Sneak peek … our LMA Southeast Region fam asked me to send a video (since I can’t be there in person) offering my thoughts on “harmony” … the beautiful Legal Marketing Association #LMASE23 conference theme.
Here’s my response. Rainbow sequins and all. And, yes, there’s a song. Have you MET me?! This time Harry Nilsson’s “Swee’pea’s Lullaby” from the 1980 movie musical Popeye.
I’m a genx fanboy … what can I say? But the lyrics seemed fitting.✨
At the the LMA Midwest Conference, Pitchly’s Director of Partnerships, Vik Nair, led a panel called, “You Bought It, Now What?” all about the next steps marketers need to take after they select technology.
“With such a strong lineup of thought leaders on the panel, incredible takeaways were inevitable, and Vik wanted to make sure that anyone who couldn’t attend didn’t miss out.”
Panelists:
EXCERPT: “To ensure ongoing technology adoption, creative and consistent communication is key. The panelists recommended strategies such as success stories, statistics showcasing the software’s impact, interviews with super-users, and executive advocacy. These methods not only inform and educate staff but also inspire and motivate them to make the most of the technology.
“Roy E. Sexton emphasized the need for open and transparent communication to build trust and enthusiasm among the team.”
“A Quiet Thing” by Kander and Ebb, from a musical called “Flora the Red Menace” (Liza Minnelli’s Broadway debut), is a song that has been special to me for 25 years. My mom loved it, and I sang it in my very first one-man cabaret show at Wabash College. LOOOOONG ago. Think “Just Jack!” with fewer production values.
This was captured at our recent LMA Midwest Region Conference – #LMAMW23 – by co-chair Joanna Beckett. I’m so grateful to have this clip. I know it’s a bit unusual to offer opening remarks that include a show tune at a business meeting … but have you met me? This is a song that always resonates with me in moments of reflection. I’ve just got a few months left in my Legal Marketing Association – LMA International presidency, so I’m a bit in my feels … as the kids say.
As I noted right before I broke into song in broad daylight, I never had voice lessons. I didn’t sing in high school choir. But when I was in college, I suddenly found myself craving all the music my parents Don and Susie Sexton listened to when I was growing up: Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, Doris Day. And I would go to the Walmart or Target in Crawfordsville, Indiana (we only had two stores … lol) and grab any CDs I could find. Columbia House helped too! I may still owe them for some of those discs, come to think of it. And I’d pop the shiny objects into my Discman that plugged into a tape deck in my swanky 1986 Buick Century and sing WAY out loud as I drove. Those artists “taught” me how to sing.
A few years later, I was cast as one of the leads in The Fantasticks. My mother, who DID have formal vocal training, told me years later that she was terrified over what was about to unfold. She said that once I opened my mouth and let out a warble, she knew I was going to be ok.
And I think I love singing for the very reason that it’s always been mine. No one forcing rules or expectations on me. Just doing it the way that feels natural to me. It refills my well and brings me joy. Not sure if it does the same for the audience, but that doesn’t stop me. Everyone needs something like that in their lives.
So thank you to LMA Midwest Region President Jennifer Gessner Shankleton for letting me share the stage with her this week and to co-chairs Lexie Blaner and Joanna for the EXCEPTIONAL work on this sold out event. It meant a lot to come full circle to the region where I started my LMA life for my last public appearance as the international president. As I joked from the stage, I think I’ve only made about 3.5 public appearances in this role as I mostly just want to stay in my basement!
Additional clips courtesy Sarah Ryan 💕
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
In this town, don’t we love it now?
Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise
—“This is Halloween,” from The Nightmare Before Christmas
October: a time of crispness in the air, crunchy red leaves underfoot, scrumptious cider and doughnuts, college homecoming football games, pumpkin spice everything — and Halloween.
I was that kid whose parents crafted bespoke costumes I had to explain to everyone my age. Imagine showing up at school dressed like Clark Kent (pic #1) Charlie Chaplin, Jacques Cousteau or Schneider (pic #2) from “One Day at a Time.” Yep, that was me. Everyone else had those awful plastic superhero masks that cut into your face, and I was dressed like obscure Hollywood actors and undersea explorers.
