Filling Seats at Charity and Legal Events
Firm Issues
By Bob Weiss
February 2009
Surveys show that attendance at charity and legal events are some of the most effective marketing tactics a lawyer or firm can employ. Filling seats at tables at those events, however, often is difficult.
Many spouses would prefer not attending such events. Parenting time and child care can be issues. For many spouses, a room full of strangers has no allure.
Lunch events disrupt workflow. Travel time from the office to the meeting makes a "lunch hour" event cover two hours, or more. Sending more than one or two attorneys becomes too great an investment.
The problem is that empty seats at a table, and with the firm's a name on the card over the centerpiece, sends the wrong signal to clients and referral sources who do attend.
Several firms with which we work solve the problem of empty seats by:
Not buying table. Instead they buy individual tickets for those lawyers who are interested in attending. And, these lawyers skip the lunch, dinner, dance, ceremony or speech (where they'd be occupying a seat.) They stay for the opening reception, cocktail hour or silent auction. They say hello to as many people as possible, set as many follow-up calls or meetings as possible. When the formal event begins, when it would be time to take a seat at the table, they leave. (Best place to stand to maximize the number of people you meet if you do this? By the elevator, escalator, registration desk, coat check.)
Invite clients or referrals sources to attend the event with your lawyers. The referral source might be another non-competing lawyer, or a professional who would like to meet more lawyers, such as a CPA or banker.
Donate all of the seats at your table to a non-profit. Urge the non-profit to bring their community outreach or planned giving staff so they can network at the event. If an advertisement comes with purchase of a table, mention your donation of the seats in the ad. Name those attending from the non-profit and urge support of the non-profit's mission.
Nothing beats the personal networking you can do at a bar or charity event. Assure you and your firm make the best impression possible and avoid empty seats at purchased table by using these tactics.
ALYN-WEISS & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Marketing | Business Development
1331 - 17th Street, Suite 410
Denver, CO 80202
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