Please put your hands together and stand to welcome our Social Media Co-ordinator, Claire Lane from Urban Assistant.  Claire was one of 4 applicants for the position and her strong application won her the job.

Look out for activity on AAPO's Twitter and Facebook accounts, spreading the word about organising and how it can make a difference.

Thanks to Home Improvement Pages, AAPO has been offered one free ticket (valued at $20) to the upcoming Design Build 2010 Expo in Melbourne on June 23rd to 25th.  If you'd like to be the winner of that free ticket, be the first to email president@aapo.org.au with "Design Build 2010" in the subject line.

It was great to drop in to the Brisbane Forum this morning to chat with 10 Queensland-based AAPO members.  And I did it from the comfort (although it is bitterly cold here in Melbourne) of my own home office.  It was a great opportunity to speak to our members and find out how AAPO can help them more.  Here are a few of the things we talked about -

• business and client triumphs and trials
• the upcoming AAPO AGM and elections
• AAPO's social media advancements
• National Organising Week
• an upcoming article in Cleo magazine
• new member benefits to be announced soon
• AAPO's potential sponsors
• the benefits of volunteering in AAPO

This evening, all going well with technology, I'll be visiting the Northern Beaches (Sydney) Forum.  I wonder what we'll be talking about?  If you'd like to have me visit your Forum, just drop me a line at president@aapo.org.au

:) Angela Esnouf, AAPO President

You know the saying, what happens at conference, stays at conference? Well, not in this case. I can tell you I had a fabulous time, came home utterly exhausted from all the networking, learning, sharing. Remember I told you the conference theme was Innovate, Connect, Inspire? Keep that in mind as you read this update on the NAPO conference in Columbus, Ohio. (And yes, it was noted that OHIO stands for Only Handle It Once)

As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, the very first session of the conference was Ask an Organizer. Just some of the many questions asked were – What do you think about discounting? What are your favourite books or systems? Name some budget tools for the beginner organiser. How do stay motivated when you’ve been in business a while? What about service bartering? So, have I got you think? What will you be asking at AAPO’s conference Ask an Organiser session?

Tim Sanders, the opening keynote, spoke about innovating the way you connect with people to create a great customer service experience. His take-away message was – Most people try to turn their friends into customers. Do the opposite, turn your customers into friends. If we took this message literally in our industry we may well face boundary issues with some of our clients. But the point he makes is a good one. When we come from the place of “What’s in it for them?” instead of “What’s in it for me?” we create loyal customers – raving fans – who will be happy to refer business and sing our praises.

Gina Schrek spoke about Connecting with Today’s Technology. She welcomed us to the future and motivated us to get a bigger share of the future. She calls herself a “Digital Immigration Officer” and pointed out that under 35-year-olds are digital natives, while over 35-year-olds are digital immigrants. Customers have changed, and so should we change the way we communicate with them. It was fascinating stuff and I encourage you to learn more about social media as a means to communicating and connecting with current and potential clients.

Another point of connection was during the NAPO International meeting, where I got to speak with Organisers from Colombia, Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal and the UK. While many of the issues we face as organisers are the same, there were some cultural differences, which highlighted the fact that no matter where you are in the world, or in your business development, it’s important to know who your market is, and therefore you’re wanting to connect with. You may also remember Mayumi, the Japanese PO who attended the last AAPO conference. She sends her best regards to everyone and wants you to know she’s been very busy establishing the PO industry and association in Japan. They’ve already held their first conference.

Monica Wolford delivered the closing keynote to Inspire us with Contagious Confidence. It was a great way to close the conference, to send us out to make a difference in our businesses and in our client’s lives. A couple of key points Monica made were 1. Self-esteem is the belief that you are worth the effort, and 2. We are the average of the 5 people we hang out with most.

Apart from these sessions, there were others which I'll report on in more depth soon. They will be found in the members’ area of the AAPO website.

The IFPOA (International Federation of Professional Organizing Associations) met again in Columbus as well. We learned a great deal, as always, and built on our strong relationships. I also spoke with many of the exhibitors about attending and exhibiting at our conference this year, and had the opportunity to speak to the 700 conference attendees and invite them to visit us in Christchurch.

You may be visiting this website because you're interested in becoming a Professional Organiser. If that's the case, we suggest you:

1. Thoroughly research the industry. Using the Internet is a great way to do this, as well as visiting an AAPO Forum close to you.

2. Investigate setting up a small business so you have a better idea of what's involved.

3. We also recommend you join AAPO, then check the members' directory as some of our members offer coaching, mentoring or more informal support.

What a week it's been for AAPO!  First off, let me say a big thank you to the committee for their dedication and commitment.  Our latest meeting was a marathon, a record length.  We achieved lots of worthwhile forward planning and revision.

Here are just some of the topics covered - the upcoming election, the future of our newsletter/s, the 2010 survey, an exciting new member benefit, next year's conference location and AAPO's Facebook presence.  As well, we covered some nitty gritty behind the scenes but necessary topics, like accounting software, membership numbers and an update on our Forums.

Besides the committee meeting, there were many other AAPO happenings.  We've had good registrations, taking advantage of the Early Bird rate.  The Forum leaders met for their usual planning and development session.  The PR subcommittee is working hard on media releases and planning for National Organising Week.  The website subcommittee worked on AAPO's social media presence and tweaks to the website.  And of course, Debra is always busy with many enquiries, accounting, administrative responsibilities and welcoming our new members.

Again, a big thank you to all who contribute to making AAPO the peak body for Professional Organisers in Australasia.

AAPO launched its Facebook presence today and we'd love for you to come connect with us there.

Visit us here and hopefully you will "like" what you see.

One of the best things about going to industry conferences is meeting and hanging out with colleagues from around the world.  One of those colleagues is the opening keynote speaker for the AAPO conference in Christchurch in September, Dorothy Breininger.  Dorothy is an industry leader and contributor, an author, 2005 United States Small Business Association Award Winner and most recently, producer and expert organizer on the TV show, Hoarders.  For all that, Dorothy still has plenty of time to connect with all those at the NAPO conference, leaders and newbies alike.  A thoroughly delightful woman, who is genuinely excited to be coming to share her experiences with her AAPO colleagues.

Julie Bestry gives a great review of the NAPO Conference on Janet Barclay's Organized Assistant blog.  If you want to know what goes on, the ins and outs, the fun and learning of a NAPO conference, read on.

And if you're in two minds about whether or not to commit to the AAPO conference, take it from me - someone who has attended a few conferences lately - AAPO's annual conference stacks up!  Apart from the numbers in attendance there is very little difference between AAPO and NAPO as far as conferences go.  Both are quality all the way.  Catch the conference fever and book before Early Bird registrations close on May 31st.  Click here to find out more.

Thanks to Wendy Davie for bringing to our attention a lovely poem about hoarding, The Things We Keep by Audrey Denning.  Read it for yourself in Wendy's blog post.