Law firms invest enormous amounts of time, energy and money into events. Between sponsorships, client receptions, seminars, roundtables, webinars and conferences, events often represent one of the largest investments in a firm’s marketing and business development budget. Attorneys spend hours preparing presentations. Marketing and business development teams manage logistics, invitations and promotions. Weeks or even months of planning go into making sure everything runs smoothly.
Given that level of investment, you’d think every firm would have a clear strategy for maximizing the return on that effort. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Over the years, I’ve helped plan and execute hundreds of events ranging from small executive dinners to major industry conferences. One thing I’ve learned is that successful events aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest attendance numbers or the most impressive venues. Some of the most valuable events I’ve been involved with had relatively modest attendance but attracted exactly the right audience. They created opportunities for meaningful conversations, strengthened important relationships and led to business opportunities that continued developing long after the event ended.
One of the biggest mistakes I see firms make is treating the event itself as the goal. The focus becomes filling the room, delivering the presentation and checking the box. Once the event is over, everyone moves on to the next initiative. In reality, the event is only one piece of a much larger opportunity. The real value often comes from the relationships that are built before, during and after the program.
Link to Stop Measuring Success by Attendance Alone Stop Measuring Success by Attendance Alone
Whenever an event concludes, one of the first questions people ask is how many people attended. Attendance is certainly important, but it rarely tells the entire story.
I’ve attended events with packed rooms that generated very little business value. I’ve also attended smaller programs that produced referrals, new client relationships and strategic introductions that continued paying dividends for years. The difference usually had very little to do with the number of attendees and everything to do with who was actually in the room.
When evaluating an event, firms should look beyond registration reports and attendance figures. It’s worth considering whether key clients attended, whether prospects engaged with attorneys, whether meaningful introductions were made and whether new conversations were started. An event that brings together the right group of people can be far more valuable than one that simply attracts a large audience.
This is particularly true for professional services firms, where relationships drive business development. Most clients don’t hire a law firm because they attended a webinar. They hire a law firm because they developed trust in the people behind the presentation. Events create opportunities to build that trust, but only if firms are intentional about how they approach them.
Link to The Guest List Often Has More Impact Than the Agenda The Guest List Often Has More Impact Than the Agenda
Content matters. No one wants to attend an event that lacks substance. However, I believe many firms underestimate the importance of the guest list.
Some of the most successful events I’ve seen succeeded because the right people were brought together in the same room. The program itself was valuable, but the networking opportunities and relationship-building potential were equally important.
When planning an event, firms should think carefully about who they want to attend and why. Which clients would benefit from meeting one another? Which prospects should be introduced to attorneys in specific practice areas? Which referral sources might benefit from expanding their relationships within the firm? Which industry leaders could contribute to a more meaningful discussion?
These questions often lead to stronger outcomes than simply focusing on attendance numbers.
A well-curated audience creates opportunities that extend far beyond the event itself. Some of the most productive conversations happen before the program starts, during networking breaks or after the formal presentation has concluded. Those interactions often create the foundation for future business development opportunities.
Link to Every Event Should Generate Future Content Every Event Should Generate Future Content
Another missed opportunity I see frequently is the failure to maximize the content created through an event.
By the time an event takes place, the firm has already invested significant resources in developing ideas, identifying speakers and creating discussion topics. Yet many firms treat the event as a one-time occurrence and fail to leverage the valuable insights that emerge from it. A single event can generate months of content.
Panel discussions often produce ideas for future articles. Audience questions can reveal topics that deserve deeper exploration. Key takeaways can be transformed into newsletters, LinkedIn posts, videos, client alerts and presentation materials. Speaker insights can become future marketing assets. Even photographs and behind-the-scenes content can support future visibility efforts.
This is why I encourage firms to think about content creation before the event takes place. Recording sessions, capturing photos and documenting key insights can significantly extend the life of the event. Instead of creating value for a few hours, the event can continue supporting marketing and business development efforts for months afterward.
The firms that consistently get the most value from events tend to think this way. They understand that the event is only one part of a broader content and relationship-building strategy.
Link to Lawyers Should Spend More Time Building Relationships at Events Lawyers Should Spend More Time Building Relationships at Events
One area that doesn’t get discussed enough is how lawyers engage during events. Many attorneys focus heavily on their presentation or panel participation, which is understandable. They want to deliver value and represent the firm well. However, some of the most important opportunities occur outside the formal program.
Arriving early, staying after the event and making time for conversations can dramatically increase the value of an event. Attendees often remember the personal interactions they had far more than they remember specific slides or talking points.
This is especially important when clients and prospects are present. Events provide a natural environment for relationship building because conversations can develop around shared interests and common challenges. They create opportunities to reconnect with existing contacts, meet new people and strengthen relationships that may have started months or even years earlier.
I’ve seen countless examples where a casual conversation before an event ultimately led to a client matter, a referral or a speaking opportunity. Those outcomes rarely appear on event reports, but they often represent the most meaningful return on investment.
Link to The Follow-Up Is Where Firms Leave the Most Value on the Table The Follow-Up Is Where Firms Leave the Most Value on the Table
If there’s one area where many firms consistently miss opportunities, it’s follow-up. Once an event ends, attention naturally shifts elsewhere. People return to their busy schedules and focus on other priorities. Unfortunately, this is often when the most valuable business development opportunities begin to emerge.
Attendees leave events with fresh impressions. They remember the people they met. They think about the conversations they had and the topics that resonated with them. This creates an ideal opportunity to continue building relationships.
Effective follow-up goes far beyond sending a generic thank-you email. It may involve sharing additional resources, scheduling a meeting, making an introduction or continuing a conversation that started during the event. Sometimes it simply means reaching out to stay connected while the interaction is still fresh.
The strongest business development professionals understand that events create momentum. Thoughtful follow-up helps preserve that momentum and turns a brief interaction into an ongoing relationship.
This is often where the real return on investment is generated. New business rarely materializes because someone attended a single event. It develops through a series of conversations and interactions that occur over time. Events provide a catalyst for those conversations, but follow-up is what keeps them moving forward.
Link to The Real Value of Events The Real Value of Events
The most successful events aren’t necessarily the largest or the most expensive. They are the ones that create meaningful opportunities for connection.
When firms approach events as relationship-building opportunities rather than isolated marketing activities, they tend to achieve much stronger results. They focus on bringing together the right people, facilitating valuable discussions, creating useful content and continuing conversations long after the event ends.
That’s why I’ve never viewed events as simply marketing initiatives. At their best, they are opportunities to strengthen relationships, build trust and create connections that can support business development for years to come.
The event itself may only last a few hours. The relationships that come from it can last so much longer.
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