Region 4 Summary

More than 125 legal management professionals came to “Celebrate with Us” at the ALA Region 4 Educational Conference & Exposition. This year’s event was held on October 19-20 at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel in Oklahoma City and what a beautiful fall weekend we had.

The conference began on Thursday night with the Newcomers Orientation followed by the fun-filled Welcome Reception. Attendees were greeted by the Lyric Theatre & Gaylord Academy Performance Troupe with songs from the musical Oklahoma!. Later, attendees danced the night away to tunes played by local deejay Ronnie Kaye. Attendees and exhibitors had the opportunity to network, establish contacts and reconnect with old friends, as well as learned the fine art of Line Dancing!

On Friday morning, attendees learned how to live Goal-Free, yet still find creativity, passion and success in their lives. The keynote and opening general session was presented by Stephen Shapiro, a noted speaker and best selling author. Shapiro also presented the General Session on Speedinnovating^TM : Breakthrough Solutions at Breakneck Speed, a fascinating session where attendees learned techniques for generating breakthrough ideas and tools for enhancing team creativity.

Also on Friday, the Exhibit Hall showcased the latest and greatest in technology, products and services. Special thanks to the more than 45 exhibitors that were represented in the Exhibit Hall.

Friday evening’s activities began at The Chesapeake Boathouse, the first structure to grace the newly revitalized river front area. Attendees gathered around the wrap around deck for a truly enchanting evening. Those brave enough, first tested their rowing skills on the Oklahoma River as they participated in the memory making Dragon Boat Races! Fun was had by all. Following the races, The Oklahoma Fancy Dancers troupe performed tradition Native American dances, while guitarist Edgar Cruz, entertained attendees in the Chesapeake Boathouse with his unique sound.

The conference began on Saturday with Breakfast Roundtable Discussions that featured a variety of legal management topics. After the roundtables, attendees could attend sessions on professional ethics, talking about conflict, budgeting, technology, diversity leadership and profitability.

The conference’s closing session, Change Your Life By Changing Your Mind, was an inspiring session presented by Jim Stovall, author, entrepreneur and speaker. Stovall lives with total blindness yet has become an International Humanitarian of the Year, National Olympic weightlifting champion and Emmy Award winner. He shared how to turn dreams into reality no matter the circumstances.

Next year’s Region 4 Conference will be held along with Region 6 in Austin, Texas at the Hilton, October 24-25, 2008.

Stay tuned for more information!