I suspect that is why this month holds so darn much nostalgia for me. And why this playlist might be the one I’ve been most excited to create. Enjoy these jamming “Happy Haunts” on Apple Music and Spotify!
October also means we are knee-deep in our incredible lineup of regional conferences. Two down (and SOLD OUT), four to go! Way to go, Southwest and Midwest Regions for knocking your events out of the park. The momentum is mighty for our remaining offerings.
Do NOT miss out on the fellowship, education, and fun ahead — click here to register for Northeast (October 19-20), Mid-Atlantic(October 26), Southeast (November 8-10), and West (November 13-14)!
As a sidenote, a few people have asked me if I am planning to attend XYZ regional conference. The answer? Nope. I did attend the LMA Midwest Region conference, but the truth is we have an incredible international board, beautifully geographically distributed. They all will be appearing — many even speaking — at their home region conferences. In my opinion, the celebratory focus needs to be on our incredible regions and all they do.
(Plus, I do have a day job, hubby and cute puppies who need me. 😉)
October 2-3 in the Windy City was grand. I joined my pal and LMA Midwest Region Prez Jennifer Shankleton on the mainstage to welcome everyone — no, no drag queens or disco showtunes THIS time! But there was a low-key musical surprise [CLICK TO VIEW “A Quiet Thing”] — right before phenom keynote Rich Bracken wowed us all.
This post from member Casey Harrison about the Southwest Conference (September 13-15) is a great reminder of why we do what we do. Give it a quick read, and I think you will smile. The Southwest Region kicked off our regional conference season in incredible style. SOLD OUT event, vibrant and so engaging. Whether you were there in person or saw the fantastic array of posts on social media, I think you will agree.
Let’s get ALL of these conferences sold out and end this year like the fireworks finale at Disneyland! Kudos to our regional presidents, regional boards, conference chairs and conference planning committees for their exceptional work and their dedication to the mission. You all inspire!
And thank you to HQ’s Ashley Stenger and her colleagues Ashley Nunzio and Eric Himsel for their hustle, heart and grace, burning the midnight oil behind the scenes to support it all so beautifully.
We work in demanding environments and this TED video resonated. For me, there were some a-ha moments of reflection regarding how I conduct myself as a leader at work and at LMA. I suspect you will feel similarly and hope you find this as helpful as I did. This video frames how we treat each other impacts the bottom line and how our well-being drives our behavior, all in one smart three-minute clip. And yes, there’s data to back it up.
A lot of heart, hard work and brilliance has gone into our regional events. We are so grateful to our volunteer leaders for everything they are doing. I’m excited to see the social media posts that will follow — truly a party that never ends!
Finally, I want to acknowledge the passing of industry legend Burkey Belser. In terms of design and positioning, he challenged the status quo and, quite frankly, rocked the legal world in the way we thought about advertising and imagery. You no doubt saw countless posts from leading lights who were influenced by him and whose careers he positively impacted. We must always honor those who came before us, as we are privileged to stand on the shoulders of giants.
I’ll share this link to one such post — the way Deborah McMurray framed her tribute spoke to me professionally and personally. She writes, “A visionary, pioneer, icon and iconoclast, he was a mentor to many legal marketers, including me. The positioning strategist that I am today is because I got to work with him, watching not what he did, but how he thought.” And that’s what true community is about.
(Don’t miss the P.S. below for the “suit” reference!)
Love you,
Roy
President, 2023 LMA International Board of Directors
Roy E. Sexton
Director of Marketing
Clark Hill
A few weeks back, I went a-wandering to grab lunch at this Indian food truck I’ve spied a few times — Paradise Street Eats & Biryani. I love Indian food and, given my recent bout of COVID and the rampant increase of cases, I’ll be eating outside for a while until it snows. And then I’ll be in my basement.
Anywho…I walked back to the office on a different path and passed a store, Hot Sam’s Detroit.
This suit was on a clearance rack out front. It spoke to me. Love the color. Love a bargain. Love… being impulsive. I grabbed it and walked inside. I was in AWE of this place. Every bit of clothing was pure joy. I’ll likely go back, a lot.
