McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the United States, and this week it will be hosting the speakers and attendees at the INTA Annual Meeting for the first time.
Wherever in Chicago you are staying, try to get to McCormick Place early each day. "We have really big draws for the morning sessions," says Michelle Brownlee of Colibri Corporation, who is co-chairing this year's Annual Meeting with David Fleming of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione.
Fleming adds that international programming has expanded this year, with a number of regional updates (for example on China, Europe, Africa, and Latin America) replacing the previous one-session international update. In addition, says Fleming: "We wanted to include a comparative element in as many sessions as possible." The sessions on right of publicity, dilution, trademark protection and civil liberties, and nontraditional trademarks present a multi-jurisdictional perspective.
Fleming told the INTA Daily News that he is particularly looking forward to the first session on Monday, "Muddy Waters: Evolving Law and Policy in Internet Advertising" in which the moderators will ask questions of representatives of Microsoft, Yahoo!, AOL and Google about issues such as keywords and adware.
Meanwhile, Brownlee picks out the session "Blues Clues" – Internet Investigations, where attendees can bring their own laptops to do real-time searching. As Brownlee says: "They can really learn by doing."
Outside of the educational sessions, Fleming – a Chicago resident – points out that the INTA Gala and Wednesday's Grand Finale will be held at "two really spectacular museums": the Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry.
Aside from that, he recommends attendees try out Chicago's famous international cuisine, tour the architecture and river, Navy Pier, the Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago and – if they have time – visit a blues club such as the famous Buddy Guy's. "Everybody should try to get there," he says.
Remarkably, this is the first time the INTA Annual Meeting has been held in the city since 1957 – so it gives many attendees the first opportunity to find out, as Brownlee says, that "Chicago is more than O'Hare Airport."
