The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) held their annual meeting last night, and less fur flew than had been anticipated by those who had heard rumors of angry members harboring complaints of poor internal communication. That issue ate up significant time, with Acting Executive Director Barbara Coll admitting the problem and reassuring members the group would do better. The rest of the meeting was spent discussing some interesting accomplishments for the nascent trade organization.

Among the accomplishments were a membership growth to 251 companies, heavy-hitter sponsors, $300,000 in raised funds, a planned election for three new board members, an ad campaign for search engine marketing on trade rags, the initiation of the previously planned search to replace Acting Executive Director Barbara Coll, a new Japanese version of SEMPO and a new research initiative.

A Google employee mentioned that the meeting boasted more people - at about 250 - than the first Search Engine Strategies Conference he attended several years earlier.