As we all recall, Singapore was the IP place-to-be in April 2020 and we at Henry Goh made our preparations early as did those from other firms, to host our respective events and to celebrate a first time ever INTA Annual Meeting held in Southeast Asia. Alas as fate would have it, the world shut down about two months before the gathering due to what was an unknown virus back then but now infamous.

But all that is well, ends well because after global health had stabilized and businesses bounced back, the annual meeting finally circled back to the Lion City three years later. Thousands of IP practitioners descended onto the city-state, many of us having fondly missed attending the INTA annual meeting in-person because nothing beats the warm camaraderie from a face-to-face chat and sharing a cuppa without the cold intervention of a computer screen or a mask.

We at Henry Goh had an eventful and memorable INTA week from 16 till 20 May 2023. We went in full force and were well-represented by a strong entourage from both our Kuala Lumpur and the host-city offices. Firstly, our registered participants (Head of Trademark Department and Patent Manager) attended the various scheduled programmes and met many new and old IP associates throughout those five hectic days. In addition, our firm’s management celebrated working relationships with key associates over multiple lunches and dinners, expanding their gastronomical horizon to the diverse Singapore-Malaysia fusion cuisines.

The tentpole event was hosting our own hospitality suite in a downtown garden hotel that many guests said was an oasis that provided them much-needed respite from the heat of the city and busyness of the convention centre. More importantly, it was a good opportunity for us to reconnect with many ‘long-lost’ IP friends and forge even more new relationships. It was wonderful to share business news, IP updates or even just to find out how each other was doing.

The INTA week ended on a celebratory note as Henry Goh Singapore (established in 1998) also marked its 25th anniversary on the same year the country had the privilege of hosting INTA for the first time. We unwound with a dinner party at the foot of a majestic landmark, the Singapore Flyer (observation wheel).

INTA 2023 is definitely one for the Henry Goh history books and we cannot wait for the summit to come around to our region again (hopefully, to Malaysia!). In the meantime, see you in Atlanta, Georgia next May 2024!