LMA deeply values our sponsors and strives to deliver the best partnership in the industry. This comprehensive guide is designed to provide you with everything you need to make the most out of your sponsorship experience. From understanding why partnering with LMA is a strategic move for your brand, to navigating the process and timeline, leveraging tips to enhance your annual conference session, accessing speaker resources, and knowing whom to contact, this toolkit covers it all.
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The LMA Annual Conference is the largest global event focused exclusively on the legal marketing and business development profession. For the past 40 years, this event has brought together all levels, from CMOs to entry-level marketers from firms of all sizes, to advance thought leadership in the field and make valuable connections with solution providers, consultants and fellow legal marketers.
The LMA Annual Conference is connected to the leading organization for thousands of legal marketing and business development professionals worldwide: the Legal Marketing Association. While LMA’s global footprint continues to grow, our presence in North America is unmatched – with more than 90% of the largest 200 U.S. law firms employing an LMA member. By partnering with LMA, our reach is your reach.
Hosting a Sponsored Educational Session* at the LMA Annual Conference has many advantages, including:
Unique Access to LMA Members
- LMA consists of 3,300+ members who are specifically interested in bettering their knowledge of legal marketing and business development. LMA’s 2024 Annual Conference saw over 1,100 registrants.
- LMA conference attendees are highly motivated to network, learn and engage, resulting in meaningful interactions and discussions.
- LMA sponsored education sessions averaged 90 live attendees in 2024.
- LMA provides each conference session with post-program analytics, such as total attendance, survey results and more, allowing you to accurately measure your return on investment.
Brand Visibility, Credibility and Thought Leadership
- Sponsoring an LMA Conference session enhances brand visibility among legal marketing professionals and establishes your company as a key player in the field.
- Providing quality thought leadership to the LMA community can boost your brand's overall credibility and trustworthiness by positioning you as a knowledgeable resource, further enhancing your reputation. LMA members will associate your brand with the knowledge they gained from your program, cementing your company as a thought leader in the industry.
- LMA Service Provider sessions are recorded and are included on-demand in our conference recording bundle, released approximately one month after the conference. This extends the shelf-life of your sponsorship and will allow future LMA members to access your content.
Lead Generation
- LMA Conference attendees are often decision-makers or influencers within their firms. Sixty Six percent of LMA 2024 Attendees were manager-level or above, providing unparalleled access to generate high-quality leads with firm leaders.
- Sponsors are given access to conference attendee contact information (based on opt-in), which is invaluable for follow-up marketing efforts.
Networking Opportunities
The LMA Annual Conference provides the opportunity to network with industry professionals, potential clients, and partners. LMA recommends pairing speaker(s) from your organization with individuals from inside the industry to give varying perspectives, which helps further build your network.- Each LMA Annual Conference Session is also paired with two Annual Conference Advisory Committee (ACAC) Liaisons to guide the development of the session and act as a sounding board. ACAC members are highly respected thought leaders in the industry.
- Interactivity in sessions, such as live Q&A, allows for direct engagement with the audience and facetime with potential leads.
- Session conversations can continue in LMA’s Marketplace, LMA’s twist on a traditional exhibit hall. This gives your company a live, in-person opportunity to follow up with session attendees and provide more resources and value to your potential buyers.
*Sponsored education sessions are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.
LMA Annual Conference Sponsored Sessions all follow the same required process and timeline, strategically designed to maximize the potential of your program. Review the process below – specific dates for each deadline will be communicated by the LMA team.
Timeline from Sale to Day of Session
| Date |
Action |
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November
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- Sponsorship Package finalized and signed
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December
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- LMA Annual Conference Education Program launches on the conference website, inclusive of a session placeholder for your company
- Meet with your ACAC Liaisons to brainstorm session topic
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End of January
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- Begin inviting speakers to join your session
- Complete the LMA Session Detail form and share with your ACAC Liaisons
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February
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- Finalize all speakers
- Begin developing your PowerPoint (must be in LMA Template)
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March
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- Join the LMA prep call with your ACAC Liaisons
- Finalize your PowerPoint (must be in LMA Template)
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Early April
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- PowerPoints due to ACAC Liaisons for approval
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Day of
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- Present at LMA Annual Conference!
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Post-event
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- LMA team will launch the LMA Conference Recording bundle, inclusive of your session recording, approximately one month after conference.
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The LMA Sales Team will work with you to finalize your sponsorship package and sign your contract. Upon completion, you will be introduced to the LMA Education Team to begin the content development process.
Each LMA Annual Conference Session will be paired with two Annual Conference Advisory Committee (ACAC) Liaisons to help support the session. You will meet with your ACAC Liaisons in December or January to discuss your session topic and brainstorm alignment with the Body of Knowledge.
The LMA Annual Conference Education Schedule will launch, including a placeholder session for your company. All Service Provider Sessions will be titled “Session Coming Soon - Sponsored by X” and will include your company’s name and logo.
