Z Files: FLC National Meeting is Seattle Bound
The FLC is headed west! Northwest, to be more precise — to Seattle, Washington, for the National Meeting, May 13–15. The last time the FLC held our National Meeting on the West Coast was back in 2008, when we were in Portland, Oregon. So, after over a decade-and-a-half, it’s time to make a big return.
And a big return it will be! Thanks to participation from our members and the tech transfer community, we have seen record registration numbers at the past two events in Cleveland and Dallas. This meeting promises to continue our tradition of top-quality training, sessions, awards and networking, and we hope to see you there! The National Meeting is about community-building and catching up with old friends, as well as making new contacts within the tech transfer community.
Seattle offers many things that you asked for in feedback from past meetings: It’s a dynamic city with easy airport access and plenty of interesting attractions near the hotel. We will be at The Westin Seattle, which is minutes from the iconic Space Needle, historic Pike Place Market, walkable waterfront, Museum of Pop Culture and much more.
If you can spare some time, the Puget Sound area is spectacular for outdoors. I admit, it’s been some time since I was in Seattle — back when I did basic training just south, at Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord), when I entered the Army. The scenery is incredible, with Mount Rainier always on the horizon. On the other side of the Sound is Olympic National Park and spectacular temperate rain forests. We will also catch the start of whale watching season, which peaks in the Sound from May to October. And despite Seattle’s rainy reputation, National Advisory Council Chair and local resident Dick Paul tells me that May is not the wet season.
Of course, the hottest ticket in town will be the National Meeting. Help us make the event better than ever by submitting your session ideas through the Call for Topics, now open through September 30. The sessions are all about sharing and learning, so we would love for you to share your expertise as a speaker, or propose a session topic and we’ll find the experts to cover it.
Like past years, we are planning to kick off with a full training day on May 13. Based on your feedback, we are exploring new topics and more offerings, including mix-and-match half-day courses. We will still offer the popular courses you have come to expect and recommend, such as the CRADA course with Bob Charles.
While we are always thrilled to announce the National Meeting, we have many ongoing activities. Please check out the FLC events calendar for details. We are happy to announce a new streaming option will make it even easier to attend our online webinars, Lab Showcases, Member Connects and other events. The streaming link will be provided when you register for an event. The FLC continues to promote the value of federal technology transfer through other avenues. Our 2023 Annual Report to the President and Congress will be available on our website next month, and our 2022 Annual Report recently won a 2024 APEX Award for Publication Excellence. Plus, our award-winning Planner received a record number of submissions this year, so look forward to top-tier images as the bar continues to rise. You can place your order for the 2025 Planner later this fall.
Our virtual city, LabTech in Your Life, is growing: We’ve added a school and merged all of the locations into one navigable city. This interactive feature demonstrates federal innovation in everyday products, and it’s been so successful that the hospital tour won a 2024 APEX Award in the multimedia category. Make sure your lab’s success stories are included! Submit your lab’s commercialized innovations for the home, airport, hospital and brand-new school through our Call for Technologies to keep the city vibrant and informative.
We look forward to your continued participation and engagement. We hope to see you in Seattle in May for a rewarding professional development and networking opportunity at our 2025 National Meeting — and don't forget to bring an umbrella!