Professor Michael Kyrios, the keynote speaker at AAPO's very first conference in 2006, has called for a taskforce on compulsive hoarding.  What do you think?  And if you agree, who should be on that taskforce?

Read the Age article here.

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.

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.

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.

The first session of the NAPO 2010 Conference in Columbus, Ohio, was the Ask an Organizer panel. The first question asked of that panel was, “What one question do you always ask of a client at the first needs assessment meeting?” The first answer given was, “Are you ready to get organised?” Great question, and a very apt one to start a jam-packed program aimed at beginners and more experienced organisers alike. Equally, they could have asked, “Are you ready to grow your business and learn how to deliver the best service possible to your clients?”

With the theme of Innovate, Connect, Inspire, the focus was on sharing new ways to reach customers and colleagues, new ways of looking at ourselves in order to be the best we can be, and new ways of looking at organising problems.

With delegates from all over the world – the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Portugal, Colombia and the UK – there were lots of opportunities to learn about the differences and similarities in this worldwide industry. Many of the challenges here in Australasia are the same as those in other parts of the world. Unfortunately a large contingent from the Netherlands could not attend as planned due to the ash cloud. Besides myself, AAPO was represented by two other members – one from Melbourne and one from Hong Kong.

Some emerging trends to watch are organising projects, green organising, senior relocation, social media, video use and education. I’ll be going into these in more depth in the future, along with other things I learnt on my trip to Ohio.

AAPO is only as strong as its members.  We are an internationally-recognised not-for-profit industry association, run solely by and for its members.  We are ably assisted by just one Virtual Administrator, who takes care of the day to day administrative tasks related to the running of AAPO.  The rest of our many functions - policy, PR, accreditation, conference organisation, budgeting and finance, sponsorship, newsletters, corporate alliances, marketing, member benefits, National Organising Week, professional development and more - involve dedicated members, giving their time and expertise.  Thank you members!

There are always positions available for short- and long-term positions within AAPO.  One of the great things about organisers is that if they see something that needs doing, they get in and do it.

And you don't have to be a volunteer to contribute to AAPO's growth, development and prosperity.  From time to time we conduct surveys to enable us to make decisions based on our members' wishes.  The most recent of these has been about the location of the 2011 AAPO conference.  Even 3 minutes of a member's time can make a difference.

All this is just one of the reasons I am such a big fan of our industry association.

The April edition of the AAPO Newsletter is out now.  Don't get it but would love keep up with news in the organising world?  Simply sign up here.

I'd like to thank Kat Tate, our dedicated newsletter editor, who is handing in her "red pen" and hanging up her Editor-in-Chief hat.  Thanks for the energy and ideas you've brought to the position.  All AAPO members and other subscribers have benefitted from your work.

Next month we'll have a new editor and I look forward to having Leslee Stroud on the AAPO team.