A conference can put dozens of clients, prospects, referral sources and other people you want to know in the same place for a few days. That concentration of relationships is what makes conferences such a valuable business development opportunity, but taking advantage of it requires more preparation than registering for the event and figuring out your schedule when you arrive.
I spend a lot of time helping lawyers prepare for conferences, and much of that work happens before the event. We look at who is attending, identify the people who matter most, research what is happening at their companies, figure out who already knows whom, reach out in advance and create opportunities to spend time together. Then we think about what happens during the conference and, just as importantly, how those conversations will continue afterward.
The point is to be intentional with the opportunity in front of you. You may have three days in a city where 20 people you want to know are within a few blocks of one another. That gives you a chance to strengthen existing relationships, revive ones that have gone quiet, meet people you have been trying to reach and bring people together in ways that can lead to other relationships.
Start With the Attendee List
Get the attendee list as early as you can and spend some time with it. I usually start by looking for current clients, prospects, former clients, referral sources and people the lawyers already know. Then I look at the companies represented because there may be organizations that matter even when the individual name isn’t immediately familiar.
This is also where research becomes important. People change jobs, companies make acquisitions, private equity firms raise new funds, executives take on new roles and businesses expand into new markets. Someone who wasn’t particularly relevant the last time you looked at the list may be very relevant now.
From there, narrow the list. If 800 people are attending, a lawyer isn’t going to meaningfully connect with all of them. A list of 10, 15 or 20 priority people is much more useful, particularly when you know why each person is on it.
For each priority contact, know the basics: what they do, what is happening at their company, whether anyone at your firm knows them, when you last interacted and why it would be useful to connect at this particular conference.
Reach Out Before the Conference
Once you know whom you want to see, start reaching out. I wouldn’t wait until a few days before the event because calendars fill up, especially for the people everyone wants to meet.
The outreach can be very simple when you already know the person. Tell them you’re going to be there and suggest finding time for coffee, breakfast, a drink or a quick catch-up between sessions. If you haven’t met, there needs to be a real reason for the outreach. Maybe you have mutual contacts, work in the same industry, have been following something happening at their company or have a specific area of overlap.
I also wouldn’t make every interaction a formal meeting. Some of the easiest conference plans are “I’m heading to the reception at 5:30. Want to meet outside beforehand?” or “I’m free for coffee before the first panel.” You’re trying to create time together, and that can take a lot of different forms.
Figure Out Who Can Help You Make the Connection
Before reaching out cold to someone, look at whether somebody you know can make the introduction. That might be another lawyer at your firm, a client, former colleague, classmate, industry contact or someone else in your network.
If several people from your firm are attending, this is also the time to compare lists. You may find that one partner knows a prospect another partner has been trying to reach, or that several lawyers have relationships with different people at the same company. That information can change how you approach the conference and who takes the lead on a particular relationship.
Introductions also work in the other direction. Think about which of your clients and contacts would benefit from knowing one another. Bringing two people together because you genuinely believe they would have something to talk about is one of my favorite ways to build relationships at an event.
Use the Conference to Bring People Together
You aren’t limited to what appears on the official agenda. If several people you want to spend time with will be there, create something around the conference.
It could be dinner for eight people, breakfast before the program starts, drinks after a reception or another small gathering. I prefer smaller groups because they give people enough time to actually talk and get to know one another.
The guest list matters. I wouldn’t fill the table exclusively with prospects and then make them feel as though they have walked into a sales dinner. Bring together people who have something in common and would genuinely benefit from meeting each other. A private equity investor may want to know another investor, an operating executive, a banker or someone with experience in a market they are exploring. The value of the gathering comes from the people around the table, not from how many potential clients you can fit into the room.
This is also an opportunity to partner with someone else who has complementary relationships. Co-hosting a small event with a client, industry organization or another professional can introduce everyone involved to a broader group of people.
Pay Attention to the Program
The agenda can tell you quite a bit about what people in the industry are thinking about. Look at which topics are getting multiple sessions, who is speaking and which issues seem to be generating the most interest.
If someone you want to meet is speaking, go to the session. You’ll have a much better sense of their perspective afterward and a natural starting point for a conversation. You can ask about something they said rather than walking up with a generic introduction.
The same applies to your content strategy. If you hear the same issue come up repeatedly in panels and conversations, make a note of it. That may be something worth writing about after the conference, discussing in a client alert or using as the basis for a future program.
