When planned and executed correctly, events are an effective strategy for supporting your law firm’s business goals. Attendance is often a key indicator of an event’s success, as it represents the number of opportunities available for your attorneys to capitalize on.

There are several key considerations you should keep in mind when first conceptualizing your law firm event to encourage the most attendance possible. Before you begin strategizing your event’s marketing and promotional plan, take the time to think through and discuss the following best practices with your team.

1. Focus Your Program Agenda on Trending and Highly Relevant Topics and Themes

Selecting the wrong session topics for your educational event can be all it takes to create an underwhelming and underperforming law firm event. When determining which topics to include in your program agenda, be sure to consider:

• What topics does your audience want or need to learn more about?
• What novel challenges or pressing issues are present in your industry space currently?
• What specialized knowledge can you share with your audience that is impactful?
• What overarching themes can tie together all the individual speaker sessions on your agenda?

Remember to focus on topics relevant to your audience specifically. Not all audiences are going to be interested in the same topics. It’s crucial to think about who your target audience is for your educational event and design your program with their interests in mind to maximize their engagement. Take a look at your law firm’s contacts and create a marketing segment to group invitees with similar backgrounds and interests together.

Key takeaway: Tailoring your program agenda to appeal to a specific target audience will be more appealing to your invitees and generate the most interest in attending your event.

2. Leverage Thought Leadership Content and Your Speaker’s Credentials

Has your firm already published thought leadership content (such as blog posts, newsletter content or articles in publications) on the relevant topics you want to present on at your event? If so, take advantage of these materials to compose your presentation.

Not only will this save time by already giving you the foundational content you need to build your presentation, but thought leadership pieces also make excellent handouts. This will encourage your audience to engage with your law firm further and provide an additional avenue for promoting your event. If you do not already have thought leadership content on the topics you want to discuss at your event, consider creating some ahead of the event. These will serve as useful assets for your event’s promotional communications, driving both credibility and attendance.

In addition to utilizing thought leadership content in your invitations, highlighting your speakers’ credentials will also stimulate more interest in attendance. Your speaker’s backgrounds will also help establish credibility for your law firm on the topics being presented, ultimately drawing more interest as you show your audience why they should want to learn more about a topic from your firm specifically.

Key takeaway: Create and use your firm’s thought leadership content in tandem with your speakers’ credentials to establish authority on the discussion topics as you promote your event.

3. Offer CLE Credit

Attorneys in every jurisdiction are required to demonstrate their continuing education in the field of law by obtaining a minimum number of CLE credit hours every year. Each state has its own application process, procedures and regulations for mandatory continuing education credits.

Regardless of the specific jurisdiction your event is taking place in, offering CLE credit presents a great opportunity to incentivize attendance, particularly if your target audience is attorney-heavy. Be sure to reference the State Bar websites for each jurisdiction your attendees may want to claim CLE credit for and follow the outlined procedures for securing CLE accreditation.

Once your program is pre-approved for CLE credit, highlight the number of CLE credit hours offered and for which states you secured accreditation in your outreach.  If your event is taking place virtually, or if your in-person event has attendees from multiple states, it is recommended to obtain CLE accreditation from all applicable jurisdictions so that the incentive for attending applies to all of your attorney attendees.

Tip: When obtaining CLE accreditation for multiple jurisdictions, note which states offer reciprocity. Accreditation secured for a state on the reciprocity list will automatically apply to other jurisdictions as well, eliminating the need for a separate CLE credit application. Check the State Bar website for each jurisdiction to see if reciprocity applies.

Key takeaway: Offering CLE credit to all attendees creates a strong incentive for attorneys to register for and attend your event.

4. Be Strategic with the Timing and Format of the Event

When picking a date, time and format for your event, it’s important to optimize for your audience’s convenience and preferences to maximize attendance. Below are several factors to consider that may help determine the ideal time for your event:

• Most professionals are busiest at the beginning and end of the week. Aim for a mid-week event to increase attendance and minimize disruptions to your invitees’ schedules.
• Identify the time of day that is most appropriate for your event type. Virtual 1-hour webinars should be scheduled around lunch time when attendees are likely to be free, whereas networking events should be scheduled in the evening.
• Research other competing events in your industry and avoid scheduling your event too close to them to avoid topic fatigue.

Equally as important to the timing of your event is its format. Depending on the program agenda and business development goals, the best format will vary across different law firm events. Keep in mind the following guidelines when determining the appropriate format for your event:

• Virtual events require less commitment from your attendees, making them ideal for one-session webinars, but may substantially increase the number of no-shows as a result.
• Networking is best done in person and can be combined with educational components to create a half-day or full-day seminar.
• Large events with both an educational and networking component will likely require at least a half-day in-person seminar. Consider the logistics of an event of this size and ensure that the value of attending is high enough to justify a large time commitment from your attendees.
• Hybrid events, where attendees can choose to attend virtually or in person, may seem like a good balance, but may not be appropriate depending on the goals of your event. Consider whether both virtual and in-person attendees are getting equal value for attending your event. 

Key takeaway: Always be thoughtful of your attendees when scheduling your event. Different events will have different formats that work best.

5. Follow a Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign, Getting the Word Out Early and Often

A well-developed promotional campaign for your law firm event is crucial to maximizing the opportunities available to reach your larger goals.

The most important aspects of a strong marketing campaign are ensuring that your entire team is clear on their marketing responsibilities and that it keeps your team organized and accountable as the campaign progresses. The most effective way to reflect both aspects is by creating a marketing timeline. Your marketing timeline should identify:

• All marketing tactics that will be used to promote the event
• Who will be responsible for execution of each one
• All deadlines and key dates
• All logistical tasks for supporting the event, such as the creation of CLE application materials

Be sure to get the word out to your invitees as early as possible and include at least three additional communication touchpoints to ensure you stay top of mind and present multiple opportunities to RSVP. It’s recommended to confirm the important details of your event, such as the date and location, before your outreach.

Tip: Begin your marketing campaign three months ahead of any in-person event and about four to six weeks ahead of any virtual event.

Lastly, make sure your marketing plan uses all of the different marketing channels available to your law firm to get the word out. Some of these channels may include:

• Email invitations
• Personal emails or phone calls from the speakers or attorneys at the firm
• Social media posts
• Blog posts on the firm website
• Firm newsletters
• Organization and trade group newsletters
• Announcements at earlier law firm events

Key takeaway: Start early and create a strong marketing timeline outlining key tactics and responsibilities to ensure a smooth and successful promotional campaign.

Strong Attendance Equals Strong Success

Driving attendance to your law firm events does not have to be a daunting task. By being thoughtful of your audience and objectives, following marketing best practices and planning ahead, you can successfully promote your event and fill the room, ensuring that your event is a success and provides value to both your attendees and your firm as well.