Welcome!!! This is my initial post to the Message from The Chair blog. I will post from time to time to let everyone know about the most recent comings and goings of the Institute, news of the profession, and other things which may be of interest to you, our members and guests.

Blogging is a relatively new thing for me - I have a blog on my own website which is woefully out of date (April 2008), and those posts tend to be of "white paper length" (my blog-savvy colleagues have told me that this is not the best way to do it, that "shorter is better"). So, I will take their advice to heart and "post less - post often."

As usual, there are a lot going on in IMC. We recently signed a strategic alliance with TAB (The Alternative Board) which will provide consulting opportunities for members to the TAB member CEOs. More on that as the agreement unfolds, but this is another way we are bringing more value to our members by helping them get more business.

We are also into the Christmas and Chanukah seasons, and in my first blog I wanted to talk about the importance of this holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Chanukah, the holidays are a special time - there is a special feeling in the air, and we take time off to be with family and loved ones. Personally, we have one of our sons coming home, so are busy purchasing / mailing gifts, and pulling down the decorations for the tree, and getting ready for our Christmas dinner (no, we're not having enchiladas again like we did this year for Thanksgiving; we will have the traditional turkey).

Here in IMC, they are no less special - chapters are having holiday gatherings instead of the usual monthly meetings, and we at national are getting ready for the new year. We have the gift of a new website (courtesy of Mark Haas FIMC CMC and his team - thanks everyone!), and with that an expanded sense of community. Be sure to check out the new site, update your profile, and renew your membership so that you can take advantage of the many new and great benefits we will be offering this next year.

Speaking of benefits, Santa came a little early this year, delivering a Christmas / Chanukah present of a $99 RainToday membership. We had over 230 people express interest, and so we are moving forward with the agreement. I'm excited about this - I attended my first RT webinar yesterday about building a Seven Figure Global Consulting Business, and easily got my $$$ worth!!!

This is the first time we have offered a group membership like this since I have been a member of IMC (since 1999). Let me know what you think - if you want more deals such as this and have some ideas on what we can to, send me a note at drumm@imcusa.org.

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas to all

Yours in consulting
Drumm