Professional development, networking opportunities, free stuff and FUN. Those are just some of the benefits you’ll score when you scrape up some moolah and attend an annual event or two geared for other professionals in your field. One morning over coffee and email, I discovered my invitation to BlogWorld Expo. For a moment I thought, “YES! I can go!? I can be there in 3 1/2 hours!” But then my first actual moment clarity struck and I realized, “NO, I can’t; I have guests in town that week. Arrghhh.”

Not “arrghh-ing” my family, but myself, because, if I had had the forethought to build an annual calendar of events to refer to when planning other activities, I would have made my schedule work and would have budgeted for the trip to BlogWorld that year.

Let’s build an event calendar together! If you know of an annual conference of interest to solopreneurs, small business owners (no matter the industry) , creative professionals, remote professionals, web developers, or virtual assistants, email me at ktcosmos-at-looseends-dot-net and I will add it to this list.

Tips on Attending Events

1. Huge conventions can quickly overwhelm your senses. To avoid that, just take a walk through the exhibit hall on your first day. Then you’ll be less gaga and more focused on the second pass.
2. Plan your packing carefully using this post elsewhere in Loosely Speaking, so you don’t end up taking too much stuff. You want to leave plenty of room in your bags for all the materials and swag you’ll pick up.
3. Take some breaks. You don’t want to miss a thing, but if you don’t pace yourself, your brain will turn to mush. Some events have hospitality rooms, and others, like MacWorld, have nice lounges with comfy furniture and views where you can relax, chat with others, check your email, or just zone out for a bit.
4. Speaking of breaks, do yourself a favor and pass on the conference food. Google your location and then use Google Map’s “find nearby” feature to plot out restaurants close to the conference venue.
5. Arrive and check in the day before, so you give yourself a chance to get oriented.
6. Many vendors offer special event pricing, so come with a shopping list and check more than one vendor’s booth to find the best deals.
7. Notice that some of the events on the calendar are NOT necessarily held during the same month annually. Pay attention to that when planning.

Blog Your Event

Ethan Zuckerman at My Heart’s in Accra writes about the The 5-4-3 double play, or The Art of Conference Blogging., his approach to covering a conference blog style. Ethan explains that this love of documenting all the details in a baseball game (hence the title of his post) lead to his present day habit of obsessively blogging conferences. If you have never blogged a conference, read Ethan’s very thorough treatment of how to do it. Then, when you get where you’re going, look for some blogging lounges. Hauling your own laptop around all day is hard on the shoulders—the events that provide blogging lounges let you use their equipment to login to your own blog.

Loosely Speaking’s Annual Calendar of Professional Events

January & February

MacWorld Conference & Expo 2012:  Dates TBA, in San Francisco.

Comments: USED to be the place to see all things Apple: 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. NOW, Apple no longer participates, so we’re all watching and waiting to see what it actually evolves into.

In 2011, was 1/27 – 1/29, San Francisco

In 2010, was 2/9 – 2/13, San Francisco

In 2009, was 1/5 – 1/9, in San Francisco, and was the 25th anniversary, and the final year in which Apple was officially involved.

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

>March

PubCon South (for more on Pubcon, scroll to see November events) 2011: March 8 – 9, in Austin TX South by Southwest Interactive (SxSW) 2011: March 11 – 15, in Austin,TX

Comments: The SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer.

In 2010: March 12 – 16, in Austin

In 2009, was held March 13 – 17, in Austin, TX

In 2008, was held: March 7 – 11, in Austin,TX

April

SOBCon 2011: April 29 – May 1, Chicago

Comments: quoting the organizers: “Understand how great businesses grow online and off. Speak the language, know the culture, and become part of the network that the social media world looks to for leadership. The relationships made at SOBCon extend across social networks into the world of concrete relationships.”

In 2010, was held in April 30 – May 2, Chicago (AND in Colorado, September 18 & 19)

In 2009, was held May 1 – 3, in Chicago

In 2008, was held May 2 – May 4, Chicago

In 2007, was held May 11 & 12 in Chicago

May

10th International Virtual Assistants Association Summit (IVAA) 2011: May 3 – 6, in Portland, OR

Comments: Theme: “Reaching new Peaks.” For current and aspiring virtual assistants. The non profit hosts one online summit and one in-person summit annually. More information here. Follow the development of the event on Facebook and Twitter.

