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By John S. Kirk, CLM
Chair, ALA BUSINESS PARTNER Relations Committee
FACE-TO-FACE CONNECTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
 Sometimes you just have to “be there.” ALA’s Annual Conference & Exposition was held last month in Boston, and despite some participants’ lack-of-caffeine jitters – Boston had a water emergency during much of the Conference, which resulted in limited coffee service – attendees (ALA members and exhibitors alike) gave the Conference rave reviews. In the last issue of ALA Means Business, we wrote about the importance of face-to-face connections, and this year’s ALA Conference definitely reinforced that notion.
On Tuesday morning of the Conference, we held the new “Coffee & Connections” program, a sort of “speed-dating” session involving exhibitors and ALA members. Many of the participants’ comments afterward emphasized the benefit of making personal connections. Among the feedback we received:
“This event gave me a better perspective of how to better communicate with ALA members” (from a business partner), and
“This was a great opportunity to have face time with business partners and listen to what is important to them” (from an ALA member).
Clearly, these opinions underscore the value of conducting some of our business “the old-fashioned way,” by making personal connections. While the electronic age has yielded many benefits (reaching thousands via e-mail with a single mouse click, for instance), some information exchanges, some relationships, some connections are better served and strengthened with the personal touch.
Many business partners/exhibitors went out of their way to comment about the ways in which ALA members made them feel welcomed and appreciated. As the old saying goes, “You reap what you sow.”
Your support is enormously important to our Association, and we strive to get that point across at every opportunity. Saying thank you, in person, makes it just a bit more special.
Watch your e-mail for an important survey!
ALA values the opinions and suggestions of its business partners. In an effort to gather that information, a survey was created. It is the culmination of input from ALA's Business Partner Relations Committee (BPRC) and Business Partner Advisory Panel (BPAP) and ALA staff. These groups work year-round to strengthen the relationships between and among ALA members and the business partner community. We need your input to continue to provide you with what you need to reach your goals! |
ALA Means Business Brings Home the Gold!
ALA was honored at the 31st Annual Salute to Association Excellence, held February 23 in Washington, D.C, receiving top honors for its quarterly e-newsletter, ALA Means Business. This ALA publication was created through the combined efforts of ALA's Business Partner Relations Committee and Business Partner Advisory Panel. As well as being honored at the event, ALA was featured in the January issue of TRENDS.
The Power of Partnership: Lessons Learned on the Floor in Boston By John Delavan
Editor-in-Chief, Legal Management and ALA News magazines
Association of Legal Administrators
 It's been just over a month since the ALA Annual Conference & Exposition concluded in Boston, Massachusetts, but the impact for me has been long-lasting. The 2010 Conference was the fifth in which I had participated as an ALA staff member, and for me it was the best yet. What stood out? Sure, we had top-notch educational sessions, inspiring keynotes, engaging networking opportunities and a spectacular location, but the prevailing energy and dialogue between Conference attendees and our esteemed business partners took what has always been a good event and made it great.
I spent considerable time throughout the week meeting with business partners on the Exposition floor and asking them about their Conference experiences. What did I learn?
- I learned that, now more than ever before, ALA members value the relationships that they have cultivated with our business partners. The level of engagement transcends the procurement of products and services – it’s about partnership.
- Success for an ALA member in his or her law firm or legal department often depends the breadth and quality of the products and services that our business partners provide. In short, business partners’ efforts can make legal administrators' jobs easier and their organizations’ operations more efficient – they are solution providers.
- The “new normal” in the legal profession has many facets, but one pivotal element is what I call relationship-driven success. Principal administrators and business partners are working together to ensure success for all involved by focusing not only on short-term needs and “fixes,” but also on long-term partnerships.
In Boston, “the power of partnership” was quite evident – testimony to the legal profession’s strength despite challenging economic times and the commitment of those involved in the profession (administrators and business partners) to do all they can to maintain it.
New Appointments to the Business Partner Relations Committee
and the Business Partner Advisory Panel Joan Wean and William D. Mech completed their terms of service on the Business Partner Relations Committee during the Annual Conference & Exposition in Boston. To fill these vacancies, the ALA Board of Directors recently appointed:
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Martin R. Gooding, CLM
Doerner Saunders Daniel & Anderson, LLP |
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Glenda C. Raley
Ulmer & Berne LLP |
Randy Reed , City National Bank, and Eric Elting, TransPerfect Legal Solutions, completed their terms of service on the Business Partner Advisory Panel. To fill these vacancies, the ALA Board of Directors recently appointed:
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Steven J. Hurley
John Hancock |
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Joseph C. Scott
CompuLaw |
ALA thanks those who have served on these committees and welcomes our newest members!
No-Cost Benefit Offered to ALA's Business Partners
To achieve the Association’s goals and to further enhance professional relationships with its legal business partners, ALA will now provide complimentary subscriptions of ALA Currents to business partners. ALA Currents is a twice-monthly e-newsletter of management trends and innovations. It provides the Association's nearly 10,000 members – and now its business partners – the most timely information in the marketplace pertaining to legal management. We hope you enjoy your connection to knowledge, resources and networking!
You want to reach your target audience…ALA can help!
