Post-conference Follow-up Guide for IP Attorneys
Released on May 11, 2026
Your meetings are done. Your inbox is full. Your desk is probably not quite as welcoming as you hoped it would be.
And now comes the part that actually matters.
The follow-up.
To help with this, I’ve put together a short Post-Conference Follow-Up Guide and a refreshed BD Outreach Tracker.
Conferences do not usually create business in one meeting.
Over the last couple of BD Briefs, I’ve talked about preparing properly for conferences, being more intentional about who you meet, and opening the door to more useful business conversations with people you already know.
But all of that only really pays off if you keep the momentum going afterwards.
Because conferences do not usually create business in one meeting.
They create openings.
A good conversation.
A useful introduction.
A shared problem.
A reason to reconnect.
A possible next step.
The work now is to decide which of those openings are worth developing.
And that is where many lawyers lose momentum.
Not because they do not care.
Not because they do not know follow-up matters.
But because they come back to client work, deadlines, internal emails, and everything else that built up while they were away.
So, the business cards sit there.
The LinkedIn connections get accepted.
The “great to see you” emails get sent.
And then… nothing much happens.
The real issue is that follow-up is often treated as a single task.
It is not.
Follow-up is a system for deciding:
who matters most
why they matter
what the next useful touchpoint should be
when you are going to do it
That is what turns conference activity into actual business development.
And remember, this is about quality, not quantity.
You do not need to follow up deeply with everyone you met. In fact, if you try to follow up properly with everyone, you will probably follow up properly with no one.
Pick the people who deserve your real attention.
Maybe that is 5–15 people who need “royal treatment.”
Maybe another 15–20 are worth nurturing over time.
Everyone else can go into a lighter-touch bucket.
The goal is not to chase every contact. The goal is to build a series of useful touchpoints with the relationships most likely to matter.
That might be a useful article.
A coffee at the next event.
A Zoom to compare notes.
An introduction.
A panel invitation.
A proper business conversation when the timing is right.
This is how trust builds.
One useful interaction at a time.
To help make your follow-up count more, click to download this short Post-Conference Follow-Up Guide, plus a refreshed BD Outreach Tracker.
It will help you triage your contacts, decide the next step, and make sure the best conversations do not disappear.
If you downloaded the earlier conference planner, this is the next stage (you can copy that info into this updated sheet)
The planner helps you prepare. This guide and tracker help you follow through.
Start with the PDF. It explains how to triage your contacts, choose the right next step, and avoid the classic “let me know if there’s anything I can do” follow-up that sounds polite but usually goes nowhere.
Then use the tracker to make the system practical.
No overthinking.
No relying on memory.
No vague sense that you “should probably follow up with people.”
Just a simple system that helps you keep relationships moving.
You spent a lot of time, money, and energy at INTA.
Make sure you actually capitalize on it.
And, as always, if this sparks a thought about how you handle conference follow-up, feel free to reply. I always enjoy hearing what is working for people.
– Phil
Want Professional Advice?
I work with attorneys to build a clear plan, prioritize the right meetings, and make sure those conversations lead somewhere useful.
Click here to find a time to talk
Enjoyed this article?
The BD Brief is a free newsletter where I share practical business development ideas, strategies, and tools to help IP attorneys build stronger practices.