In 2010, was held April 20 – 23,  in Phoenix

In 2009, was held April 21 – 25 in Montreal Canada

In 2008, was held April 23 – 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina

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

OIVAC (Online International Virtual Assistants Convention) 2011: May 19 – 21, Online

Comments: The theme for 2011 is “Pathways to Virtual Success: Moving Your Business from 1st Gear to Hyper-Drive”…is sure to help you oil your business gears with little to no effort. And with the lineup we’ve planned, you’ll be reaching the finish line in no time flat.

In 2010, was held May 20 – 22, Online

In 2009, was held October 1 – 3, Online

BlogWorld & New Media Expo New New York 2011: May 24 – 26

Comments:   Provides an educational experience for all levels of expertise and interests.  Experts from every field of the blogging and new media industry will be on hand to share their knowledge, techniques and advice.  Industry gurus will share their experiences and network with attendees in seminars and moderated panels.

In 2010, was held October 14 – 16 in Las Vegas

In 2009, was held October 15 – 17 in Las Vegas

In 2008, was held Nov. 20- 21 in Las Vegas

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

June

Netroots Nation (formerly known as YearlyKos) 2011: June 16 – 19, Minneapolis, MN

Comments: Beginning in 2008, this event was renamed “Netroots Nation.” Initially as a politically liberal blog event, but organizers say they now wish to attract all bloggers. However, the event’s website features frequent sprinklings of the word “progressive,” so…. you decide!

In 2010, was held July 22 – 25, in Las Vegas, NV

In 2009, was held August 13 – 16 in Pittsburgh, PA

In 2008, was held July 17 – 20, Austin, Texas

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

August

BlogHer Conference 2011: August 5 – 6, San Diego, CA

Also, see BlogHer Food, May 20 – 21, 2011 in Atlanta, GA & and BlogHer Bet, March 24 – 25 in Silicon Valley, CA.

Comments from the organizers: For the woman who wants to start something, whether her goal is to strike out on her own with a brilliant idea, or to bring an entrepreneurial approach to innovation within a company.  This is the conference for you. Editor note: I don’t know if I am going, actually, but love this little blog bling badge so much I had to add it here. Incentive?

In 2010, was held August 6 – 7, in New York City

In 2009, was held July 23 – 25, in Chicago

In 2008, was held April 3 & 4 in New York City

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

October

6th Annual IVAA Online Summit: 2011: October 20 – 21

Comments: “VA Adventures.” This event is specifically designed for all Virtual Assistants, with 3 sessions per hour, covering topics for new and veteran Virtual Assistants and those wishing to learn more about becoming a VA!

In 2010 was held October 7 – 8 (Online)

In 2009 was held November 6 (Online)

In 2008 was held October 24 (online)

 

November

PubCon Vegas, 2011: November 7 – 11 

Comments: for Search and Internet Marketing Specialists

In 2010 was held November 8 – 11 in Las Vegas

In 2009 was held November 10 – 13 in Las Vegas

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

Ongoing

(These are recurring events, but not on a predictable annual basis) WordCamp 2011: Here are just some of those planned for this year:  Phoenix, AZ: January 26 – 30; Miami, FL, March 5; Orange County, CA, April 16;   Seattle, WA, April 16; San Diego, CA, July 16;   San Francisco, CA, August 12 – 14,

Comments: Organized by the creators of WordPress, the purpose of this annual event is to get WordPress users together, learn from each other, figure out the future of publishing on the web, and have a good time. WordCamps are held all over the world. Here’s a link to WordCamp central, where you can find one near you or learn how to stage your own wordcamp

In 2010, WordCamp San Francisco, May 1

In 2009, WordCamp San Francisco,  May 30

In 2008, WordCamp San Francisco, August 16

In 2007, WordCamp San Francisco,  July 21

PodCamp, the new media community unconference

Comments: A PodCamp, founded by Chris Penn and Chris Brogan, is “a usually free BarCamp-style community UnConference for new media enthusiasts and professionals, including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, social networkers and anyone curious about new media. The first PodCamp was held in 2006; they are now being held world wide.” You plan your own event and post it at the PodCamp wiki, which is managed by Chris Penn. (For more info, contact Chris at cspenn-at-gmail-dot-com.)

In 2010, Podcamp AZ was held November 20 – 21 in Tempe, AZ

In 2006, the first ever PodCamp was held September 8-10, in Boston, Massachusetts.

For more events, 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.

Help Grow this List!

Send me info on events you know about, to ktcosmos-at-LooseEnds-dot-net. Updated: 3/5/08, 8/4/08, 9/4/08, 2/1/2011