Six minutes to make an impression

“You’d be surprised,” said Frederick Pinto, a self-professed one-man full service IP firm in Montreal. “You can get someone’s essential basic information in under 10 minutes.”

Win Yan Lam, of Hogan Lovells in Amsterdam, wasn’t daunted. “In six minutes, you already know what you need to know,” she said.

Participants in yesterday’s speed networking session were given exactly that to make a lasting impression. The basics, of course, are the who, what, where of each individual, as well as the desired result of the conversation.

This is the first time the Annual Meeting has held a speed-networking event, and a session will take place every day. Laura Castle, INTA’s membership development coordinator, said she hoped it would especially help first-time attendees establish relationships.

About 40 attendees pre-registered for the session, though walk-ons were also admitted.

At a long row of tables at the Moscone Center West Exhibition Hall, participants made the most of their exchange at each table before a bell signaled it was time to move on.

Mark Harty, senior counsel at LCS & Partners in Taipei, Taiwan, was a speed-networking veteran. “It’s just like speed dating,” he said. “If it’s someone you’re interested in, you hope they’ll get back to you.”