From a Selfie Center to Puppies and Ice Cream, there is a lot going on at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center over the next five days—and lots of volunteers to help you find your way.
Look over there … and over there … and over there! All around the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), individuals and groups are populating booths, counters, and hallways to communicate valuable information or showcase exciting activities going on during the 141st Annual Meeting.
To start with, INTA’s Information and CLE Counter is the go-to spot to find out anything you need to know about the Annual Meeting, Continuing Legal Education (CLE), the Association, and the city of Boston. If you need help with downloading the mobile app, this is the right place as well; the INTA event app is available from Apple App and Google Play stores. The Information Counter is located in Exhibit Level-Hall A lobby.
In addition, Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau volunteers—identifiable in red coats and vests—also are scattered around the BCEC to help guide registrants, from providing restaurant recommendations to transportation tips to souvenir suggestions. You have questions? They have the answers!
If you want a souvenir of your time in Boston or want to let others know that you’re at the 2019 Annual Meeting, take advantage of several interactive spots around the BCEC.
First, participate in INTA's "Belonging to INTA Means..." marketing campaign by jotting down on a sticky note one or more words that capture what membership means to you, and then posting it on the designated wall. You can find the "Belonging to INTA Means..." Wall in Exhibit Level-Hall B1. Don't forget to take a photo and post it to social media with the official hashtag, #INTA2019.
"If you want a souvenir of your time in Boston or want to let others know that you’re at the 2019 Annual Meeting, take advantage of several interactive spots around the BCEC."
Also as part of this campaign, look for the orange "Belonging to INTA Means..." buttons on registrants' clothing or badges-and pick one up for yourself at the Registration Desk or the Information and CLE Counter.
Next, there's the Selfie Center located in the lobby of Exhibit Level-Hall B1 and A. Snap a cell phone photo against the logoed background, and keep it for yourself and/or share it with others via your phone or social media; include #INTA2019.
Speaking of social media, the Annual Meeting has a large social media presence—and INTA encourages you to join the conversation. Comment and upload photos to the Association's social media channels-Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn—and tag them #INTA2019. Social media walls around the BCEC will highlight posts, including some featuring the Meeting mascot, Logan the lobster (#loganlobster).
There is lots going on in the Exhibition Hall in Hall A. This year's 162 booths feature products, services, and information from vendors from 39 countries. The Exhibition Hall is open Sunday through Tuesday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Wednesday, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Don't miss Puppies and Ice Cream, a relaxing and refreshing activity, which will take place in the back of Exhibit Level-Hall A. It's your chance to play with puppies, courtesy of Great Dog Rescue New England, a nonprofit shelter-less rescue that houses adoptable dogs in loving foster homes. Stop by on Monday and Tuesday, to interact with the puppies, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm; and to enjoy some ice cream, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Other points of interest relate to some of the corporate social responsibility initiatives occurring during the Annual Meeting. To give back to the host city, INTA is helping Bostonians look their best for job interviews by collecting accessories and toiletries. Collection bins are located on the Exhibit Level-East Registration Foyer. Contributions will benefit Dress for Success Boston, which empowers women to achieve economic independence; and Solutions at Work, a nonprofit dedicated to helping men escape poverty and homelessness. Drop off what you've brought from home, or visit one of Boston's many shops to buy the necessities and contribute them to these worthwhile causes.
On a more global scale, look for the presence of INTA's Unreal Campaign at the Annual Meeting. The Unreal Campaign educates young consumers around the world about the importance of trademarks and brands, and the dangers of counterfeit goods. Volunteers will be staffing tables outside Ballroom East-West after the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, as well as staffing the Unreal Campaign desk at the Information and CLE Counter, Exhibit Level-Hall A lobby, starting on Monday. Get involved!
The Annual Meeting is also the perfect venue to learn more about some of INTA's other initiatives. One major project currently underway is INTA's Digital Transformation, which includes a website redesign. Adage Technologies, a Chicago, Illinois (USA) agency conducting the digital transformation, will be doing brief interviews with Annual Meeting registrants as part of its research for the project. Besides interviews the agency has already scheduled, Adage encourages registrants to stop by to provide input. You'll find the Adage team at the Exhibit Level-East Registration Lobby.
In addition, from a soundproof booth in the Hospitality area in Exhibit Level-Hall A, Audrey Dauvet, the host of INTA's podcast, Brand & New, will be interviewing leading experts for the podcast series. The interviews conducted at Annual Meeting will be broadcast live or recorded for future posting. Listen to Brand & New on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Lastly, amid all the excitement of this year's 141st Annual Meeting, it's a good time to get revved up about the 142nd Annual Meeting, which will take place in Singapore April 25 to 29, 2020. Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau representatives will be on hand; look for their booth in the lobby of Exhibit Level-Hall B1 and A to learn more about visiting this Southeast Asia gem. And, then, INTA members can head down to the Registration Counter—Exhibit Level-Hall B1—to pre-register for the 2020 Annual Meeting and save 10 percent. This pre-sale offer ends Wednesday at 2:00 pm. At the very least-mark the date on your 2020 calendar!
INTA, BCEC, activities, mobile app, selfies, souvenirs, hashtag, social media, CSR, trademarks, brands, counterfeit goods, podcast, innovation, interviews
