Despite all of the technological systems available to advance business development efforts, lawyers and clients continue to report that face-to-face interaction is the best way to build relationships and better understand client needs. Firms invest considerable resources to host in-person gatherings, but many fall short when it comes to maximizing their strategic value. Increased demands on time, more restrictive client entertainment policies and a heightened emphasis on budget are raising the bar for measuring success, making it more important than ever for attorneys and organizers to develop a meaningful value proposition that ensures a beneficial experience for everyone.
What Are Your Goals?
Before you consider hosting an event, ask yourself what you hope to achieve. The answer may be to thank clients for their business or celebrate a favorable outcome. Other times the firm may want to connect with alumni or raise the profile of a practice area. Whatever the desired outcome, you cannot determine an appropriate budget or begin to organize without identifying the audience you aim to attract and thinking about your overall goals in relation to that audience.
