pharma, engineering, software, life sciences or another diverse space, one of the greatest attributes of the AUTM Annual Meeting is that we attract dealmakers from around the world.

See the big picture. With high-profile plenary speakers, and colleagues from all different types of organizations, the AUTM Annual Meeting is a perfect opportunity to expand your perspectives and use that intel to make your office even more efficient and impactful. 

So maybe, the question for your boss isn’t “Can I attend the AUTM Annual Meeting this year?” It’s “Can I afford to skip it?” 

When you get home…. 

Keep Learning. For a year after the conference, you’ll have access to recordings of every session, including the ones you couldn’t attend. 

Keep Networking. Don’t forget all those contacts and meeting notes you captured in our AUTM Connect app. You’ll still have access to your new colleagues when you’re back in the office. 

Keep Benefitting. Joined AUTM for the Annual Meeting discount? Don’t stop there. You can take advantage of the other great Member benefits — eGroup connections to colleagues around the world, free access to the AUTM Tech Transfer Practice Manual, mentors, volunteer opportunities for leadership experience, and so much more.