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Legal tech conferences go virtual
RICHARD WEINER
Technology for Lawyers
Published: July 10, 2020
Normally, there are about a dozen legal tech conferences worth attending through the year. They usually take place in Chicago, New York, London, Las Vegas, Sedona and Disney World. They are sponsored by organizations like the American Bar Association, the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), and the Corporate Legal Operations Institute (CLOC).
These conferences, like most tech conferences, are where new products get rolled out for the first time, where people like my friend Brett Burney can network and podcast from, where deals are made at the bar at midnight, where starry-eyed futurists can pontificate, and where all and sundry can have a good, good time.
Brett Burney goes to all of them. I haven’t been able to get to one yet, and it is unlikely that most people reading this have gotten to one, either. But that may be changing.
The bad news: most of 2020’s legal tech conferences have been cancelled or postponed. The good news: now I may be able to attend one.
ILTA and some other organizations are transitioning to virtual conference platforms. Once a far-away ideal, these platforms are now moving rapidly to take over the legal tech conference space.
ILTA will hold their entirely virtual conference August 24-28. ILTACON has been renamed ILTA<ON.
On the schedule are virtual conferences distributed through every time zone, there are virtual hangouts, and virtual social gatherings like a wine tasting, walking tour, various games, etc.
Most importantly, there are the tech products and companies in virtual display rooms that will cost those companies far, far less than physically attending. Expect the displays and presentations to be more robust than in a physical environment.
Each day is dedicated to one track of conferences, so attendees only need to pay for the days that interest them. Registration for the virtual conference will cost $350 for ILTA members and $599 for non-members. A day pass can be purchased for $99 for members or $199 for non-members. This is a substantial decrease in cost, not the least because you don’t have to stay at a hotel and buy food.
Check out ILTA<ON here: https://www.iltaon.org/home?ssopc=1. To look at a virtual trade show hosting platform, go here: https://www.virtualtradeshowhosting.com/