If you are looking for basic tradeshow tips such as "wear comfortable shoes", "plot out who you want to meet ahead of time" and "bring business cards", etc. this isn't the post for you. This is a post based on 18 years of attending Legaltech New York (LTNY) and most all other legal events and conferences. Legaltech's timing is unique in that it allows you to kick off the new year with a bang, however it can also make for a brutal week. With the morphing of Legaltech into Legalweek, this is still the case. Here are my tips for how to look back at Legaltech/Legalweek in a positive light...
1. There is no ‘cone of silence’!: You wouldn’t believe the things we’ve heard in the common areas of the Hilton over our 18 years attending LTNY. Realize that the property is a ‘hot’ spot and that you never know who is at the table beside you in the restaurant or is sharing the elevator with you, so be discreet! Update: I'm going to extend this tip out two blocks in all directions. If you are at the Warwick or the Starbucks or the corner pub, it can still be full of Legalweek attendees or your competitors!
2. Multi-task: There is a lot to take advantage of at Legalweek, so often plans for the event begin and end with working your booth. To maximize your investment, take advantage of all the opportunities available to network and/or promote your brand including connecting with partners, media, bloggers but also take time to meet with the other legal associations on-site such as ILTA & ARMA.
3. "Social" networking: The first word in social networking is SOCIAL. In an industry with the staying power of legal - no one ever leaves, they just change companies/firms - it is just as valuable to make social connections with peers and contacts. During social events, stay social! Don’t start listing the bullet points for your product or bust out a laptop/tablet for a ‘quick demo’. Seriously… it happens all the time! Also bring your manners to the Twitter-verse and don't hog the hashtag. There are many people that participate in the Legalweek NY social media world so be respectful and don't hog the hashtag! If you are including the #Legalweek18 hashtag (which you should), don't send tweets from multiple company/employee accounts multiple times in a row. There are always a few people/companies that decide that social media success is based on the number of tweets they post. In fact, often those people are ridiculed and avoided, so don't be one of them!
4. Meeting space hell: Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges at Legalweek NY is finding a space to meet on-site, so prepare accordingly. Book a separate meeting space, locate a few off-site meeting options beforehand or direct all meeting traffic to your booth to collectively find appropriate space. We have managed to find a few choice places to meet, but then again, you don't expect us to publish those, do you? :-) However, we've found a couple of creative ideas from the suspended glass box meeting room below to the "portable chair" (try at your own risk!). Next year, someone should give them away in the exhibit hall!
5. Beware of the 'convenience' of the coat check. In the past, recovering from hypothermia because I walked to the Hilton without my coat was less annoying than standing in the coat check line. Seriously. (OK, obviously the photo is an exaggeration but you get the idea!)
6. Who's Who?: Legaltech has always attracted attendees from all walks and that is even more the case with the new Legalweek concept. For vendors, it provides an incredible opportunity to speak with prospects that you may not normally get in front of, but that also means that the ability to scan and pull in the right people from the crowd is all the more important. Although this is by no means a perfect technique, knowing who is walking by your booth is a start and you can use Legalweek's color-coded badges to help you with that. Just pray you are not color blind! Below is a guide to the badge colors for Legalweek 18. Remember though: Treat everyone with respect. Even if they are with a 2 person firm now, they may be hired by your largest client in a couple of years!
A variation from a post originally published January 20, 2015