Since at least the late 1990’s (my recollection) our premiere legal technology conference has been hosted at the midtown Hilton New York in February. Legalweek New York 2026 has moved to the North Javits Center. Bob Ambrogi’s 2018 article provides excellent insights into the 1982 origin and evolution of LTNY into Legalweek. I have to wonder if the new venue will be an improvement or is the move meant to corral major providers who have been hosting events at adjacent hotels and bars back ‘under the tent’?
The Hudson Yards neighborhood lacks the hotel, restaurant and entertainment density of midtown. It is 35-minute hike from our LTNY haunts like Faces & Names, MOMA and 5th Avenue shopping. Heck, I will miss walking Central Park after late social events to wind down. Rather than being critical of ALM, I am wondering how this move reflects on the changing culture, purpose and economics of independent professional conferences.
Association (ILTA, ARMA, ABA) and provider user conferences (Relativity, Everlaw, Nuix, Clio, TR, Cellebrite, etc.) seem be taking over the deep dive education and hands-on lab opportunities. A good part of the Legalweek attraction for many peers was the off-venue networking, biz dev and job/client seeking. I used to allocate most of week in NY to accommodate all the briefings, meetings, panels and new release demos. Maybe limiting off-venue options will encourage providers to invest in more open on-site events for attendees. I am not holding my breath, but will give it a year or two. Our industry faces a lot of challenges and opportunities with rapidly evolving AI technologies, cyber threats and market pressures. Hopefully our annual eDiscovery pilgrimage to NY will continue to foster education, connections and business.
If you would like to connect in NY to talk shop, grab a time slot from my Calendly calendar, invite me to your networking event or just shoot me an email. As always, you are welcome to flag me down for introductions. Just look for the fluorescent shirt and cowboy boots.
Greg Buckles wants your feedback, questions or project inquiries at Greg@eDJGroupInc.com. Reach out for a free 15 minute ‘Good Karma’ call if he has availability. He solves problems and creates eDiscovery solutions for enterprise and law firm clients.
Greg’s blog perspectives are personal opinions and should not be interpreted as a professional judgment or advice. Greg is no longer an investigative journalist and all perspectives are based on best public information. Blog content is neither approved nor reviewed by any providers prior to being published. Do you want to share your own perspective? Greg is looking for practical, professional informative perspectives free of marketing fluff, hidden agendas or personal/product bias. Outside blogs will clearly indicate the author, company and any relevant affiliations.
Greg’s latest nature, art and diving photographs on Instagram.
