Keep the conversation going.

• Author: Hammerstrom, Jeanne
• Position: President's Podium

In the little more than a month that I've been back in the office, I've been able to catch up with work (if that is ever truly possible), and I've been able to reflect on the LMA Annual Conference in Orlando.

This year's conference was nothing short of amazing. We had great attendance--more than 1,000 people. The keynote speaker, Jeffrey Williford of Disney Institute, gave an outstanding presentation with excellent takeaways for attendees to apply in their firms. I'm still receiving emails from members inspired by his presentation. And, as always, the networking was top-notch.

One of our new initiatives this year includes Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for LMA. We conducted SIG roundtables during the conference and learned more about how they will function. So far, four new SIGs have formed with a fifth SIG on the way (The First Chair SIG is currently in development):

* The Competitive/Market Intelligence SIG is for those who have an interest or primary role in using competitive or market intelligence or research to help their firms identify and convert new market and client opportunities.

* The Small Firm/Solo Marketer SIG is for in-house marketers at firms of fewer than 100 attorneys or with only one or two marketing staff.

* The Social Media SIG is for those who have an interest or primary role in using social media and online networking platforms to enhance marketing and business development efforts.

* The Vendor/Service Provider SIG is a...