This year’s INTA conference took place in London. As usual, it attracted IP professionals from around the globe, for an intensive few days of events and networking activities. As people return to their desks, this wonderfully empathetic and thought-provoking article, written for our IP Ability community, provides fresh insights into the often unseen impacts of conferences like this on some groups of people. With generous honesty, it provides tips for mitigating the negative effects whilst still making the most of the conference experience. And it invites us all to reconsider how we approach these issues in future.
Our guest writes:
INTA is one of the highlights of the annual trade mark networking calendar. Certain conversations are almost guaranteed: how long you’re staying in the host city, whether the host city is a good choice for INTA, and – in London’s case – what the weather is going to do next. However, after INTA, there is another topic of conversation that’s widespread, but at the same time is not given enough careful attention: INTA burnout.
People compare notes on how little they have slept, how many meetings they fitted into each day, or how long it will take to recover once they are home. It is usually said lightly, almost as a shared joke — a sign of a successful and productive week.
After my first real taste of INTA during London, I think it is time we collectively pause to consider how this level of exhaustion has become so normalised.
INTA is, without question, a valuable event in the IP calendar. It provides an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from around the world, strengthen relationships, and develop new business. The issue is not the event itself, but the way in which participation has come to be framed: more meetings, more events, more visibility — sometimes at the expense of basic wellbeing.
For some attendees, this is simply tiring. For others, including those managing chronic fatigue, chronic pain, or other long-term conditions, it can be much more than that.
When exhaustion is not just part of the experience
For people managing chronic conditions, the INTA model of maximising every opportunity presents a particular challenge.
If you are living with a chronic condition, attending conferences requires a degree of planning that goes beyond simply organising meetings. The question is not just how busy the week will be, but how sustainable that level of activity is, both during the conference and in the days or weeks that follow. What may be manageable for some can be genuinely debilitating for others.
This issue is not limited to chronic illness. Many attendees – including those with caring responsibilities, fluctuating health, a different neurotype or simply different energy limits – can find conferences difficult to navigate. It was interesting to hear regular INTA attendees based in London share their experiences of how the conference being on home soil had altered their perspective as they tried to balance family and caring responsibilities.
Top tips to avoid burnout
Re-define what success looks like
Success is often equated with volume: the number of meetings, the number of events attended, the extent of one’s visibility throughout the week. However, a more sustainable, and arguably more effective, approach is to focus on quality.
A smaller number of thoughtful, focused meetings can be far more valuable than a schedule that leaves no time to think, reflect, or follow up properly. Meaningful conversations tend to happen when there is sufficient space and energy to fully engage.
Schedule breaks
Building in time to rest and give yourself some thinking space can make a significant difference. This might mean avoiding back-to-back meetings, building in excess travel time, or simply scheduling breaks throughout the day. It might also involve limiting the number of evening receptions you attend so you can get a good night’s sleep.
Give yourself permission to say “no”
It’s ok to opt out of some events, or to leave early. Declining an invitation to a meeting or leaving an event early can sometimes leave you with the feeling that you are missing out on an opportunity, or that it will somehow reflect badly on you.
In reality, saying “no” can have the opposite effect. Being fully present in a smaller number of meetings and events is likely to give you the opportunity to make more meaningful and long-term connections compared to turning up to a large number of events and only giving the people you meet half your attention because your energy levels are so low.
Make sure to eat
Finding time to eat between back-to-back commitments with limited travel time in between can be challenging. Even when attending networking events with food on offer, I found myself being pulled into conversations every time I tried to head for the buffet. If your schedule does not include events which give you the opportunity to refuel, make sure you stop along the way and take time to eat – and maybe consider carrying essentials like water and snacks with you.
Consider your location
Proximity to the venue can be an important factor in managing fatigue. This was particularly challenging in London when events were spread across the city. If a conference is located around one central venue, try to stay nearby and consider the length of the walk or the ease of public transport options to get to the venue. If the event is spread around the city, consider trying to manage your schedule so that you spend half a day or a day in the same area rather than needing to travel back and forth across the city multiple times.
Think about post-event recovery
Managing the event to minimise impact on your wellbeing is important, but equally important is managing your time both pre-and post-event. In the build-up to the event, consider what you can do to prepare. For me, packing a bag for the event and choosing my outfits several days prior, as well as arriving a day early and staying overnight in a hotel the day before the conference started were all part of my plan to manage the build up by making me feel organised and prepared and removing the stress associated with travel.
Post-event, consider what you need to do to take care of yourself. If you need to travel back home, does that need to be immediately or can you have a leisurely journey and take some time to rest in the host city first? Consider whether it is wise to take some time off work so that you don’t jump straight from an intense networking event into a build-up of routine work matters and deadlines. Hitting the inbox a few days later with energy and enthusiasm is going to be more productive than staring at your laptop screen like a zombie just hours after the conference has finished.
Changing the conversation
On top of managing your own experience, it is worth everyone considering how we frame the conversation around conferences.
If burnout is consistently framed as an unavoidable part of the experience, it becomes more difficult to question. By contrast, acknowledging limits – whether our own or others’ – helps to make different approaches more visible and acceptable and can empower those who might be avoiding conferences because of medical conditions by letting them know that it is ok to participate in the conference in your own way and take it at your own pace.
A more sustainable approach does not mean doing less of value. It means being more deliberate about how we engage and recognising that maintaining energy and wellbeing is not a barrier to success, but a prerequisite for it.
If burnout is as common as we acknowledge it to be, then it is not simply an individual issue to be managed. It is something we can, and should, think about more collectively.