Substance, Comfort, and Fun: A Review of the 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting

Fun, user-friendly, and more personal, with flexible learning opportunities, and great social events—though missing in-person contact. These are the reactions of some members who attended INTA’s first-ever virtual Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting in November.

The INTA Bulletin asked a group of mainly INTA Bulletins Committee members from various regions a set of questions going into the 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting. Their responses give a revealing picture of the experiences of Meeting registrants. Overall? In addition to finding it “fun, user-friendly, and more personal,” they also noted the ease in making contacts and liked the opportunity to see a bit behind the business side of colleagues, into their homes and lives. The INTAconnect scheduling and networking system was a hit, along with the educational sessions and especially the social networking events.

How was your experience at the 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting?

George Chan, Simmons & Simmons, Beijing, China
I had some reservations of how a virtual meeting would be conducted, as this was the first time I participated in a [virtual] meeting, but this was easily forgotten after experiencing the technical support for the Meeting. This made all the difference in the world.

Aside from the Meeting being as educational and accessible as attending live, I can’t help but think of how this virtual event left a minimal carbon footprint (compared to a live Meeting), which is just another unanticipated positive outcome from attending the 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting.

Sheja Estesham, ALG India Law Offices, New Delhi, India
For those of us from the Asia-Pacific region, who typically have to take long flights most years to get to the Annual Meeting and Leadership Meeting, the experience of participating from the comfort of one’s home was very convenient. This year’s virtual program schedule accommodated varied time zones, which is no mean feat!

Louise Emmett, Madderns, Adelaide, Australia
INTA did an excellent job of transforming the Meeting into a virtual experience. The portal set up with the “lobby” leading to different areas looked great and was very user-friendly, and I enjoyed participating in the various networking activities. I am serving my first term on the INTA Bulletins Committee, and it was good to have the opportunity to get to know my fellow committee members at our virtual meeting and also at the virtual “happy hour,” which was fun.

Allison Gifford, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA
The educational programs were top-notch, and the virtual option provided more opportunity to attend the educational programs than attending an in-person INTA Annual Meeting.

Daniel Greif, Schmitt & Orlov Intellectual Property, Bangkok, Thailand
Simply outstanding. The virtual platform exceeded all expectations. The sessions and speakers provided valuable insights and practice tips, and the IT platform was very user-friendly, allowing for effective and productive attendance at the educational sessions and great networking opportunities.

Celia Lerman, Lerman & Szlak, Buenos Aires, Argentina
It was a great experience. It definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a great way to have one-on-one meetings and meet interesting people. The biggest challenge I found was keeping up with the daily work at the firm and coordinating meetings with people in very different time zones. But beyond that, it was very enjoyable and productive!

Florian Traub, Pinsent Masons, London, United Kingdom
Put simply, a virtual conference is exactly what it says on the tin: a conference held in a virtual space. While I missed the in-person experience of sipping cocktails with friends and colleagues, the virtual Meeting exceeded my expectations.

INTA did a formidable job in providing a platform that enabled attendees to catch up with their existing contacts as well as make new connections. INTAconnect [the appointment and networking system], and the myriad Zoom videoconference meetings all worked well, putting aside some teething issues with login at the start of the event. Kudos to the INTA staff for hosting engaging sessions and for helping attendees navigate around the system.

Did you achieve the goals you set out for yourself at the outset of the Meeting?

Daniel Greif, Schmitt & Orlov Intellectual Property, Bangkok, Thailand
Absolutely, I was able to touch base with many of my clients and discuss their trademark matters in Southeast Asia. The Annual Meeting also allowed me to meet new contacts from around the world. The virtual platform actually allowed me to meet up with more colleagues, and in a more efficient manner, than has been the case in “real world” INTA meetings.

Nina Osseiran, Cedar White Bradley International, Beirut, Lebanon
Yes, mostly in terms of virtual meetings with clients (although far less than traditional in-person meetings) and attending committee meetings and sessions, including the favorite “Annual Review of U.S. Federal Case Law and TTAB Developments,” and the very interesting “Fake Stores: The Growing Trend in Counterfeiting and How to Combat It” session moderated by Apple’s Erika Yawger.

