September 19 – 20
Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards
Baltimore, Maryland

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MONDAY, SEPT. 19  
12:00 – 5:00 PM Registration
12:30 – 1:00 P.M. Welcome and Group Introductions
Facilitator:
  • Rodney Ridley, Alvernia University
  • Ellen MacKay, Lakehead University
Get acquainted with your colleagues in this interactive group session. Participants will be asked to state their learning goals and what they hope to gain from the meeting.
1:00 – 2:00 P.M. A Conversation about the Changing Nature of Operations
Facilitators:
  • Rodney Ridley, Alvernia University
  • Ellen MacKay, Lakehead University
Always left feeling like “the little guy”? Do you want to stay a small office? How have operations changed in a COVID/post-COVID world? Let’s discuss ways to discover your strengths and create strategies for how to grow your office whilst looking toward the future.
2:00 – 3:00 P.M. A Conversation about Your Next Hire
Facilitators:
  • Michael Mosher, The University of Mississippi
Who will your next hire be? How will you select him or her, and how can you ensure that person is the right, most strategic fit for your small office? How has “work from home” changed office operations? How can support staff or consultants bring value to your office?
3:00 – 3:30 P.M. Networking Break
3:30 – 4:30 P.M. A Conversation about Resource Management and Perspectives
Facilitators:
  • Rodney Ridley, Alvernia University
  • Richard Swatloski, TreMonti Consulting
Are you in someone’s shadow? How do you stack up? Are you being as creative as you can be? This session explores different resources required for a technology transfer office, how to creatively manage those resources, and how being creative can help you maximize efficiency.
4:30 – 5:00 P.M. A Conversation about Students
Facilitators:
  • Rodney Ridley, Alvernia University
  • Michael Mosher, The University of Mississippi
This session covers effectively recruiting students, using them to your benefit, and how this can give your small office a competitive edge.
5:30 – 6:30 P.M. Networking Reception

 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 20  
7:00– 8:00 A.M. Breakfast
8:00 – 10:00 A.M. A Conversation about IP Protection and Legal Counsel
Facilitators:
  • Michael Alder, Brigham Young University
Intellectual property protection is the equally important flip side of the “TTO Coin.” This session will provide you with tools to identify and select appropriate legal counsel that is tailored to the needs of your technology transfer office.
10:00 – 10:30 A.M. Networking Break
10:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. A Conversation about Licensing
Facilitators:
  • Wesley D. Blakeslee, Blakeslee LLC. Consulting and Legal
  • William Vaughan, Colorado School of Mines
No team of crack clause crafters at your disposal? No negotiator ninjas ready to handle every deal that comes your way? Small offices don’t have those big office licensing machines in dedicated sub-teams cranking away 24/7, and we can often feel like we’re recreating the wheel with every new license. In this session we’ll discuss tips for staying current, overcoming objections, keeping your contracting skills honed and ensuring your deal-making feels just as smooth to industry partners as their experience with bigger offices.
12:00 – 1:00 P.M. Networking Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 P.M. A Conversation about Marketing and Client Management Software
Facilitators:
  • Michael Alder, Brigham Young University
  • TBD
This session provides methods and tips for marketing technologies and explores strategies for branding and messaging for a small office. Getting the attention of companies in a space crowded with bigger players can be done. Learn about helpful (and free!) software tools for your tech transfer “tool belt” and how to use these tools to fight and win above your weight class!
2:00 – 3:00 P.M. A Conversation about Metrics and Reporting
Facilitators:
  • Ellen MacKay, Lakehead University
  • Wesley D. Blakeslee, Blakeslee LLC. Consulting and Legal
How do you measure your activity? Are you fighting against the numbers? Improve your office’s competitive edge and performance by establishing and tracking actionable metrics. This session explores parameters you should consider when reporting your office’s impact and performance and discusses developing a framework for continuous improvement. Learn the common metrics tracked by technology transfer offices and the metrics appropriate for your office — whether your office is new, early stage or more established. Discover how you can use metrics to build your office’s reputation!
3:00 P.M. Course Adjourns