Jun 14, 2011

I’m so excited to be selected as one of the top 10 finalists in the Accelerate! Live scholarship contest! This is an industry conference that I’d really love to attend but will need some help getting there!

Check out all the finalists and you’ll find me at the bottom of the page (#10). There’s some quality competition (and good friends!) and I wish all the contestants good luck!

You can vote once per day so vote often. Thanks!

Continuing education is important in any business. I’m always learning on my own via webinars, reading articles and books, hands-on learning of new programs, etc. But there’s something to be said for more formalized training sessions like conferences and courses. A few things I love about conferences:

• Networking with peers & experts.
• Learning about hot industry topics.
• One price for tons of learning!
• I get to pick and choose what I want to hear (especially when there are multiple sessions at once).
• For virtual conferences, I get to listen to recordings later!

The IVAA Online Summit is one of my favorite (and one of the least expensive) Virtual Conferences to attend each year. Granted, I am a bit biased since I was one of those who helped get it started and off the ground! This is actually the first year I’ll be paying to attend (instead of being a volunteer, in charge, etc.) and I’m excited to experience it without fighting all the fires that come with running an event.

Check out the preliminary speaker and topic lineup at http://online.vasummit.org. Early bird pricing is in place now and there are some great prizes you can win if you sign up early!

Do you have a secret weapon for your business? Speaker Felicia Slattery says her secret weapon is a Virtual Assistant. See why here!

One of the perks of being President of the International Virtual Assistant Association this year is that I periodically have the opportunity to speak with reporters from around the country. I recently spoke with Luara Raines of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and am pleased with this latest article about the Virtual Assistant industry. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Wow. I am totally speechless this morning. I woke up to the announcement that I was nominated for and chosen to be the recipient for January 2009 of VANetworking’s distinguished VAccolade award. This is a huge honor as it means I’ve been recognized by my peers for outstanding service in our industry. I am so appreciative and feel undeserving. When you love the work you do and enjoy volunteering to make an organization (or multiple orgs!) better, you certainly don’t expect to be recognized in this manner.

You can see more information about the award here and also here.

And you’ll want to also check out VANetworking’s homepage. An awesome forum for Virtual Assistants and businesses looking to find a VA.

Thanks to Tawnya and everyone behind the scenes at VANetworking – you rock!

One of my local colleagues and the President of the International Virtual Assistants Association, was interviewed for a great article about hiring a Virtual Assistant – check it out! I Could Have Hired a VA