Did you miss POC Conference 2015?
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After months of preparation and anticipation, it’s hard to believe the 2015 POC Conference has come and gone!
My presentation on Friday, How to Write Blog Posts that Get Results, went over well, and you’ll be seeing bits and pieces of it in various formats here on Your Organizing Business in the days to come.
I spent the rest of the day at the POC Expo, where I had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face with people I’ve previously only known online and catching up with some I’ve known since my years as a POC member. Winners of my business card draw were:
- Georgina Forrest of SmartWorks Enterprises Inc. in Calgary, Alberta won a One-on-One Strategy Session
- Lerica Condie of Le Garde-Robe in Montreal, Quebec won a Custom-Branded Printable Personal Medical Organizer
- Martha Dolan of Toronto, Ontario won a copy of 365 Blogging Ideas for Professional Organizers
I enjoyed connecting with many of the other authors and vendors at the Expo and am pleased to share their information with you. In no particular order…
My Life Locker
My Life Locker
- Me & My Family
- My Important Things
- My Valuable Money
- My Everything Else
It’s perfect for seniors and people with serious illnesses, but would be a practical tool for anyone.
Having spoken to the product developer, Sandra Tisiot in the past by phone and email, it was great to spend time with her and learn more about My Life Locker.
Women in Business Conference
Another brainchild of Sandra Tisiot, this one-day event is held every year in Ottawa, Ontario. The 8th annual conference is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, 2016 and I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open for more details!
Harold Taylor Time Consultants
Harold Taylor is well-known in the organizing industry, especially this side of the border! The founder of Professional Organizers in Canada, he also developed the popular Taylor Day Planner and the Daily Priority Pad, and is a very fun person to hang out with.
MaxSold
MaxSold are the people to call when you have clients who are downsizing, settling an estate, or clearing excess business inventory. They come in to photograph and catalog the items, then hold an online auction. A Canadian company which has expanded into the US, they love to work with professional organizers, so check them out and see if they’re in your area yet.
Organizing for Traumatic Illness
Lisa Mark of The Time Butler Professional Organizers and Maureen De Garmo of Maur Organized traveled all the way from California to deliver a session about working with clients who are experiencing a traumatic illness or injury and to promote their Organizing for Traumatic Illness Guidebook. Lots of valuable information if you work with or would like to work with this special population.
Thirty-One Gifts
Thirty-One Gifts is a company which has popped onto my radar a number of times, so I was happy to get the chance to view some of their organizing products and other items at the POC Expo. Their products might be just right for clients, gift-giving, or yourself. If you’ve been looking for a way to supplement your organizing services, check out their direct sales opportunity.
Caldwell Mentoring
I’ve known Carolyn Caldwell since she started her organizing business 10 years ago, and I’m thrilled to see that she’s now offering both group and individual mentoring for professional organizers. Her credentials are impressive:
- Gold Leaf member of POC
- Gold Circle member of NAPO
- BCPO Certified Professional Organizer
- Level V ICD Graduate
- Recipient of the 2015 Harold Taylor Award
Need I say more?
By the way, Carolyn is also the sponsor of next month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival on Small Office / Home Office Organizing, so be sure to participate!
Social Time
Considering that I had to get up at 4:30 AM in order to arrive at the conference facility on time, I expected it to feel like a Very Long Day, but before I knew it, I was having dinner at the Elephant and Castle with a few members of the Blogging Organizers Facebook group.
Shown here, from left to right: Kim Tremblay of Space for You in London, Ontario; Kathy MacEwan of Second Set of Hands in Ottawa, Ontario; Jill Robson of Life Sorted in Fergus, Ontario; Heather Burke of Ottawa, Ontario, Sarah Buckwalter of Organizing U, an online organizing education company, and me.
Also present but missing from the photo: Joyce Crawford of Refreshed Space Staging and Redesign in Ottawa, Ontario; Samantha Kristoferson of KW Professional Organizers in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario and Julie Stobbe from Mind over Clutter near Niagara Falls, Ontario.
If you’re a professional organizer who blogs or would like to get started blogging, you’re welcome to join Blogging Organizers. If it’s not clear from your profile or a quick Google search that you qualify, drop me a line so I’ll know to approve your request.
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thanks for the shout-out janet! it was great to meet you and spend time getting to know you. loved your table!!!
thanks for the shout out! it was great to meet you and get to know you in ‘real time.’
I feel the same way! It was great having someone to chat with while most of the world was attending conference sessions.
It was great to meet you at the conference Janet! I learned a lot in your presentation, even though I’ve been blogging for several years. Thanks for these links… I’d missed a few of them because I was attending the sessions and there were so many great exhibitors this year that I couldn’t get to them all at lunch or during breaks.
It was great meeting you too, although we’ve communicated so often through email and social media, it felt like we already knew each other!
I hope you’ll find these links helpful. I wasn’t able to visit all the exhibits either – these were basically all the tables that were close to mine. 🙂
It was so good to meet you Janet. Thanks to Jill Robson for making the connection!
I look forward to keeping in touch with your blogging group and excellent guidance!
Great talk at Conference this year!
Thanks, Sam! I’m really glad that Jill invited you to join us for dinner and I’m happy that you’re now a member of Blogging Organizers. Now we’re not limited to tweeting!
Thank you for the shout out Janet, it was great meeting up with you again. It was great to spend time with our group in person instead of just online. I really enjoyed your presentation, and I am preparing to put some of the points you made into action.
I read your blog regularly, Jill, so I’ll look forward to seeing any changes you make!
What a comprehensive post, Janet! You sure managed to pack a lot in for one day between traveling, having a booth at the Expo, presenting, organizing a networking event, and talking with so many attendees and vendors.
It was great seeing you, hearing you speak, and learning from you. I liked your reminder to “remove the clutter” from writing. I know that I add some “extras,” and will make a note of being more aware going forward.
I have to admit, the day before I started wondering what I was thinking to pack so much into one day, but it was worth it. I wish I’d met with a few more vendors, but I had to save some of my energy!
I’ve learned so much from reading your blog and following you on Twitter that it’s a real honor to be able to return the favor.
It sounds like you had a great time. I have a friend who in considering starting an organizing business and will send her this post. =)
Thank you, Sabrina! I’m sure there are a few resources here (and elsewhere on my blog) that she will find useful.
Thanks so much for sharing these highlights. I look forward to hearing more! We had MaxSold come and speak at one of our chapter meetings and I am happy to see them making entry into our area. Such a wonderful solution for situations where a whole house needs to be emptied.
I was only there for the one day, so I don’t have much else to share, but I’ve started a Listly of other posts about the Conference. If you come across any others, I hope you’ll add them!