A New Way to Connect

Networking is at the heart of all conferences, with INTA’ s 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting no exception. That’s precisely why the Association has launched INTAconnect, a new and powerful tool that will allow registrants to take full advantage of business development opportunities at this year’s all-virtual event.

Although you won’t be able to physically meet other registrants face to face, the new tool provides you with the opportunity to treat the virtual Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting as if it’s an in-person meeting. Reuniting with old friends and building new contacts could not be easier.

A Perfect Match

Exclusive to registrants, INTAconnect will help you network with thousands of registrants in a 24/7 experience and make connections around the world, based on your unique profile, topic interests, and networking objectives.

The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system also allows you to connect directly with specific registrants using a search feature, and schedule high-quality video meetings or connect in a real-time text chat.

Like all new tools, it’s best to put the time in to become familiar with INTAconnect in advance of the Meeting. Indeed, the more information you put into the system, the more accurate your recommended connections will be.

The creators of the INTAconnect platform note that around 70 percent of people who participate in matched recommendations say they have made a good connection that they otherwise would not have.

You may initially find that you are matched with your competitors, as the AI-powered system looks at commonalities between users. But, the more you use it to arrange meetings (and begin to skip competitors), the more the system will show new connections based on these selections.

Charles Shaban, Executive Director, Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (Jordan), checked out INTAconnect after he was contacted by other registrants in the system. He has accepted some of the connections, has interest in other registrants the system has recommended to him, and has started to arrange meetings.

“It’s user friendly and easy to use,” he said, advising, “Include in your profile the important information about yourself so the recommendations will be closer to who you want to connect with.”

Rudy Gaines, Owner of Rudy Gaines Creative Business Growth (US), also has been familiarizing himself with INTAconnect over the past few weeks.

“The software recommends who you should reach out to—like somebody setting you up on a blind date, but you don’t have to ask unless you want to,” he said.

Building a Hub

INTA member law firms will benefit from another feature of INTAconnect: the Business Hub page.

Here, an Associate Member can describe its services and list its firm’s registrants. A Business Hub gives the company the option to schedule meetings with between 2 and 50 registrants on the platform, alongside the ability to control their own schedule by time zone and duration. This feature costs US $1,000 and is available for purchase through October 30.

In addition to helping firms organize appointments, a Business Hub provides registrants with increased exposure across the platform.

More Networking Channels

INTAconnect is at the heart of the Meeting’s networking options, but there’s a plethora of other ways of connecting. This includes 175 choices of Table Topics, with 2,100 seats, and 150 Speed Networking sessions, with 1,800 seats. Plus, exclusive to brand owners, there are 15 Corporate Meet-Up sessions—Speed Networking for corporates, in effect—to facilitate informal interactions with global in-house counterparts. When you attend these sessions, don’t forget to add new contacts on the INTAconnect platform as you make them.

Those who have already registered for the Meeting have access to the INTAconnect platform. They’re already successfully making new contacts and appointments. Those who register by October 15 will also gain early access.

“INTAconnect seems to be a robust and user-friendly platform, and will definitely help attendees to make this Annual Meeting a successful event,” said Juan Cichero, Head of Brand Protection at Mercado Libre (Argentina), whos company has reserved corporate meeting space at the Meeting.

Footage used under license from Envato Elements / butlerm