INTA-TV
When INTA-TV debuted at the Annual Meeting last year in San Francisco, it was an experiment. INTA Communications Manager Jessica Tuquero says the Association wanted to see how attendees would respond to the dedicated TV channel. "It got great attendee feedback," she says. "People thought it was interesting and that it was fun to watch what had happened the day before." This year, INTA-TV reporters will have more room for creativity. Attendees should expect more in-depth interviews, particularly with government officials.
INTA-TV will be aired throughout the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the hotels affiliated with the Annual Meeting, on the INTA website, and INTA's YouTube channel at INTA_TV1.
Social media
Attendees can stay updated on the Annual Meeting through INTA's various social media accounts. For interesting tidbits on the ground, room changes and announcements, attendees should visit INTA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The Annual Meeting's hashtag on Twitter is #INTADC, which will ensure everyone's tweets will show up at the site's hospitality area.
Portal
The INTA portal holds the course materials and speaker bios for all of the sessions. For the first time ever, the attendee directory is entirely online this year and may be accessed at the portal. A new feature will show when attendees have checked in at registration. A copy of the final program, with all of the room names, floor plans and DC sites, is also online. "It's a one-stop shop for all of the information they'll need in DC," says INTA program development manager Sarah Bourke O'Connell.
INTA app
Accessible on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices, the INTA app contains everything from the full schedule with all of the sessions and receptions, to the attendee directory. A new feature this year allows attendees to make their own personal schedules, with client meetings and dinner dates, on the app.
INTA store
Launched in January, the INTA store has available for purchase T-shirts, caps, tote bags, polos and jackets. Attendees may place orders at the INTA booth, where the 2012 Annual Meeting T-shirt will be available onsite. To spread the message, a photo contest is encouraging members to take pictures of themselves doing their favorite activities while wearing INTA gear. "We want to see what members do during their free time," says Tuquero. The pictures will be posted on INTA's Facebook page, and the winner will win a new iPad tablet. The deadline to enter the contest is June 29, and the winner will be announced the week of July 2.
INTA's Mentor Program
A one-year commitment for trademark professionals, professors and law students, the Mentor Program features two types of experiences: the INTA Leadership Development, which helps participants develop committee leadership skills and progress within the association, and Professional Development, in which a mentor will offer career guidance to a mentee. INTA's senior academic programs coordinator, Carin Diep-Dixon, says mentee-applicants will be asked to indicate whether they prefer a mentor from their region, a male or female mentor, their areas of interest and expertise, and whether they're a law student or a lawyer. Mentors are asked the same questions as well as what they're looking for in a mentee.
To sign on, members must complete an online application at applications.inta.org.
