Here are just some photos from the event on 12/13 March.   A photobook is being produced for delegates to purchase.

Leanne Sklavenitis taking the group through some simple fitness routines.

Shelley Taylor-Smith, our keynote speaker

Our MC on Friday, Warwick Merry, kept us entertained.

The face behind the voice in the green room at OIVAC, Rob Anderson

Saturday MC, Camille Valvo, kept things moving through the day

Presenter, Sam Mutimer, had infectious enthusiasm for her topic

Stuart Campbell – the benefits of coaching and mentoring for your business

One of the more serious moments of the event.

I’m thrilled that we’ve had some prizes offered for the delegates of the AVAC event.  These will be given out during the course of the conference to some lucky delegates.

More details will be given soon but if you haven’t yet registered, here is yet another incentive to come along – with valuable prizes being given away!

A recent chat with a VA highlighted her concerns about coming to a conference when there’s a double cost to her:

1.  She can’t be earning while she’s at the conference, and

2.  There is a cost involved in coming.

It is important to note that AVAC (like some other VA events) is held on a Friday and Saturday to minimise the amount of time spent out of the office and away from client work during business hours.  As a business owner myself I’m well aware that every day spent out of the office means potential loss of income and so I made sure that the event was not being held in the middle of the week but rather at the end of the week.

In my own business I’ve made it a practice of working Mondays-Thursdays for clients for the most part and using Fridays for my own business housekeeping (bookkeeping, general admin, etc) as well as other things.  I’ve blogged about this often and my business coach has been very helpful in getting me to this particular ’state’ for my business.  But it did take me awhile to get to this pattern but the good thing is I can now use this time for educational events – even if it means swapping my Friday for another day in the week when needed.

As a business owner I’m also aware of watching where my dollars go but feel it is equally important to make sure I invest $$ in my business. That doesn’t just mean on equipment, software, publications, etc but it also means my own self-development as a business owner and in the knowledge I have for running my business. Which is why attending educational events and conferences is so important. It’s an investment in your business and also a taxable expense.

So, if you were thinking you couldn’t afford to take time out of your business and come to an event like AVAC I encourage you to consider you can’t afford not to.  There have been many reports of Virtual Assistants whose business have grown considerably after attending an event that has helped boost their business and their knowledge.  Why not book today?

AVAC, the Australian VA Conference is now less than 6 weeks away!  Not long to go.

Have you checked our lineup of speakers?  We’re going to have a fantastic 2 days with great speakers and a wealth of information, plus many will have products available for you to view and buy.

If you’re new to the VA industry, or feel that you’re stuck and not moving forward, then AVAC will help propel you in the right direction.  Meet and mix and mingle with successful long-term VAs who can tell you what they’ve done to stay in the run.  Hear from speakers outside of the industry who have their own wisdom to share relating to motivation, inspiration and what they see taking place in our industry.

We now have two MC’s who will be with us – one on Friday and the other on Saturday, just to keep the mix interesting.  And have you checked out our sponsors?  We’ll have a great goodie bag for you to go home with after the event.

For those of you working towards accreditation or certification, then this event will definitely go towards points for your professional development.  As business owners who are responsible for our own PD, attending conferences is an important part of learning about the direction of the industry, meeting your peers and learning from them, and developing relationships.

It’s not too late to book – why not do it now?

The Australian VA Conference being held in March 2010 is gearing up to be a great event. With our fantastic MC Camille Valvo and keynote speaker Shelley Taylor-Smith (former Olympian swimmer) the event is packed with great speakers and fantastic topics.

We have something for everyone – whether they are new to the industry or very experienced. We’ll be touching on topics relating to developing niche VA businesses, looking at technology, social media, increasing sales and improving customer retention and there will even be something relating to exercise and ensuring we are looking after ourselves from our home bases.

Early bird bookings are until 15th December so don’t leave it to the last minute to get your booking in.  Plan to be in Melbourne next March and attend AVAC.  Bookings can be paid for in full or in 3-part payments.

Don’t forget to check out our fantastic sponsors too who are very much appreciated.

It seems fitting that the Australian Virtual Assistant Conference (AVAC) will be held in March 2010.  That month also marks the 16th anniversary of “A Clayton’s Secretary”, the founding business and network of the VA industry in Australia and also one of the major supporting VA businesses for this conference.  Other committee members are also long-standing VAs.

Why not mark the date in your diary today and plan to attend the conference in Melbourne, March 2010 and meet fellow VAs? We have a wonderful line up of speakers and presentations.

Make sure you visit our sponsors’ websites and show them your encouragement. We appreciate their support of our event next March and look forward to you meeting them face-to-face.

We are truly appreciative of the following providing their support as sponsors:

Small Business Servers Australia

Arbit Secretarial & Admin Solutions

Australian Virtual Business Network

The 24 Hour Secretary

Virtually Yours Virtual Assistant Network

We can’t wait to share with you the list of presenters we have lined up.  Some are very well known to the VA industry and others well known to anyone who runs an online business.

We’ll be presenting a mix of topics that cover ‘operating an online business’, technology tools, work/life balance, developing a niche for your business, marketing and PR and other topics all important to a Virtual Assistant in the daily running of his or her business.

Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned VA there will definitely be topics of interest to you. Why not register today?

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