Renata Pereira Carneiro, Soerensen Garcia Advogados Associados, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Yes, fully! My goals were to meet people I know as well as new people. The platform worked for both purposes.

Florian Traub, Pinsent Masons, London, United Kingdom
Yes, I have achieved my goals. INTA is like a family of like-minded professionals.: It was great to see so many friends and colleagues in a year of upheaval, albeit only virtually!

Can you share a favorite or interesting moment?

Ceren Aytekin, Attorney, Istanbul, Turkey* (first-time attendee)
Although I had countless memorable moments during the Meeting, one of my favorites has to be either INTA President Ayala Deutsch’s point on the actual meaning of being a work-in-progress, which is looking forward positively to the future, or [keynote] Duncan Wardle’s point about how playfulness actually improves innovation and creativity.

Celia Lerman, Lerman & Szlak, Buenos Aires, Argentina
On Monday, I participated in the Zumba class, which was amazing and a wonderful way to start the week. I had my work clothes on, and I had to change in the middle of the session to gym clothes—it was a real Zumba workout! Right after the Meeting, I had a scheduled call with a colleague from Turkey whom I had never met. Turns out she had also taken part in the same class, and she was also in her gym clothes! It was a lot of fun.

I also loved the virtual run organized by the INTA running group. Many of us ran during the weekend before the Annual Meeting and posted our pictures on the Facebook group. The organizers gave prizes and I won the prize for the “most flowery garden,” shown in my running pictures! It was a great way to connect with colleagues, get to know their hometowns and families, and share a unique experience in this special context.

Nina Osseiran, Cedar White Bradley International, Beirut, Lebanon
Happy Hour with the INTA Bulletins Committee, where we were able to share pandemic lockdown stories across many jurisdictions.

Renata Pereira Carneiro, Soerensen Garcia Advogados Associados, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Chocolate Tasting session was fantastic. Everyone was participating on the chat, and the ganache recipe was delicious. I met friends there and met people crazy about chocolate just like me.

Florian Traub, Pinsent Masons, London, United Kingdom
A contact organized a meeting of colleagues from Australia, the UK, U.S., and South Africa via INTAconnect. Unbeknown to us, we were encouraged to join a Pilates exercise class led by a professional fitness instructor. Seeing a bunch of colleagues across so many time zones stretching to the tune of a fitness guru in New York was certainly one of those memorable experiences!

What were some things you liked most, and why?

George Chan, Simmons & Simmons, Beijing, China
The technology used for the virtual event was great! We could receive and answer questions in real time from participants of our panel sessions from anywhere in the world. Also, bringing together a panel from various countries (and too many time zones to count) that was seamlessly broadcast to attendees gave me a greater appreciation of how far we have come with technology and communications.

Ceren Aytekin, Attorney, Istanbul, Turkey
I especially enjoyed the educational sessions because they included numerous stimulating discussions; the social networking sessions because I learned specific things about my interests while having a lot of fun and meeting new people with the same interests; our committee meetings because I finally got to see the members whom I have never met and the ones I’d worked alongside; and the Grand Finale dance party because I got the opportunity to meet some people I hadn’t met during the Meeting and to dance for two hours straight.

Sheja Ehtesham, ALG India Law Offices, New Delhi, India
This year’s Table Topic sessions were one of the highlights for me. There was a wide range of difficult-to-choose-from topics, and the quality of the discussions as well as the new connections one formed with fellow participants was enriching.

Louise Emmett, Madderns, Adelaide, Australia
The social networking activities were a really innovative aspect of this year’s Meeting. I also enjoyed the Table Topic sessions I attended on survey evidence and the protection of trade dress. The small group format of these sessions worked well. Being in Australia, it was also good to have all of the educational sessions on demand to listen to at a later time.

Daniel Greif, Schmitt & Orlov Intellectual Property, Bangkok, Thailand
The efficiency and ease of meeting clients and trademark colleagues from around the world, and the opportunity to gain valuable insights from leading trademark practitioners during the outstanding sessions.

