From the Desk of Janet Barclay

As I promised on Monday, Sharon Williams, the president of The 24 Hour Secretary and founder of OIVAC, has stopped by to answer a few questions.

Hi Janet, it’s nice to stop by and spend a few moments talking about the upcoming VA Industry convention. Just think, we’re helping late filers take their minds off of filing taxes. So, where do we begin?

1.   This year marks the 4^th Online International Virtual Assistants Convention. Have you seen a shift in terms of the topics VAs want to learn about?

Actually, we have. When we conducted the first convention (2006), we focused on a lot of basic, VA business startup topics new and aspiring VAs would be interested in. However, since then, we have been trending more and more toward topics VAs who have been in business for 3+ years are concerned about, like web 2.0 social marketing, technology topics like W3C qualifications, CSS coding, and 1Shopping Cart. Now don’t get me wrong, we still conduct basic business planning and marketing sessions, Quickbooks and Microsoft Office Suite, networking, etc., and host open session workshops to respond to general questions about the industry. Overall, we’ve broadened our approach to match the versatility of our industry and mammoth interest in a variety of subjects.

2. How many VAs generally take part in the convention?

During our first year, we had more than 1,200 unique visitors at the convention, and last year the numbers increased to 2,500+. Seminar registrations, however, are more difficult to count, because individuals could signup for 1, 3, 5 sessions or even the entire convention. Let’s just say, we had several hundred active participants over the 3 day event. However, I should also report that we believe, for the value, cost and caliber of presenters that participate, we should be seeing a much higher number of participants. Maybe this year?

One of our biggest events is the annual International Virtual Assistants Day (IVAD) celebration, where we honor and acknowledge the contributions of VAs to the international business community and announce winners of the Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction and Janet Jordan Achievement award winners. During the event (May 15, 2009, 5:15-7:00 p.m. EDT), our keynote speaker (Ms. Susan Solovic, CEO of SBTV.com) presents inspirational remarks and we conduct prize drawings of gifts donated by VAs and small business owners who support the industry.

3. Is there a way for people who are not virtual assistants to get involved?

Positively! Each year we include topics that business owners, no matter their niche or focus, want more information about or seek training for. For instance, branding, advanced networking, most of the technology topics (some mentioned above), creating effective business plans and marketing strategies; podcasting, SEO, Google Analytics, and so much more – many topics we all should be interested in, as they will help grow and run our businesses more efficiently and effectively.

We encourage non-VAs to become involved, attend some of the seminars, visit the exhibitor halls and vendors. Participate in the Great VA Giveaway. VAs donate products and services in exchange for joining their ezine or blog list. And, as an added bonus, we are hosting two “Introduction to the Virtual Assistant Industry” segments, where business owners and aspiring VAs can obtain responses to questions from veteran virtual assistants. All anyone needs is access to a computer (PC or Mac), and a headset mic.  If visitors do not own a headset mic, they can purchase one for less than $20.00 at the local technology store, or, of course, text chat.

Speaking of costs, participation is very inexpensive, and recordings are available for listening for an additional 30 days after the conclusion of the event. We have structured a unique cost breakdown conducive to everyone’s budget.

1 seminar – $25.00
3 seminars – $60.00
5 seminars – $100.00
Entire convention – $350.00

So, you can purchase sessions based on your particular interests, needs and financial situation. Join in from the comfort of home, in front of your desktop or laptop computer. If unable to attend live events, stop by within the next 30 days, and view sessions, at your convenience. These arrangements eliminate the hassle of travel, lodging, food and entertainment expenses associated with traditional brick and mortar conventions – and we conduct interactive networking and other fun activities too!

4. What are the challenges of coordinating an event like this with a virtual team?

The biggest challenge is time! Even though we begin planning six months before the event, before we know it – it’s right upon us, and all the “little” things aren’t finished. But, we have a tremendous team on the steering committee and a great bunch of volunteers who pitch in every year to help make the convention a resounding success.

Oh Janet, it’s time to go – and I was just getting wound up! Invite your friends and associates to tag along with the tour, as we have other fabulous stops to make and many more questions to answer. Yesterday’s stop was at Linda Dessau’s Idea Café. Tomorrow, we visit Karen McGreevey at Konceptuality.com . Don’t forget to grab your clues along the way, (today’s is: nuctomyim). You’ll need them to solve the puzzle for your chance to win a “special prize” during the IVAD celebration. Okay, gotta run. See you tomorrow.

Sharon Williams is the president of The 24 Hour Secretary and founder of OIVAC. Stop by her blog and signup for the soon to be launched “Let Your VA Handle It” case studies series, where she identifies tasks and solutions VAs offer that save time and money and give clients time to handle responsibilities that fuel their passion.