Mailing Lists
Legal Marketplace
Membership Directory
It Pays to be an Exhibitor at ALA’s Annual Conference & Exposition! Companies that exhibited at the 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition got to take advantage of ALA's new booth placement process and select their booths for the 2011 event in Orlando!
Going forward, companies that are exhibiting at an Annual Conference will be able to pre-select their booth spaces for the coming year (based on accumulated priority points). All other companies will follow the placement process that is published in the Exhibitor Prospectus.
More than 100 companies took advantage of this opportunity! Congratulations to them all.
2010-2011 Business Partner Rewards Program The purpose of this program is to acknowledge ALA’s business partners for their well-rounded and long-term support of the Association. To participate in the program, business partners need a minimum of:
- 50 Annual Conference Priority Points
OR
- 35 Regional Conference/Sponsorship Points
Annual Conference Priority Points are awarded at a rate of one point per 10 x 10 booth space and one point per Annual Conference sponsorship opportunity. Regional Conference/Sponsorship Points are awarded based on exhibit level per regional conference, e.g., one point for bronze, four points for platinum, and one point per sponsorship opportunity.
You’ll find complete program details, a list of qualifying companies and a program application on ALA’s website.
In order to participate, applications from qualifying companies must be received by Friday, July 30, 2010.
ALA’s 2010 Regional Educational Conferences & Expos.
The ALA Regional Educational Conferences & Expos. are right around the corner. Take advantage of these events – there is a low dollar investment in your table-top exhibit, a short time out of the office, and a unique opportunity to interact with ALA members in an intimate setting.
Regional Conference Exhibit Space is filling fast! Check table-top exhibit availability and sponsorship opportunities.
Exhibit Space Deadline Approaching!
ALA’s 2011 Annual Conference & Exposition in Orlando
The 2011 ALA Annual Conference & Expo. early-bird exhibit space deadline is August 18, 2010. Don’t delay! Download the Exhibitor Prospectus and remit with your payment before the deadline. Prices will increase by $300 beginning August 19, 2010.
Quarterly Question
This section of the newsletter features a question relevant to the legal Business Partner community and three answers to it: from an
ALA member, an ALA business partner and an ALA staff member. We hope this approach will help you gain a larger appreciation for
topics and issues facing the business partner community.
ALA launched a new event – Coffee & Connections - at the 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition to facilitate networking between business partners and conference attendees. Feedback about this event has been overwhelmingly positive.
As a participant, what made this most beneficial to you?
An ALA Member’s Perspective:
This was an exciting opportunity for ALA and for our business partners. I was encouraged and delighted by the thoughtfulness of the questions posed by the business partners; it was clear they valued the face time for spot on feedback.They really wanted to know how best to serve our membership and made good use of their time with us. Armed with our feedback, the business partners involved will be better equipped to serve their existing and potential clients.
Any steps we can take to strengthen the increasingly important relationship between our business partners and members is time well spent, and Coffee & Connections hit the mark in that regard. Plus I made several new Business Partner friends! like that.
Shari Tivy
Director of Human Resources
Bowman and Brooke LLP
A Business Partner’s Perspective:
The most beneficial aspect was getting to meet and talk to so many different legal administrators. One of my tables had an administrator from a firm of 1,400 attorneys, and the attendee next to him was from a firm of seven attorneys.
Getting their different perspectives on how our company can help them run their law firms in a better manner is crucial for us providing the best products and solutions to get the job done.
David Anderson
Director, Strategic Relations
West, a Thomson Reuters business
Business always begins with people getting to know each other, preferably in a low-stress environment, and with each achieving a better understanding the other’s needs, problems and goals. This function provided just such an opportunity. It was a casual setting, and allowed a quick and efficient way to “get acquainted” for both vendors and members.
Jim Gillon
Executive Vice President
Versys Corporation
An ALA Staff Member’s Perspective:
As a relatively new member of the ALA staff team, I appreciated the opportunity to engage with attendees and members of the business partner community. By listening to conversations among many attendees and business partners, I learned more about the dynamics of their professional relationships and, in turn, learned how I can better serve both groups going forward.
Jackie Stasch, CEM
Manager, Exhibits & Sponsorships
Association of Legal Administrators
Approaching Advertising Deadlines for ALA Publications
ALA strives to make your relationships with legal administrators successful by providing you an array of opportunities to reach them. As we look ahead to the second half of 2010, ALA continues to offer highly visible – and highly affordable – ad positions in its two flagship publications: Legal Management magazine (print and digital editions) and the recently redesigned ALA News magazine. In addition, the biweekly e-newsletter ALA Currents features multiple, high-impact banner ad positions.
For more information about all advertising opportunities with ALA, contact Mohanna Sales Representatives:
Phone: (972) 596-8777
E-mail: info@mohanna.com
Legal Management magazine, Special Legal Technology Themed Issue, July/August 2010
Ad space reservations due: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Ad materials due: Wednesday, July 7, 2010
ALA News magazine, August/September 2010 issue
Ad space reservations due: Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Ad materials due: Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Legal Management magazine – Law Firm Financial Management and Marketing, September/October 2010
Ad space reservations due: Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Ad materials due: Wednesday, September 1, 2010
2010 – Save the Dates for ALA Events!
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