The annual conference of the International Legal Technology Association, ILTACON 2023, reaffirmed its place as a leading legal tech conference. Due to its distinctly large and spread-out setting, it was described by attendees as more of a marathon than a sprint.
This year’s ILTACON took place in an activity space of 431,000 square feet in the Disney campus in Orlando. The substantial effort needed to navigate the site was seen as part of the conference experience. The five-day event had over 3,400 registrants and offered more than 350 distinct educational opportunities, indicating growth in attendance from the past two years.
Despite the substantial walking distances between conference events, ILTACON had a high satisfaction rate among attendees. The generous number of exhibitors, substantive content, and ample opportunities for networking and social events marked the event as a success.
Exhibitors at the event were particularly pleased with the flow of traffic and the quality of their interactions with attendees. While the large exhibit hall’s layout received some criticism due to its division into a more favored front section and a less-visited rear section, traffic to booths proved substantial overall.
Breaking away from traditional conference venues, ILTACON used multiple locations but managed to maintain a sense of unity, thanks to the Disney Dolphin serving as its central location. Despite the spread of activities across different venues, attendees appreciated the convenience of having multiple events hosted in one place.
In an industry that thrives on innovation and networking, the conference parties were also a highlight of ILTACON, with vendor-sponsored parties often vying for attendees’ evening hours.
On the technology front, ‘Klik’ smart badges caught attendees’ attention. These badges allowed for easy sharing and saving of contact information. Initial criticisms arose due to the lack of prior notification of a fine for non-returned badges, and some attendees reported that not all of the contact information was being saved, though reasons for this remain unclear.
The greatest takeaway from ILTACON this year was the energy and vibrancy it brought to the table for the legal tech industry, bringing a sense of continuous advancement and optimism about emerging technologies like generative AI. Overall, it left its attendees excited about the present state of legal tech and curious about its future implications.
Further details about ILTACON 2023 can be read from its original coverage here.