As we say goodbye to summer, many of us are looking forward to the delights of fall: crisp weather, beautiful foliage, football and budgets. Wait. What? Okay, so maybe not many of us are actually looking forward to that last one.

As law firms take a hard look at non-essential expenditures in Q4, paying for attorneys to attend conferences is one area in which firms may take the scalpel.

Even if you are among the fortunate who will be able to attend one or more conferences in 2025, it is likely that your law firm will expect you to be selective about which conferences you attend and that you be able to demonstrate that investing in your attendance was a worthwhile expenditure. This is likely to mean the firm is looking for more upon your return than a pristine copy of the handout materials (which you cannot share if they are copyrighted, anyway) and a few logo-emblazoned stress balls.

These tips can help you take a strategic approach to conference attendance, starting even before you send in the registration form.

Networking Strategies Before the Conference

  • Attend the right conference: In determining which conferences will provide the best marketing and networking opportunities, ask your clients which conferences they regularly attend, and find out if they would be willing to send you information about the next conference they plan to attend. This demonstrates that you are interested in learning more about their industry/interests and, more than likely, will put you in contact with companies and decision-makers in positions similar to your existing clients.
  • Be on the “A” list: Register early to ensure you don’t miss the registration deadline and to get your name on the attendee list. Attendee lists are often posted on conference sites or distributed to the registered attendees. One or more of your clients or contacts may be attending the event, and seeing your name on the attendee list may lead them to reach out. This could be especially useful in reconnecting with former clients.
  • Identify the best networking opportunities: Before the conference begins, schedule meetings with attendees you want to connect with. You will not be the only attorney reaching out to attendees (or your clients, for that matter), and schedules will fill up quickly. Meetings should be scheduled with the conference agenda in mind – perhaps breakfast or dinner on days when those meals are not part of a planned event. 
  • Leverage the power of social media: Don’t forget to check for pages or groups related to the conference on LinkedIn. Follow conference-related discussions and hashtags and post comments to your own social media accounts indicating you will be attending. Be sure to include the conference hashtag(s) in your posts.
  • Kill two birds with one stone (and the same dollars): In addition to the conference attendees, think about visiting clients located in or near the conference city. Contact them in advance, telling them you will be in town, and ask if they have time to meet. Even if you go a day early or stay an extra day, you’ve made good use of valuable time.
  • Invite clients to your presentation: If you are a speaker at the conference, contact clients in advance to see if they are attending. If they cannot attend, offer to send them your presentation materials after the conference, if the conference sponsor does not prohibit doing so. This is a nice gesture and demonstrates your expertise and credibility.

Connecting with Key Contacts at the Conference

  • Have a plan of attack: At most conferences, you cannot expect to meet everyone. It is better to select five to six attendees you would most like to meet/speak to, and focus on finding time to connect with them. Also, give advance thought to what you would like to discuss with these individuals. You will have limited time with them, so make it count, and discuss something other than the weather or your workload.
  • Bring your business cards: This sounds simple, but business cards are often one of the items people forget to take along when headed somewhere other than the office.
  • Follow good business card etiquette: Only give your card to those who ask for it or those with whom you have a conversation. Otherwise, everyone walks away with a stack of business cards and cannot remember anything about the person who gave it to them. If you get other people’s cards, take a moment to make a note of your conversation.  
  • Attend sessions strategically: While you are certainly at the conference for the educational experience, increase your chances of encountering clients and prospects by attending those sessions you think they are most likely to attend.
  • Arrive at the sessions early: If you arrive late, you will not have an opportunity to seek out and sit with one of your targeted contacts.
  • Chat with the chair: The conference chair, that is. If you are interested in being a speaker at a future program, talk with the conference chair or with the moderator of a panel session to express your interest and make an impression so they’ll remember you. Ask about the proper procedure for submitting a topic idea, or ask how you can assist with panels, etc., at the next meeting.
  • Engage in real-time. Engage with your network during the conference by posting or tweeting interesting information from the conference sessions. You might share thought-provoking comments shared by speakers or other participants (crediting them, of course) or you may want to really engage your network by sharing a digest of a conference session.

Post-Event Business Development Strategies

  • Follow up quickly: Shortly after the event, send an email or make a call to the contacts you met. Your note can be as simple as, “Enjoyed meeting/seeing you at the conference.” If you promised to send information, send it within the week.
  • Send LinkedIn connection requests: After meeting new contacts, promptly send personalized connection requests, mentioning where you met and referencing any specific topics you discussed to help solidify the relationship.
  • Circle back to clients again: If you promised a client to send materials from the conference, do so as quickly as possible. If the client is local, consider telling them you will stop by with the information, or go to lunch to deliver it, which will give you an opportunity to share other information you may have learned at the conference.
  • Make a record of contacts: Enter the names of any new contacts into your Outlook Contacts or your firm’s CRM system, along with a note of where you met them, what you discussed and any relevant information. Enter the same type of information into the “notes” section of existing contact records. 
  • Other ways to follow up: Be aware of ways to follow up from time to time. For instance, you might route one of the firm’s newsletters to your new contacts, indicating “thought you might be interested,” and asking if they would like to subscribe to that or other newsletters. Send them an article you’ve published or other media where you’ve been quoted.

By taking a thoughtful and strategic approach to conference attendance, you can ensure that your participation not only benefits your professional development but also delivers measurable value to your law firm’s marketing and business development efforts. Post a comment if you have tips to share, or contact Terry M. Isner at TMIsner@jaffepr.com.