I walked up to one of the dapper gentlemen running the store, and said, “How much is this?” Happy with the price, I said, “I’ll take it.” As I waited to check out, we made some small talk. And here’s where my exuberance failed me.
I said, “This is such a cute store!” “Cute store,” he replied with a tone that suggested that wasn’t a desirable adjective.
“Oh, I’m my mother’s son. That’s a high compliment for us!” Now feeling like I stepped in it, I added (unhelpfully), “How long have you been here?”
He replied drily, “Since 1921.”
Now I’m feeling the flop sweat on my brow and kicked into overexplaining mode. “Well, I was just trying the Indian food truck.” He added, “It’s really good.” I replied, “So I don’t normally come down this way. And I’m from Indiana originally. But I’ve lived here for 25 years. I do live in Ann Arbor though. But I come to Detroit a couple days a week.”
At this point, he was getting pretty amused at this nut buying the suit in his store. He handed me his card. It read: “Tony Stovall, CEO/Co-Owner, Hot Sam’s Detroit.”
He added with grace and good humor, “Check us out on social media. And learn about who we are and what we do.”
I said, “I sure will!” and took my Indian food and beautiful new suit, exclaiming, “I’ll be back.”
And then I did what he asked and realized how sometimes we know absolutely nothing. Sometimes we should pause and listen and learn to appreciate the history and good work around us. Similarly, I’ll leave you to it to learn more. But DO take a moment and check out their website: https://hotsamsdetroit.com/.
Elegance personified. Community engagement. Leadership. Authenticity.
Ain’t nothing “cute” about that. That’s pure fire. And I’m proud to be a transplanted Detroiter — even if I do say well-meaning stupid things sometimes!
File under: well-meaning things we say/do that land with a thud!
YES! #LMA23 Legal Marketing Association – Regional Conference Season is in FULL swing! #LMASW23 just wrapped their phenomenal SOLD OUT conference this week, complete with live music and a traditional NOLA second line! EPIC!
Now, our attention turns toward our next event – #LMAMW23 (that’s Midwest, y’all!) – on October 2-3 in the Windy City. I’ll be there – hope you will be too! I’ll be joining my pal LMA Midwest Region Prez Jennifer Gessner Shankleton on the mainstage to welcome everyone – no, no drag queens or disco showtunes THIS time … but there may be a low-key musical surprise – right before phenom keynote Rich Bracken wows us all.
And, then, I will also join Vikram Nair, Director & Head of Partnerships, Pitchly, on day two for a panel discussion: “You Bought It, Now What? Best Practices for Successful Software Implementation and Adoption.”
Check out the agenda – it’s robust and thoughtful with a ton of pragmatic and provocative takeaways ahead: https://legalmarketing.org/Event-Details/2023-lma-midwest-regional-conference
So excited – and can’t wait to see you there!
“Hotter than July.” That’s not just a kickass Stevie Wonder album, but is a phrase that could also be used to describe all of YOU! LMA is en fuego this summer. I’m inspired by all of the amazing content you are generating these days: thought leadership, webinars, social media, in-person presentations, social outings, conference planning, on and on. I try like the Dickens to keep up with it all, and am happy to report that is humanly IMPOSSIBLE. So kudos to y’all!
I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Toronto in June to join one of the Canada Region’s summer socials. And it was off the chain. Eighty attendees, vibrant dialogue, so much connection and just great fun. Kudos to Jessica Horowitz and team for all the hard work and planning! Thank you to Canada President Hans Chang for extending the invite AND for treating me to an incredible lunch the next day. You may or may not know this, but Hans was tapped as president-elect this year, but stepped up to the prez role in quick fashion when this year’s original president left our wonderful industry for another great opportunity. (A testament to how in demand you all are BTW!) Hans pivoted like the champ he is and quickly immersed himself. Didn’t skip a beat. He has led with heart and authenticity, and he shared with me that he sees himself as a steward, adding to what has come before and simply hoping to leave things a bit better than he found them. I’d say he’s doing very well at that mission! That’s all we can ask of ourselves as leaders.
