INTA 2026 Cheat Sheet: The Sessions You Don’t Want to Miss

The 2024 INTA Annual Meeting is quickly approaching (May 2-6 in London, UK), and IP teams are gearing up for another exciting event.  The rapidly changing IP landscape is creating many new challenges and opportunities for IP professionals. Counterfeits are multiplying across e-commerce channels; social media continues to fuel viral infringements at incredible speed, and AI is reshaping both the risks brands face and the tools available to fight them. 

What stands out this year is how quickly operational expectations are changing. IP and brand protection professionals are being asked to do more and work faster with the same - or even less - resources. That means automation, AI-powered detection, and smarter workflows are becoming critical components of a scalable IP strategy. 

 

The conversation around AI at INTA this year will be different too. Last year’s event saw attendees approaching AI with a mix of excitement and apprehension. This year, with AI becoming more widely adopted in IP practice, we’re now starting to see the emergence of thoughtful questions about the correct, safe use of AI - with uncertainty around things such as AI-generated logos, digital assets and creator tools, which adds a whole new layer of complexity for IP teams. That’s why INTA 2026 feels like a pivotal moment, as industry professionals discuss the challenges and opportunities of building systems and processes that can keep up with the advancement of technology itself.  

To help you make the most of a packed agenda, we’ve highlighted the key sessions that are the most relevant to today’s biggest challenges facing IP and trademark teams. 

 

The Three Defining Themes of INTA 2026 

 

As the pace of change accelerates, three themes are emerging as the anchor points of this year’s agenda: the rise of AI, the elevation of IP as strategic assets, and the need for smarter, more automated operations. For law firms, these shifts signal a growing opportunity to help clients embed IP more deeply into commercial decision-making while delivering faster, more insight-driven advice. These themes cut across multiple sessions and reflect where IP management is heading, and what teams need to prioritize in 2026. 

 

 

1. AI Outlook for the Future - From Legal Questions to Operational Reality

 

AI continues to dominate strategic conversations across the IP landscape, not only because of the legal questions it raises, but because of how rapidly it is reshaping everyday IP operations. From creation and enforcement to portfolio strategy, teams are being challenged to adapt faster than ever before. 

The first session you won’t want to miss in this area is AI and IP: The Intersection of Law and Technology. This talk dives into the evolving legal issues surrounding AI-assisted inventions, authorship and training rights. These are foundational questions that will shape future IP frameworks and influence how brands assess both risk and opportunity as AI adoption continues to accelerate. This session is already sold out – but if you’re one of the lucky attendees that’s managed to secure a ticket, be sure to make it a priority! 

 

Building on that legal context, AI‑First Legal Leadership in In‑House Teams: Myth or Necessary Reality? looks at what AI means in practice for IP teams and, crucially, for those leading them. As automation becomes embedded in everyday workflows, this session explores how in-house IP teams are redefining leadership - scaling expertise, optimizing portfolios and making faster, more strategic decisions with the support of AI. It offers a practical perspective on how trademark professionals can lead effectively across both lean and expansive team structures as expectations continue to rise. 

As AI tools become embedded in everyday IP work, compliance risks are coming into sharper focus. This IAM article looks at how UK trade secret legislation applies in an era of generative AI, and what IP teams need to consider reducing the risk of unintentional disclosure. 

 

 

2. Connecting Your IP to the C-Suite  

 

Intellectual property is increasingly tied to business value, investment decisions, and organizational risk. As a result, the challenge is communicating the impact and value of IP to the C-suite. 

INTA this year addresses this head-on with the IP value at the C-Suite level: Communicating Strategic Importance session. Designed for IP leaders who need to influence beyond legal and speak the language of senior business decision makers. The focus is firmly on turning IP activity into stories, metrics and narratives that resonate at executive level, from valuation models to clear, business-aligned messaging. 

 

This challenge is one of the many that in-house teams are already grappling with. A recurring theme from leading global organizations is that IP only gains traction at the top table when it is clearly linked to competitive advantage. As Christof Wolpert, Vice President Global Legal Innovation at ADIDAS, noted in our recent client spotlight, the key to engaging the C-suite is demonstrating how IP creates a competitive advantage - not just by accumulating rights, but by showing how IP actively protects market position and supports strategic decision-making. 

 

Equally important is how IP impact is measured. Rather than focusing on volume-based metrics, there is a growing shift toward quality-led indicators. Asking whether the organization has a healthy pipeline and whether that pipeline reflects genuinely strategic forward-looking innovation rather than incremental activity. These are the kinds of questions that resonate with executives thinking about long-term growth and risk, not just legal compliance. 

For IP leaders seeking greater visibility, influence and sustained investment, the message is crystal clear: connecting IP to business outcomes; competitive advantage and strategic decision making is no longer optional. This session offers practical guidance on how to do exactly that, making it a must-attend for those looking to elevate the role of IP within their organization. 

 

 

3. IP Operational Efficiency – Building Systems That Scale  

 

More than ever, operational efficiency is what separates high performing IP teams from the rest. At INTA 2026, a range of practical sessions will focus on streamlining processes, easing administrative pressures, and enabling more data-driven execution. 

 

At our Breakfast Briefing event, we’ll be joined by Pinsent Masons as we look at how AI is streamlining trademark workflows from a law firm perspective  Drawing on their experience advising global clients, the session will look at how AI can streamline the full trademark lifecycle – including detection, prioritization, portfolio management and enforcement. The discussion will also focus on reducing low-value   administrative work while improving collaboration across teams, and our Chief Product Officer, Toni Nijm, and Pinsent Mason’s Partner, Florian Traub, will demonstrate how trademark teams are using AI to work more effectively.  

 

Operational efficiency isn’t just about streamlining workflows; it also underpins the ability to support high-value, high-risk business activity. This is where sessions like Avoid costly IP pitfalls: patent due diligence that delivers value come into focus. With AI-driven innovation progressing at a rapid pace, and deals growing more complex, due diligence is becoming more demanding. This session provides pragmatic frameworks, red flags and checklists to improve accuracy and speed - essential for teams supporting transactional activity. 

As a bonus, INTA also brings back one of its most popular sessions: Trademark year in review. Running across two sessions - part 1 and part 2 - this year due to high demand, this crowd favorite provides a valuable moment to step back from operations and look at the bigger picture. Expect analysis of key cases, global trends and shifts in enforcement, making it an essential checkpoint for practitioners looking to stay ahead of regulatory and market change. 

 

 

Looking Ahead to INTA 2026 and Beyond 

 

The pace of change across brand protection, AI and IP continues to pick up speed, and the conversations happening at INTA 2026 reflect just how quickly expectations for IP teams are evolving. From leadership and operations to enforcement and risk, the focus has shifted firmly towards building scalable, future-ready approaches that can keep up with technology itself. 

 

At Anaqua, we hear our law firm, and corporate clients talk about these themes and challenges every day, and we’re excited to be bringing these perspectives into the conversation at INTA in just a few weeks’ time. The sessions highlighted above speak directly to the challenges IP and brand protection teams are navigating now, and the practical strategies helping both law firms and corporate organizations adapt with confidence. 

If you’re attending INTA this May, we encourage you to register for these sessions and make them a core part of your agenda. We’re looking forward to exchanging ideas, learning from other industry professionals and continuing the dialogue with the INTA community in London. 

 

 

Want to continue the conversation at the event?  

Connect with our team here or book a meeting here with us ahead of time.