Follow up to “Technology and its impact on Trade Shows”: Blog

Follow up to “Technology and its impact on Trade Shows”

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the annual Legal Tech West trade show. As I previously indicated, I began issuing “Tweets” prior to the show announcing my participation and to schedule appointments. Twitter turned out to be a very effective tool which led to some valuable meetings. I was able to connect with many individuals I had specifically reached out to. As a result of my “Tweets”, there were many more who in turn reached out to me. I effectively doubled the amount of meetings I normally schedule for any one event.

While I was at Legal Tech, I also “Tweeted” about interesting people I met, demos I had seen and events I was attending. This resulted in a flurry of additional messages and meeting requests. Twitter was also a great tool for communicating with people amid the chaos of the exhibit hall. In one instance I received a text from one of my Partners (who remained back at the office in Scottsdale) regarding a Gentleman she had connected with on Linked In moments earlier. I had connected with him on Twitter the day before, but had not run into him at the show yet. As we were exchanging texts, I looked up and the very person we were discussing was passing by. Although we had not met personally, my Partner and myself had been introduced through two different Social Media platforms. I was able to stop him and had a very productive conversation as both parties felt as if we already knew each other. I was not the only one “Tweeting” at Legal Tech West Coast. There was a constant stream of updates (tagged #LTWC) coming from all over the L.A. Convention Center. Exhibitors and attendees alike were utilizing Twitter.

I previously referenced an increased presence of Virtual Conferences. While at Legal Tech I noted that the folks at Incisive Media (who host Legal Tech) have created a virtual conference and are exploring the viability of utilizing this format for an upcoming event.  From what I could see, they had a very robust event lined up. Hopefully they were met with positive feedback from exhibitors and attendees as I believe this would increase access and exposure to what have already become “must attend” events in the Legal community.

Since the shows conclusion last week I have continued to make new connections and follow up on the ones I already made, through the use of Social Media. Face to face meetings are extremely valuable and cement a relationship. Social Media, with its blend of personal and professional information, serves as an introduction. It allows us to make a connection before we ever speak on the phone or meet in person. It also allows us to extend our network of contacts to a Global level. All in all my experiment with Twitter was a success. I was able to open doors and break down barriers much easier than ever before. Instead of returning from a Trade Show exhausted from tracking contacts down I was invigorated by all of the connections I made and meetings I conducted, letting technology do all the work.