I'd like to thank the 150 or so of you who made our BlawgWorld 2007 Pre/Launch Party a smash success on January 28th. Photos and much more coming soon.
I find trade shows interesting because no two people have the same experience. It's kind of like a microcosm of life itself — thousands of people congregating in the same place, but each person leaving with a unique set of experiences.
Take me for example. On Monday, I had 11 meetings and attended a party. On Tuesday, I had 13 meetings and attended two parties.
The purpose of these meetings by and large was to learn about hot new products to cover in our TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter. We already know about our clients' 2007 product plans so I mostly met with non-clients. You'll read about many of these cool products soon (provided you subscribe to TechnoLawyer NewsWire).
Of the parties, I attended, two were hosted by clients of ours — Attenex held a jam-packed cocktail reception at the Hilton, and LexisNexis held a jam-packed late night soiree at 44 in Ian Schrager's funky Royalton Hotel. The other party I attended was hosted by SmartCase at David Burke and Donatella, an upscale restaurant.
So, who threw the best party? We did of course! Actually, all the parties had a good mix of people and their own special touches that made them memorable. Our party had the most elaborate visuals thanks to a 16 minute looping video we created (no sound). Attenex had a signature drink — the Attenex-tini, and so did we — the BlawgWorld Lemonade. SmartCase had the best champagne and the fanciest food, including an amazing hors d'oeuvres served in an eggshell. We had the most food (no one left our party hungry). LexisNexis had the biggest crowd and best music. I'm sure I missed many other LegalTech parties that were equally memorable.
Why all the fuss about the parties? Because that's where some of the most interesting conversations and discoveries take place, especially after a few rounds of drinks. For example, at one of the parties, I met some people from Nexidia, a company whose technology enables lawyers to search voicemail for keywords.
So the next time you attend a trade show, don't waste your evenings in your hotel room watching TV. Instead, head out to the parties and catch up on sleep when you return home. Dancing is completely optional.
One last point. LegalTech has become a victim of its own success. It has outgrown the Hilton (sorry Paris). Not only do you have to visit three different floors to see all the exhibits (a broken escalator forced everyone to burn a few extra calories), but there is precious little space for off-floor meetings with major accounts and the press.
I'd like to see LegalTech move to a venue with all exhibitors on the same floor and much larger booths that have closed interiors for private meetings. Easier said than done since New York City lacks such a venue (it doesn't have any mega-hotels and its Jacob Javits convention center is in the middle of nowhere). So here's a suggestion — hold just one LegalTech show per year for 5 days — and do it in Las Vegas, which is much warmer than New York this time of year.
How was LegalTech for you? Please share your experience.
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