Used as a conjunction to introduce the next event or item in a sequence. Often appears at the beginning of a sentence or clause.
after ...; following ...; in the wake of ...
Used in the pattern 〜に続いて to mean 'following something' or 'after something'. The preceding noun is the event or thing that comes first.
First we got ready, and then we moved on to the main event.
Next, we will discuss the following agenda item.
Following the heavy rain, flooding occurred.
After the previous presentation, the next group appeared.