Have Better Conversations While You’re There
The research you did beforehand gives you context, but it shouldn’t turn the conversation into an interrogation or a recitation of everything you learned about someone’s company.
Use what you know to ask better questions and then pay attention to where the conversation goes. If a company recently completed an acquisition, there may be a natural opportunity to ask how things are progressing. If someone has taken on a new role, ask how it is going. If you attended their panel, pick up on something they discussed.
You may learn that the company is entering a new market, that the person is dealing with an issue they hadn’t anticipated or that there is someone else at the organization you should know. Those details are often much more useful than whatever you planned to say about yourself.
Make Notes Before You Forget Everything
I am a big believer in taking notes during a conference because after two or three days of meetings, dinners, receptions and random conversations in hallways, it becomes very easy to forget who said what.
After an important conversation, take 30 seconds and put a few notes in your phone. Write down what you discussed, anything you promised to send, people you offered to introduce and anything you learned that could be useful later.
Those notes become your follow-up list when you get home. They can also be shared with your marketing or business development team so they can help with introductions, content, invitations and other next steps.
Follow Up on the Actual Conversation
The best follow-up usually comes directly from what you discussed. If you promised an introduction, make it. If you mentioned an article, send it. If someone told you about a business issue and you have a colleague who knows that area well, there may be an opportunity to connect them.
For people you met briefly, connecting on LinkedIn can be enough to keep the relationship going for now. Add a short personal note so they remember where you met and continue engaging with them after the conference rather than disappearing until the same event comes around next year.
I also like to review the priority list again after the conference. Some people you expected to see won’t have been there. You may have met someone who wasn’t originally on the list. A five-minute conversation may have turned a lower-priority contact into someone you want to know much better. Your plan afterward should reflect what actually happened, not just what you expected to happen.
Keep the Relationships Going
The real value of a conference can continue long after you unpack your suitcase. The people you met or reconnected with can become part of your regular relationship-building efforts throughout the year.
Stay aware of what is happening with them and their organizations. If someone changes jobs, reach out. If their company announces something significant, congratulate them when appropriate. Invite them to an event that would genuinely interest them. Send something useful when it relates to a conversation you had. Introduce them to someone when you see a connection.
A conference gives you a concentrated period of time to start, strengthen and revive relationships. The business development opportunity becomes much larger when the preparation before the event, the conversations while you’re there and the follow-up afterward are all connected. That is how a few days at a conference can become part of a much longer relationship-building strategy.
Your Conference Business Development Checklist
A lot goes into making a conference worthwhile, so I like having a checklist that covers the entire process rather than trying to remember everything while you’re also getting ready to travel and keeping up with your regular work.
Before the Conference
- Get the attendee list as early as possible
- Identify your priority clients, prospects, referral sources and other contacts
- Research people you don’t recognize from priority organizations
- Check whether key contacts have changed companies or roles
- Look at recent news and developments involving priority companies
- Identify who at your firm already knows the people you want to meet
- Ask for introductions where they can help
- Reach out to priority contacts before calendars fill up
- Schedule coffees, breakfasts, lunches, dinners or quick meetings
- Review the agenda and identify sessions your priority contacts are attending or speaking on
- Coordinate with colleagues who are also attending
- Decide whether there is an opportunity to host a small dinner, drinks or another gathering
- Connect with relevant attendees on LinkedIn
- Post about attending when it makes sense
During the Conference
- Keep your priority contact list somewhere easy to access
- Leave some open time for unexpected conversations and meetings
- Attend sessions featuring people you want to know
- Introduce clients and contacts who would benefit from knowing one another
- Pay attention to recurring issues and questions that could become future content
- Take notes immediately after important conversations
- Record anything you promised to send or do
- Connect on LinkedIn with people you meet
After the Conference
- Review your notes while the conversations are still fresh
- Make the introductions you promised
- Send articles, information or other resources you discussed
- Follow up personally with your priority contacts
- Connect with people you met but didn’t connect with during the event
- Update your CRM or relationship information
- Revisit your original priority list and adjust it based on what happened
- Add promising new contacts and companies to your ongoing business development efforts
- Turn recurring conference themes into articles, LinkedIn posts, client alerts or future programs
- Keep in touch throughout the year instead of waiting for the next conference
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