Now that the dust has settled from last week's LegalTech West Coast trade show, we can provide our perspective on what appears to be another EDD/litigation support heavy show. In fact, over 45% (about 57 of approximately 125 vendors) of exhibiting companies offer a combination of electronic data discovery, litigation support software and services, and a good chunk of the education tracks, including both keynote addresses focused on the hottest topic in the legal industry today. Beyond EDD, we noticed the continued trend of large corporations dedicating resources to the legal market including Symantec Corp., Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc., Eastman Kodak Company and EMC Corporation (represented by first time exhibitors Mozy Online Backup).
In terms of buzz and feedback it seemed to be a mixed bag, but mostly positive. Walking the floor just pre-wrap-up on day one, all the vendors we talked to seemed content with attendee traffic and the caliber of contacts made and leads gathered. There was a vast difference in the attendance and energy from the 2007 show offering a welcome improvement to vendors trying to reach out to the important west coast law firm world. In fact, there was broad agreement that business was good, in many cases better than ever, and that there had not been a lull in prospective activity and purchasing desire despite the current economy.
Friday was a bit of a different story, with the aisles appearing a little emptier. This allowed us a lot more time to talk to vendors without getting in the way of prospective networking and new business development. This time the answer to "how is the show going?" was a little less harmonious and favorable than the day before. Who knows why? Too many parties the night before? Realities of a summer Friday afternoon in LA? ... LegalTech may want to consider a move to Wednesday-Thursday to avoid the inevitable Friday lull.
All in all, it seemed that the vendors were much more pleased with LegalTech West Coast 2008 than 2007. We are thinking that ALM's strategy of moving the show from the Westin Bonaventure to the LA Convention Center to allow for growth will turn out to be a successful one. Although the LA Convention Center is not on my list of the nicest venues, it does allow for growth - something that wasn't possible at the Bonaventure. The west coast has always seemed to be cursed with no show truly taking hold as LegalTech New York did on the east coast. Let's hope that LegalTech West Coast becomes a smaller version of LegalTech NY that truly pulls the great firms from the west coast. If that happens, no one will be happier than the vendors!
Also, the expansive network of bloggers once again did a terrific job of covering all LegalTech activities. John Bringardner in particular managed to be in most places at the same time, and provides a great highlight reel in Blogging at LegalTech West Coast Style. Sean Doherty reports on both keynotes and both day's vendor sessions and some product showcases in Technology in Action on the West Coast. Lastly, Friday's "FutureTech" program presented by Law Technology News , kicked off with a riveting "Selling your Tech" panel discussion. Stay tuned for a separate post on this dynamic session moderated by Monica Bay.
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