While I was there, Canada Board Member Sara Short (communications) said these magical words: “I love your playlists! I’m going to miss those!” So you can blame her for this…another playlist to round out your summer fun. Hopefully as good for a glass of wine on the patio as a raging house party. You’re welcome! Here on iTunes and Spotify 🎵. And, yes, my beloved theater peeps Idina Menzel and Billy Porter are well-represented…but these ain’t no show tunes. You’ll see!
Shout out to the Midwest Region who is killing it with a series of meet-ups across the region. I was able to join the Michigan Architecture tour here in Detroit – thanks to John Reed and Andrea Oleszczak and team for planning such a thoughtful, inspiring, engaging afternoon. And I see you Kate Shipham, Amie Allison, Jason Klika, Rich Marsolais, Jennifer Shankleton, Tanya Riggan and other Midwest Board members getting your miles (and steps) in touring our Midwest LSCs.
The photos of these meet-ups are such great fun to see!
Kudos to our Northeast Region and Mid-Atlantic Region for following a similar model on socials AND launching some incredible educational content this summer. I know a recent client-service education event in the Northeast had over 115 attendees! Way to go, Northeast President Jay Linder, Mid-Atlantic President Kathryn Burke and respective teams!
(Sidenote: I worry when I start going down this path of shout-outs that I’m leaving someone out. Please know that this is all offered just in the spirit of celebration and that we are grateful for ALL of the efforts at play this summer!)
Speaking of the Midwest – thank you to Ashley Defay, Kate Harry Shipham, Lauren McNee, Sara Pierson and Rob Kates for this opportunity to reflect on being a gay man in this industry, my mid-year reflections on this wonderful role I get to carry, leadership lessons generally, and…The Little Mermaid. If you missed the interview, you can catch it here. It’s a pretty candid chat and all comes from the heart.
Kudos to Jennifer Forester, Jacob Eidinger, Erika Galarneau and the Social and Digital Media SIG team for their exceptional work on June’s “21-Day Social Media Challenge,” (login to view) in its second year.
I didn’t think they could top themselves from last year…but they did. The conversations were robust and provocative and actionable. If you missed it this year, do NOT miss it in the future. It exemplifies what is so incredible about LMA: community: sharing knowledge and insight and connecting through learning.
And as robust as our LMA community is, I must admit that we had a “shoot for the moon” goal of 4,500 members in 2023 as an International Board. Truth be told, the eddies of a shifting economy among other issues have conspired and we’re more likely to hit 4,100. Still growth from last year, but not as big as we’d hoped. And that’s ok. (For those ready to hit the “I told you so” button, I’m pre-empting you!) That said, the International Board is hard at work in a series of sub-teams looking at membership, regional growth, education and revenue diversification toward the end of yielding nuanced, achievable goals for next year. More to come on that. But that’s the job we signed up and we’re happy to support the continued evolution of this marvelous association. (Know someone who should be a member? Invite them to join LMA with our special Mid-Year Membership Offer!)
We’re halfway through this year and already we’ve had so many great events and impactful educational offerings. To date across HQ and regions, we have offered 100+ educational opportunities with thousands of attendees — in addition to the 1,100+ attendees at the 2023 Annual Conference (recordings available here)! And there are many more events happening now and planned for this year.
As you have likely seen on social media and beyond, we have a number of great regional conference offerings in the queue for this fall. Check out the schedule for your region and make sure to join one (or more!) to continue your growth and development as professionals. One last shout-out to our Southeast Region and President Laura Hudson. Not only are they planning a fab conference for THIS fall, but they are also already ahead of the curve, securing NEXT YEAR’S dates with a very thoughtful approach. Love seeing that collaboration, hard work and embracing of best practices. Go, team!
And while you may have a little downtime, consider sharing your expertise and submitting an educational session idea for the LMA 2024 Annual Conference Call for Content which is open only through July 17. You can alternately submit your name for consideration as a possible speaker or panelist.
Keep taking time for you where you can – and keep connecting meaningfully with each other! That’s why we joined this LMA club and what makes it all worthwhile!
Love you,
Roy
President, 2023 LMA International Board of Directors
Roy E. Sexton
Director of Marketing
Clark Hill