This week, we head to Chicago for One North's 2nd annual Experience Lab (The Lab), an invite-only event designed to "create moments of inspiration for leading marketers and technologists." The concept is straight-forward: unite legal marketing and business development innovators for an interactive experiment in new ideas, best practices and innovation. Last year, the Experience Lab focused on a differentiated client experience with a vision on what client interactions might look like 10 years from now. According to Experience Lab hosts, One North CEO John Simpson and his 70+ employee team, the 2013 edition is focused on "The Relationship Game" during which 'players' will examine strategies, tactics and trends designed to develop and nurture client relationships that stand the test of time. 

The relationship theme makes sense. Look at any recent corporate legal client survey and you'll see a glaring disconnect between what GCs want from their clients [transparency, competitive pricing, strategic counsel and overall value add] versus what they are actually getting. Steven J.Harper's recent Belly of the Beast post, "As Clients Speak, Who's Listening", cites BigLaw M&As as another prime example of this disconnect. "Growth for its own sake gets protective cover in false rhetoric about serving clients …"

Going back to the basics of paying attention to the true needs and wants of your clients and delivering value in a variety of digital and collaborative ways sounds sensible … and full of promise. 

To that end, Experience Lab participants, ranging from Am Law 100 CMOs and marketing directors to digital marketers and marketing technologists, will participate in 8 interactive sessions, 15 minute TED-style presentations, and collaborative 'table talks' designed to drill down on specific topics and create actionable ideas and 'leave-behinds'. David Rogers, Executive Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School and author of "The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age", will kick-off the Experience Lab with a discussion on how firms can use digital technologies to transform the relationships they have with clients and prospects. A quick glance at the full agenda reveals that the Lab goes beyond paying mere lip service when it comes to better understanding relationships between law firms/other PSOs and their clients. Here are some session themes that caught our attention:

• "Mirroring Maslow: The Client Service Pyramid": How can firms segment their clients in order to create and promote client satisfaction, loyalty and evangelism?
• "Analytics": Gain a better understanding of client relationships through analytics
• "Telling Stories": How firms can combine different media to create an immersive experience for clients and build stronger relationships
• "Creative + Technology = Victory": Partnerships That Inspire Innovative. Notable leaders from different groups routinely join together to create, extend and inspire new ideas and possibilities.

The 2013 Experience Lab, hosted by One North (clients of our partner agency), will include 115 law firm marketers and innovators, and takes place in Chicago, November 6-8. Look for our recap posts, thought leader follow-up, as well as live tweeting through @InsideLegal and through hashtag #1NLab13.