Will I see you in Austin?

The Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Annual Conference is in Austin from next Monday, the 11th, through next Wednesday, the 13th.

LMA Annual is one of the those conferences that brings the best of both worlds. High quality programming combined with the opportunity to spend some time with clients and friends (they tend to be one in the same). Plus we’re sitting in downtown Austin, one of the finer cities in the country.

It takes time to listen and make improvements based on past attendees input. The LMA Annual committee has done a nice job on this front.

• New crop of speakers with 55% of the speakers not having spoken at LMA Annual in the last five years.
• 50% more breakout sessions covering business development, business of law, marketing management and leadership, client services, communications and technology.
• A full day of 7 “pre-conference tracks,” including competetive blind spots and masters in digital.
• Austin’s a hotbed of innovation and technology. LMA is bringing over some local leaders to present.
• Change of pace sessions to bring more interaction in to some of the programming.

I counted no less than 5 social events, including a block party on Tuesday night. LexBlog is holding one of its informal “Beer for Bloggers (and others)” on Tuesday at 5:30 for Austin legal professionals and those attending the conference. Metropolitan Corporate Counsel has been kind enough to co-sponsor.

I get in on Sunday evening, present on effective blogging on Monday afternoon and will be around until Wednesday evening. I’d welcome getting together. Look me up by email (kevin@lexblog.com) or cell (206 321 3627).

For lawyers who do not attend, you should be supporting the heck out of your marketing, business development and communications professionals by getting them to LMA Annual. The education is outstanding, networking opportunities abound (networks create deeper and broader knowledge bases) and your professionals come back enthused.

Lawyers traveling to CLE’s and shows are nuts not to be supporting other professionals in your firm. You need business development and marketing support of the best kind.

Hope to see you there.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Shawnee Kilgore