Every association was put to the test in 2020. Staying the course and fulfilling even the most fundamental responsibilities was challenging.

Like many other organizations, a key benefit for members of the International Trademark Association (INTA) is access to superior networking and business development opportunities at in-person conferences. At INTA annual meetings, 11,000 plus brand owners and professionals from 150-plus countries gather to make new contacts and obtain new business.

While our original plans called for an in-person annual meeting in Singapore in May 2020, as lockdowns and social-distancing measures were being implemented around the world, we realized we would have to adjust our plans.

However, we also resolved to keep our community together and engaged—and decided early on that not hosting an annual meeting, in some form, was simply not a choice for us. So, we pivoted to virtual, and as a result, we are stronger and more effective than ever before. Here’s an inside look as to how we got it done.

Serving Members Virtually in 2020

As mentioned earlier, we were scheduled to meet in Singapore for INTA’s 142nd Annual Meeting in May 2020. Registration was open, and flights and hotels were being booked. Then the pandemic began.

Knowing our meeting couldn’t take place, we announced plans for a first-ever combined Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting, which was scheduled for November 2020 in Houston. However, in response to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic—and with the health and safety of our community as our top priority—in May 2020, we made an incredibly difficult decision and announced a fully virtual 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting (to take place on the same dates in November). Not only did we combine these two flagship events, but we also changed the traditional time of year the annual meeting has been held.

One of the most critical things we did was adopt a mindset that would allow us to constantly innovate and adapt to an evolving situation.  

This historic virtual event drew 3,339 registrants from 115 countries—exceeding our expectations. It featured a 12-track educational program with live, simulated-live, and on-demand educational sessions to cater for registrants across multiple time zones. Networking and business development opportunities included speed networking, table topic discussions, one-on-one and group meeting rooms, a variety of themed social events, and a virtual exhibit hall. We also introduced INTAconnect, a 24-hour AI-powered networking platform, registrant directory, and appointment system. Nearly 11,500 meetings were held within INTAconnect during the meeting.

As is our usual process, we surveyed registrants following the meeting: More than 80 percent said the virtual meeting met or exceeded their expectations. While the virtual 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting took a lot of effort in a very condensed timeframe to come to fruition, it was also a long-term and very worthwhile investment. And virtual has now become a key feature of all our events.

Virtual-Plus in 2021

In just a few months in 2020, we had already climbed a tremendously steep learning curve when it came to virtual. Then, in March 2021, more than 200 registrants from 54 countries joined us for our “What’s Next for Brands: A View from Europe Conference.” And, in May, more than 1,450 registrants from 90-plus countries joined us for our 2021 Leadership Meeting—a participation level that aligns with our previous in-person meetings.

Every virtual offering has been better than the previous one. And we know now that we could bring our community together for a fully virtual, engaging, productive, and enjoyable event.

All these takeaways from the past year helped us decide how to proceed in 2021. Sympathetic to continued suffering from COVID-19 in many parts of the world, we decided to forge ahead with a Virtual+ Annual Meeting to take place in November 2021. It will take on a unique hybrid format.

The event will feature five thematic tracks of educational content, dynamic business development sessions, and social activities on a virtual platform. With the plus element, we will host one-day, limited attendance, mini-conferences in four cities—Berlin, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York City—throughout the week of the meeting, which will include discussion forums, receptions, and other networking opportunities.

With this approach, we will achieve the desired objective—to come together as a community, but in the safest, most sensitive, and most prudent way given the circumstances.

How did we stay the course during the pandemic? One of the most critical things we did was adopt a mindset that would allow us to constantly innovate and adapt to an evolving situation. We are agile and flexible but decisive. We embrace innovation and change. Most importantly, we always prioritize the health and safety of our community. This is how we stay the course, even in the most challenging of times.