As the new year gets closer and closer, I'm sure many of you will be thinking about your goals. If professional development is on your list, you might want to consider attending some of the many conferences geared towards assistants. They not only help to reignite the spark for your role but teach you the latest tips, provide amazing networking opportunities and more!
I tried tackling this list last year and I admit - it was quite a feat tracking all them down! I actually ended up posting two articles (here's my first list of conferences for assistants and here's my second list of conferences for assistants).
I included most of the events from those lists this year, but I recommend giving those lists a quick scan if you need more options.
Here's a hefty list of conferences (and some helpful related tools!) to keep on your radar in 2018:
*A few notes: Please double-check the event websites in case details change or for additional information. Also, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if there's a great conference geared towards assistants that I missed. (But there are a couple tools at the bottom that I recommend submitting those to as better long-term solutions... read on to find out!)
May 23-25 | Orlando, FL
January 26-27 | Monterey, CA March 2 | Sacramento, CA
September 30-October 3 | Kissimmee, Florida
*APC also has an Executive Assistants' Summit that EAs can apply to participate in; see EA Summit for more details
April 22-25 | Toronto, Canada
Bonnie Low-Kramen & Vickie Sokol Evans, MCT
May 18-19 | New York, NY
June 22-23 | Atlanta, GA
September 21-22 | Silicon Valley, CA
November 29-30 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
TBD | TBD
Executive Assistant Network
February 15-16 | Perth, Australia
March 14-15 | Sydney, Australia
July 24-25 | Canberra, Australia
September 5-6 | Brisbane, Australia
TBD | TBD
Executive Assistant's Organization
March 29 | Silicon Valley, CA
May 31 | Boston, MA
September 27 | New Orleans, LA
November 7-8 | Las Vegas, NV
January 17-18 | Houston, TX
January 24-25 | Chicago, IL
February 7-8 | Indianapolis, IN
February 28-March 1 | Chicago, IL
March 7-8 | Toronto, Canada
March 21-22 | Atlanta, GA
April 11-12 | Mississauga, CA
April 18-19 | Detroit, MI
May 2-3 | Boston, MA
May 16-17 | San Francisco, CA
June 6-7 | Washington D.C.
June 27-28 | New York, NY
July 11-12 | Silicon Valley, CA
July 18-19 | Vancouver B.C.
September 12-13 | New York, NY
September 26-27 | Seattle, WA
October 3-4 | Minneapolis, MN
October 22-23 | Dallas, TX
October 25-26 | Houston, TX
November 7-8 | San Diego, CA
November 14-15 | Denver, CO
TBD | Dublin, Ireland
February 16-17 | Johannesburg, South Africa
March 16-17 | London, UK
July 13-14 | Sydney, Australia
November 16-17 | Silicon Valley, CA
International Association of Administrative Professionals
*Their main website is the best place to check to see if other conferences are added
March 5-7 | Atlanta, GA
TBD | TBD, Canada
July 28-31 | Austin, TX
International Management Assistants
October 26 | Frankfurt, Germany
TBD | Online
May 19 | Newcastle, UK
June 21-22 | Warrington, UK
February 28–March 1 | London, UK
Office Dynamics
October 23-26 | Las Vegas, NV
The PA Club
April 27 | London, UK
May 18 | Liverpool, UK
October 12 | Leeds, UK
September 11 | TBD
Phoenix Normand
January 20 | San Francisco, CA
January 27 | New York, NY
February 10 | Seattle, WA
February 24 | Chicago, IL
March 3 | Washington, D.C.
March 10 | Berlin, Germany
March 17 | London, UK
March 24 | Toronto, Canada
June 9 | Boston, MA
June 23 | Portland, OR
June 30 | Atlanta, GA
July 14 | Sydney, Australia
July 21 | Melbourne, Australia
Practically Perfect PA
February 8-9 | London, UK and online
April 20 | Online
The PVA
March 21 | Online
April 26-27 | Malaysia
Smart Events
January 31 | Zurich, Switzerland
February 27 | Toronto, Canada
March 1 | Montreal, Canada
February 23 | Basel, Switzerland
August 16-17 | London, UK
VIP VA
TBD | Online
Who's the Real Boss
January 13 | Gold Coast, Australia
January 27 | Auckland, New Zealand
February 17 | Melbourne, Australia
March 10 | Adelaide, Australia
April 14 | Sydney, Australia
May 12 | Brisbane, Australia
June 9 | Perth, Australia
October 24-25 | Frankfurt, Germany
I know what you're thinking. Wouldn't it be great if there was a central place for events? Well, now there is!
If you haven't come across the website Support Savvy, it's an awesome resource for admins! They have a handy Admin Events Calendar, where anyone can submit events geared towards administrative professionals. Keep your eyes on this tool. It is undergoing a facelift and will relaunch this January with an amazing brand new look!
Another fantastic resource that is not yet live is Admin Compendium. One of the resources it will have is a focused wiki database, which will include a section for conferences and events. Even though it is still under construction, anyone can submit events through the Listing Request Form, which will help its growth. This is another great website to keep your eyes on in 2018!
I'm thrilled that there are now long-term solutions to this problem!
Now that you are geared up with links to my lists from last year, this year's list as well as two new incredible event resources, there is still one missing piece: how to ask your manager to cover the cost of the conference(s) you are hoping to attend. The fees can be high, especially if you have to travel. Luckily, I received some fantastic advice from the IAM as well as a pitch template in this article here.
I hope these resources help to gear you up for the new year!
Do you have a great conference or resource that you would like to share? Please add in the comments below!
