Digital business development has become unavoidable for IP professionals. Yet many patent attorneys, trademark experts, and IP strategists still feel that “digital” equals marketing pressure, self-promotion, or content that looks polished but feels detached from real life.

For our next Expert Exchange in Berlin, we want to address that tension head-on.

The focus of this edition is not “more posting” or “more visibility” as an end in itself. It is about building a credible bridge between the physical world where trust is earned (conversations, meetings, recommendations, events) and the digital world where trust is sustained (clarity, continuity, and recognition over time). In other words: how to make your expertise feel real online — without becoming an “influencer,” and without slipping into empty promotion.

This event follows our last exchange, hosted with Weickmann & Weickmann, where the core topic was strengthening digital visibility in IP and what practitioners are doing right now to increase reach, relevance, and consistency. This time, we take the next step: visibility is not the objective; authenticity is the multiplier.

Why this topic now

Many IP experts are already highly present offline: conferences, client meetings, referrals, speaking engagements, internal workshops. At the same time, they often “disappear” digitally before and after those moments. That gap has become expensive.

Clients and prospects increasingly evaluate expertise through digital signals: not only publications, but also how consistently a person explains complex issues, how clearly they position their contribution, and whether their communication feels human and grounded. The result is a new question for IP professionals:

How can digital presence and physical presence work together as one authentic whole?

If your digital identity looks like a separate persona, it may generate attention but not trust. If your real-world reputation has no digital continuity, your credibility may stay invisible to those who were never in the room. The goal is not to choose one world over the other, but to connect them — so that recommendations, speaking moments, and expertise all compound.

What to expect in Berlin

This Expert Exchange is designed as a peer format: short, practical impulses and a structured discussion among practitioners.

We will explore:

  • how authenticity can be communicated without turning into self-display. We will look at practical ways to sound like a real person while keeping a professional boundary.
  • why “business development” can feel like a foreign term in IP—and how to reframe it as contribution to the innovation system. We will translate “BD” into language that fits the IP mindset: enabling better decisions, reducing risk, and supporting innovation.
  • how to connect digital touchpoints with real-world trust moments. We will map simple bridges from meetings, talks, and referrals to follow-up content that keeps the relationship warm.
  • and what a tool-based, repeatable workflow for digital business development can look like. We will discuss routines and templates that reduce effort and make visibility sustainable rather than sporadic.

While the session will be conducted in German, this announcement is published in English to reach our international community and partners.

Preliminary agenda (subject to change)

1) Welcome & framing (Diana Taubert)
A short introduction to set the scene: what has changed in how clients perceive expertise, why authenticity matters now, and what we want to achieve with this exchange.

2) Case impulse by Jörn Plettig and Theo Grünewald: From “topic” to campaign logic (DIN 77006 as an example) A practitioner view on how a technical or regulatory topic can be translated into a business-development narrative.

  • What the DIN 77006 context is and why it is a surprisingly strong business-development theme. We will show how a seemingly “technical” standard can become a clear narrative about relevance, responsibility, and client value.
  • How the topic has typically been communicated so far. We will identify the usual patterns that dilute impact and the small shifts that make the message easier to understand and share.
  • What is new, distinctive, and “done right” in the current campaign approach. We will unpack the specific messaging, format, and timing choices that make the approach credible and transferable.

3) Impulse: Authenticity as a strategic asset (Maria Boicova-Wynants – invited)
Maria is invited to share her perspective on authenticity and professional identity — based on her work and her book.

This slot is meant to open the human layer of digital business development:

  • the difference between “being visible” and “being recognisable.” We will translate that distinction into concrete signals — what people remember, repeat, and associate with your expertise.
  • how personal tone and clarity build trust without oversharing. We will discuss how to be relatable and specific while keeping professional boundaries intact.
  • and why the most effective communication often feels simple — but is not accidental. We will break down the invisible structure behind “simple” messages: intent, framing, and consistent repetition.

4) Impulse: AI as an opportunity for business development in IP firms (Johannes Ernicke – invited)
Johannes is invited to explore how AI changes the way IP firms develop and communicate services.

The practical angle:

  • where AI can support service innovation and client communication. We will focus on practical use cases that strengthen differentiation rather than just speeding up output.
  • how to avoid “thin” output and instead build quality and differentiation. We will cover guardrails, review routines, and positioning choices that keep AI-assisted work credible.
  • and why the firms that translate AI into client-relevant outcomes will shape perception in the market. We will discuss what “client-relevant” really means in IP: risk reduction, decision clarity, and measurable business impact.

5) Tool-based workflow & best-practice cases (IPBA team impulse by Tobias Denk)
A structured look at a repeatable digital business-development workflow.

The intention is to move away from isolated content pieces and towards a system:

  • how workflows connect platform presence, tools, and execution support. We will map the handoffs that turn isolated activities into a coherent system that keeps momentum.
  • what “best practice” looks like in real cases. We will highlight what actually moved the needle and what looked impressive but did not convert into meaningful conversations.
  • and how to set up touchpoints that turn visibility into qualified conversations. We will define “qualified” in IP terms and show how to nurture it without chasing clients.

6) Break
Time for informal exchange.

7) Peer exchange in small groups
A guided discussion format with practical questions prepared in advance.

Typical discussion threads:

  • Where does authenticity get lost in digital communication? We will collect real examples and pinpoint the small habits that make messages feel generic or performative.
  • What feels uncomfortable about “marketing,” and what feels natural? We will reframe outreach as helpful communication and identify language that fits the IP professional identity.
  • Which offline moments should be amplified digitally, and how? We will build a simple playbook to turn meetings, talks, and referrals into low-effort follow-ups that maintain trust.
  • What would a simple, sustainable routine look like for your role? We will outline realistic cadences and templates that work even when time is scarce.

8) Plenary wrap-up & moderated discussion
A shared synthesis: patterns, contradictions, and practical next steps that participants can take back into their work.

The bigger idea behind the exchange

In IP, people rarely act from a pure “sales” motive. Many practitioners are driven by a genuine desire to strengthen the innovation system: to prevent mistakes, to enable smart decisions, to protect what deserves protection. That is precisely why the framing matters.

If digital business development is positioned as self-promotion, it will be rejected.

If it is positioned as consistent, helpful communication that makes expertise accessible and builds trust over time, it becomes compatible with professional identity.

That is what this Berlin edition is about: making digital presence feel aligned with the person behind the expertise.

Practical details

Date: March 24, 2026

Location: Berlin (hosted with ETL)

Format: In-person peer exchange with practical impulses and moderated discussion

Speakers and agenda are preliminary and will be updated as confirmations are finalised.

The evening is designed as a working conversation among IP practitioners who want digital business development to feel credible, sustainable, and human.