Note from ktcosmos: Scroll down to view an Annual Calendar of Conferences, Summits, and Conventions, updated on 2/15/08.

Got others you think should be added? Let me know!

Original post follows:

I discovered my invitation to BlogWorld Expo in my inbox while working on my third cup of coffee this morning. For a moment I thought, “YES! I can go. Vegas is just about a 3 1/2 hour drive from here!”

But then my first moment clarity of the day struck and I realized, “NO! I can’t go! Drat. I have family visiting that week. Arrghhh.” Not to “arrghh” my family, but the reason for this conflict is that I hadn’t recorded the date of BlogWorld on my calendar yet when my darling daughter-in-law called to schedule her visit.

And so it goes throughout the year. Wouldn’t it help to have a big calendar of annual events-of-interest? Starting now, I am going to build one, with your help.

If you are aware of an annual conference of interest to entrepreneurs, bloggers, working women, creative professional, remote professional, virtual assistant, web developer, solopreneurs, whatever category you fall into, add it to my list via comment and I’ll create a page on which these events are listed by the month in which they fall annually.

Conferences can quickly overwhelm. Scheduling travel arrangments, navigating strange cities, making your choices from huge programs, facing large crowds, and scrutinizing your budget can make the experience less than optimal if you’re not prepared. Don’t forget that many of us solopreneurs are so used to working in isolation that facing an exhibit hall filled with thousands of people can cause temporary paralysis.

One solution is to travel with a friend or colleague, or plan to room with one when you get there. Another way to experience and document a conference is to blog it.

Ethan Zuckerman at My Heart’s in Accra writes about the The 5-4-3 double play, or The Art of Conference Blogging. I love his post because it starts with a narrative on how his dad taught him to score baseball games when he was little.

If you are NOT a baseball fan, you may not know that his title references the 5-4-3 double play, which is a baseball situation in which the 3rd baseman fields a ball hit to him and then fires it to 2nd base for out #1 and then HE fires it to 1st base in time to get another out in the same play, thus called a double play. Ethan explains that this love of documenting all the details in a baseball game lead to his present day habit of obsessively blogging conferences.

If you have never blogged a conference (well, I haven’t!), read Ethan’s very thorough treatment of how to do it, from preparation to what to do during the actual event.

And if you have never been to a baseball game, it’s not too late yet to go to one, or at least watch one on T.V. It’s not a prerequisite for blogging a conference, but why not explore the National Pasttime?

Then, keep the home fires burning for your loved ones, and be prepared with the right answer when they call to ask if it’s a good time to visit. Or, avoid missing the game the year the Cubs finally do win the World Series because you registered for a conference in October.

January

MacWorld Conference & Expo
2009: 1/5 – 1/9, in San Francisco. This will the the 25th anniversary celebration!
Comments: all things Mac: exhibits, break out sessions, hands-on labs, special interest training lasting all day, many other presentations offered at individual exhibitors’ booths throughout the event. Unveiling of new products and the keynote by Steve Jobs.

Tip: You can attend free encore presentations of some of the 2008 workshops here!

In 2008, was 1/14 – 1/18, in San Francisco

April

International Virtual Assistants Association Summit (IVAA)
2008: April 23 – 37, in Charlotte North Carolina
Comments: for current and aspiring virtual assistants. The non profit tries to have one online summit and one in-person summit annually.

In 2007, was 4/25 – 4/28, in San Francisco

May

SobCon
2008: May 2 – May 4, Chicago
Comments: described by organizers as part seminar, part conference, part deep networking. To keep it at the size and quality the organizers are aiming for, it is invitation only, so go soon to request your invite!

In 2007, was May 11 & 12 in Chicago

July

BlogHer Conference
2008: dates haven’t yet been announced
Comments: a female bloggers’ conference

In 2007, was held 7/27 – 7/29 in Chicago

Netroots Nation (formerly known as YearlyKos)
2008: July 17 – 20, Austin, Texas
Comments: Beginning in 2008, this event will be renamed “Netroots Nation.” Began as a political blog concept, but seeks to attract all bloggers from now on. However, the website features frequent sprinklings of the word “progressive,” so….

In 2007, was held 9/2 – 9/5 in Chicago

September

BlogWorldExpo
2008: 9/20 – 9/21 in Las Vegas
Comments: An event for bloggers of all levels and genres. There are lots of blogger sites containing discounts. All you do is find such a site and then enter that code when you go to register to attend.

In 2007, was held Nov 8 & 9 in Las Vegas

BlogOrlando
2008: dates not announced yet
Comments: From the organizer’s website, “The second edition of this FREE event that was open to bloggers and non-bloggers alike from Florida and anywhere else. We bring together a good cross-section of folks to discuss blogging, podcasting, public relations, social media, citizen’s journalism and other related topics.”

In 2007, was held 9/27 – 9/29 in Orlando, Florida

October

IDEA2007
2008: no dates announced yet
Comments: for information architects

In 2007, was held 10/4 & 10/5 in New York City)

December

PubCon
2008: no dates yet for this year’s event.
Comments: for Search and Internet Marketing Specialists

In 2007, was held 12/4 – 12/7, in Las Vegas

If you haven’t had enough, check out the Conference Guru’s website for listings of additional conferences by month and some tips on where to get discounts. Many of these are outside my topic list, but you might find something there of interest.