Virtual Assistants from across North America – industry leaders and those new to the industry – will meet in Toronto in May ‘08 for the first ever forum of it’s kind in Canada.
Toronto, ON, March 18, 2008 — Virtual Assistance, while still mostly unheard of by the general population, is an entrepreneurial career choice not only alive and well, but growing rapidly all over the world. Many of the industry’s leaders, who work tirelessly to increase awareness and educate small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) on the benefits of collaborating with Virtual Assistants (VAs), will meet in Toronto Canada May 2-4 of this year at the Forum on Virtual Assistance (FoVA). FoVA will be the first event of its kind ever to take place in Canada.
Barb Lang, owner of Virtually Anything – Administrative Services, is the Virtual Assistant spearheading this event. “Our U.S. colleagues have been putting on industry specific annual events quite successfully for several years now.†says Lang. “The International Virtual Assistance Association (IVAA) is in its 7th year of running their annual in-person Summit and the OIVAC, which is an incredible online convention, is hosting its 3rd event this year.†says Lang.
“In an industry where the very nature of our business involves working remotely and in isolation from one another and our clients, it is important to have opportunities to meet face to face. We haven’t yet had anything take place in Canada in this regard. I just decided that I would create an event that would not only benefit Canadian VAs but was different from anything that had yet taken place in our industry.†To Lang’s delight, the response was overwhelming and VA’s from all over Canada AND the U.S. began to register for FoVA.
As the program has developed, what has resulted is an amazing opportunity for all VAs to benefit from the industry’s greatest resource… each other. “It is important that FoVA not be confused with a conference or summit.†says Lang. “It is a Forum in every sense of the word. It is a coming together of some of the most skilled and experienced leaders in the VA industry within a small scale, private atmosphere where candid discussions will take place to talk about some very important issues that are affecting our profession as it stands now and in the future.â€
Many VA’s will meet people face to face whom they have worked with virtually for years but never met.
FoVA will have two tracks. Track One sessions will pair experienced VA Session Leaders with novice VAs (and those who are very serious about joining the profession but need the right tools). In each of the Workshop / Forum sessions, challenges will be thrown out to the group, for discussion and action planning. Each participant will leave with a binder full of worksheets, information and plans to take back to their offices and implement immediately. Track Two sessions will be geared for more senior VAs to convene and discuss challenges and issues that take place in our every day work. They will talk about strategies to take their practices to the next level whether that involves expanding to a Multi VA business or learning to create alternate VA related passive income streams and much more. Because these forums and workshops are facilitated by industry leaders, attendees will have the invaluable opportunity to learn from the best of the best.
“No wallflowers allowed†says Lang. “We need everyone’s participation and input. This event is not association specific, so all groups are represented. This allows participants to speak openly and ask questions on what might even be controversial topics such as training, certification, the development of Core Competencies, niche marketing, overseas competition and so forth. It is high time we brought some of these issues to light and initiated discussions on what we, as an industry, want to see happen in these areas. Participants will work hard and play hard at FoVA. This is for the serious VA.†says Lang with a smile.
In keeping with the spirit of FoVA being a “One Stop Shop†for accessing information on training, networking, associations, certification programs and so forth, Barb has added a VA specific Book Fair where attendees can review books written BY Virtual Assistants FOR Virtual Assistants. “I am looking for VA authors who want to showcase their product at FoVA so I invite anyone who has created such a book, e-book or program etc., to contact me.†she says.
“I am thrilled to be a part of FoVA,†states Jaime Lee Mann, owner of Mann Made Time and one of the FoVA facilitators, who will travel from the east coast of Canada, for the event. “Not only will I be sharing ideas and learning from other VAs, but I be able to meet people I view as celebrities in my own industry, people like Tawnya Sutherland, Pam Ivey, Michelle Jameson, Jeannine Clontz, Elayne Whitfield… just to name a few. It will also be very exciting to actually meet some of the friends I have made over the past couple of years who have been supporting me and my business, virtually, each step of the way.â€
FoVA Sponsors include CVAN, Red Deer College, IAAP, VATP, CVAC, VANA, IVAA, IREAA, AssistU, LastMinuteTraining.ca, ClientSpot, Delphian VA and Virtual Business Partners and K&M Secretarial Services.
For full details including venue, pricing, agenda and sponsorship opportunities visit www.ForumOnVirtualAssistance.com.
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Contact:
Barb Lang
ForumOnVirtualAssistance
Toronto, ON
416-264-9632
[email protected]
http://www.ForumOnVirtualAssistance.com
