Have you allocated your travel and professional growth money for the year already?

Don’t forget to select one or more professional events attuned to your areas of specialization.

Sure, travel and registration can cost a lot when you are footing the bill yourself, but remember, it’s tax deductible AND you will be rewarded in new contacts, skills, and, perhaps, new clients.

I think it’s helpful to assemble an annual calendar of the events you would like to attend SOME day, so that you can plan your spending accordingly. See my Annual Conference Calendar to help you get started.

It’s important to check your events occasionally, as they don’t all happen in the same month every year.

A couple of good ones on the horizon this spring:

For Virtual Assistants:

7th Annual International Virtual Assistants Association Summit (IVAA)
2008: April 23 – 37, in Charlotte, North Carolina
For current and aspiring virtual assistants, this is the annual big event staged by my professional organization, IVAA. This top-notch event moves around the country every year for the convenience of its members: in 2007, it was held 4/25 – 4/28 in San Francisco.

For Bloggers:

SobCon
2008: May 2 – May 4, Chicago, Illinois
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 by-invitation only, so visit their site soon to request your invite!