Renata Pereira Carneiro, Soerensen Garcia Advogados Associados, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The tasting sessions were great and allowed networking (even if mainly through the chat), which was a surprise for me. Speed Networking was very dynamic, and the moderators were good at keeping conversations interesting. I also enjoyed the possibility of using the platform to send quick messages to members who I know but with whom I have not exchanged phone numbers. Hospitality was also nice, but, unfortunately, not many people used it [when I was there].

Francisco Silva, SILVA, Santiago, Chile
INTAconnect. An easy way to find new connections and to match with people. It is also a great tool to organize one’s agenda for the Meeting.

Florian Traub, Pinsent Masons, London, United Kingdom
The INTAconnect platform worked really well. It made arranging meetings easy, and I liked the AI functionality of meeting new people. I also enjoyed Hospitality; jumping from table to table was even easier than in the real world.

Mingming Yang, Wanhuida Intellectual Property, Beijing, China
The INTAconnect platform worked very well and provided excellent networking opportunities. It was efficient for finding people I want to meet by using the search function. The recommendation of the AI system never disappointed me. The web-based video meeting worked stably, and the presentations could be shared during the Meeting. The schedule system worked effectively. I never worried about conflicts among scheduled meetings.

How did it compare with in-person meetings? If you are a first timer, did it meet your expectations?

Ceren Aytekin, Attorney, Istanbul, Turkey
With this Meeting being the first virtual and my first Annual Meeting thus far, I didn’t have any concrete expectations since I did not know what to expect. Previously, I had attended the Europe Conference and during that Conference, former attendees would tell me on many occasions that the in-person meetings were wonderful. This Meeting exceeded any expectations I might have had. It was extraordinary, inspiring, and transformative. Honestly, if the virtual Meeting is this amazing, I seriously cannot wait for my first in-person Meeting.

Rodrigo V. Bermeo-Andrade, BERMEO & BERMEO Law Firm, Quito, Ecuador
We got to know people on different levels other than business. In-person meetings can be fast and strictly business, but in some cases, it felt like getting invited to [the registrants’] homes and meeting their families and pets, and colleagues were a lot more open to their personal sides.

Sheja Ehtesham, ALG India Law Offices, New Delhi, India
Participating from India, I was able to not only access high-quality recorded educational sessions, but actively participate in live ones that were held at times designed to be convenient for this part of the world. This was particularly valuable to me. In the last 10 years I have been attending INTA conferences, I have rarely been able to attend the educational sessions owing to a schedule packed with client meetings. This year was very different; I was able to seamlessly do both.

Louise Emmett, Madderns, Adelaide, Australia
I have been attending the Meeting every year for many years now, and I always look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new contacts. This year’s Meeting was a different experience (no taxi queues or jet lag!), but I still very much enjoyed it. Given we can’t travel, it was really nice to see people’s smiling faces from around the world in a virtual format.

Celia Lerman, Lerman & Szlak, Buenos Aires, Argentina
It was a very different experience. My feet didn’t hurt at the end of each day, and it was the first time I could send follow-up emails on the same day!

Nina Osseiran, Cedar White Bradley International, Beirut, Lebanon
Interestingly, I found it more difficult to attend sessions while simultaneously working from home, as opposed to attending in-person sessions and meetings during the day and working evenings from a hotel.

Mingming Yang, Wanhuida Intellectual Property, Beijing, China
The education part is worth mentioning. I seldom participated in the workshops in the Annual Meetings before, but I attended several this time and found them very useful. The China Workshop and Bad Faith Workshop organized on November 18 were very impressive. It may be the first time that INTA held Mandarin-speaking events, and several influential experts, officials, and judges in China shared the latest practice and experience, which could not be missed. It is also great that all the presentations and materials can be downloaded from the resource section of the website.

Some features of the Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting virtual platform, including Hospitality, on-demand sessions, and resources, are accessible to registrants until January 10, 2020.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.