Brainstorm your session details using the resources below. Speaker outreach to potential speakers can also begin in December. LMA strategically selects speakers to feature diverse voices not already represented on the conference program – speakers go through an approval process led by the LMA team to ensure alignment, consistency, and diversity. All speakers will be required to complete the LMA Annual Conference Speaker Agreement to participate.
Relying on feedback from your meeting with the ACAC Liaison, submit a draft of the session detail form to your ACAC Liaisons by the end of January. Continue working on speaker outreach to finalize your session’s speaker lineup, ensuring all additions are approved by the LMA team.
Finalize and approve your session form with your ACAC Liaisons prior to your session going live on the website. Final speaker selection and information is also due during February.
The LMA team will also reach out to collect organizer and speaker availability to schedule a prep call hosted during March.
In preparation for your LMA prep call, begin drafting the PowerPoint you will use during your session. All sessions are required to have a PowerPoint and must utilize the LMA template.
Join your LMA prep call and be prepared to share your draft PowerPoint and outline for the session. Your ACAC Liaisons will provide feedback and input where needed, giving you time to incorporate edits into your final draft of your PowerPoint.
Final drafts of your PowerPoint are due to your ACAC Liaisons for approval. Once any final edits are incorporated, the slides will be considered finalized and routed to the LMA team to add to the LMA Annual Conference App for attendee use and downloading. Slides will also be loaded onto the conference laptops provided in your session room.
Speakers will arrive at least 15 minutes early to their session room. The audio/video team will help with microphones and LMA staff will answer any last-minute questions. Then, the floor is yours! Be sure to leave roughly ten minutes at the end of your session for Q&A or incorporate opportunities to ask questions throughout.
We have curated the following tips to ensure a strong, well-attended, and highly valued program—maximizing your investment and the value to our LMA community.
LMA Annual Conference sessions must be educational in nature – not a product demo or sales pitch. When building a session, it is important to develop content that addresses the needs and interests of the LMA Annual Conference attendees and is grounded in adult learning principles.
One way to determine relevant content is to think about the question: What is a legal marketer’s pain-point and why does it exist? Your session should offer solutions to eliminate and/or mitigate an industry challenge. This solution-orientated approach is valuable for all attendees that experience the pain point and positions you as their go-to resource.
Other tips for building strong, education-focused sessions:
Incorporate In-House Perspectives, Client Voices or a Client-Focused Case-Study
Incorporating legal marketers who currently work in a law firm is a great way to ensure the presentation is balanced. These individuals bring perspectives that are relevant and relatable, and our members often look for in-house voices when choosing which session to attend. In-house legal marketers often have insights into industry trends, challenges and innovations, and they will know how to “speak” to the membership.
Incorporating clients allows you to explain how your offering will help solve a common problem that many attendees are facing. Clients can share firsthand examples of the implementation process of your company’s offering. Likewise, they can explain any challenges they faced, how they overcame those challenges and most importantly, how their business grew as a result of the relationship with you and your company.
Unable to bring in a client or an in-house voice? Present a case study! Remember to scrub your case study of client names to respect their anonymity. Attendees remember case studies and real-life examples long after the event. Make sure to use examples that “stick”.
Share Actionable Takeaways
Attendees should leave your session with new ideas and actionable takeaways to implement immediately. When building your session, think about what the attendees will be able to do—that they weren’t previously doing—prior to your presentation.
Get to the Point
While a brief introduction is necessary, avoid reviewing exhaustive statistics or giving the entire history of your company. Attendees want to get to the point and focus on actionable takeaways. Keep your presentation simple yet unexpected – by doing this, you are captivating the audience without throwing too much information at them at once.
Engage With the Audience
Various studies show that within one hour, people forget 50% of new information presented; within 24 hours, 70%; within a week, 90%. Adults learn best when they are active in their learning, so it is important to prompt participants to submit questions and connect with their peers. Other easy ways to engage the audience include:
- Live polling
- Incorporating Storytelling
- Opening the floor to attendee questions and stories
- Peer-to-peer, small group activities
Avoid the Pitch
Service provider content must be educational, not promotional. The most impactful material is delivered in a fresh and thoughtful manner, providing commentary and actionable information on issues relevant to the audience. A captivating speaker has a unique experience and presents in a manner that is accessible, compelling and free of jargon.
Speak in Broad Terms
Draft your content from a third-party perspective and reference broader industry terms, not specific products or companies. Consider incorporating a challenge and a solution, without self-promoting. You are more likely to leave a positive impression if you present information in an authentic and impactful voice with content relevant to the membership.
Incorporate Adult Learning Principles
Adults are voluntary learners who learn best when the content is relevant to their real life. They learn by repetition, reinforcement and by being active in their learning. Explore more information on adult learning principles to ensure your content lives on beyond your session.
Arm your speakers with resources to ensure a high-quality session by sharing the below: