2021 Conferences for Productivity and Organizing Consultants

This page may contain links to Amazon.com or other sites from which I may receive commission on purchases you make after clicking on such links. Read my full Disclosure Policy

Many 2021 conferences will be held virtually

My yearly conference list is much shorter than usual. It seems that a lot of conference organizers are holding off on making or announcing any plans until things are more stable, understandably.

Virtual Conferences 2021

Since no one really knows when large gatherings will be safe or allowed again, it’s not surprising that several organizing industry conferences are being planned as virtual right from the get-go.

2nd UK Virtual Summit for Virtual Organisers
January 21, 2021

Institute of Professional Organisers (IOPO) Conference
March 18-20, 2021

The Photo Organizers 2021 Conference
(also in-person in Atlanta, Georgia)
April 15-17, 2021

NAPO 2021 Annual Conference for Productivity and Organizing Professionals
April 20-23, 2021

Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) 2021 Conference
May 20, 2021

Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) Conference
TBA: Likely late October or early November

If you’ve never attended a virtual conference, read Professional Organizers in Canada Conference goes Virtual by Julie Stobbe for an inside look.

In-Person Conferences 2021

At this point, the following events appear to be proceeding as planned. Keep an eye on the websites or contact the organizers for updates.

The Photo Organizers 2021 Conference
Atlanta, Georgia (also virtual)
April 15-17, 2021

Association of Russian-speaking Professional Organizers Conference
Moscow, Russia
April 17-18, 2021

European Relocation Association (EuRA) International Relocation Congress
Seville, Spain
June 8-11, 2021

International Association of Home Staging Professionals® (IAHSP®) Conference & Expo
Denver, Colorado
September 24-26, 2021

Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) Conference 2021
Phoenix, Arizona
October 14-17, 2021

Affiliate Summit West
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 1-3, 2021

Conference Tips

Whether you’re planning for this year or dreaming of days ahead, these might help!

Please leave a comment if you know of any conferences that should be added to this list. Thank you!

Photo by Julia M Cameron from Pexels

I recommend...
Depositphotos
Avatar

Janet Barclay

A former professional organizer, I now eliminate stress for my clients by hosting, monitoring, and maintaining their WordPress sites so they don’t have to worry about security, downtime or performance issues. When I’m away from my desk, I enjoy reading, photography, watching movies, and cooking.

Join the Conversation

10 Comments

  1. Avatar Seana Turner on January 13, 2021 at 2:36 pm

    I believe NERCPO will be happening again next November. It has not yet been decided whether the event will be live or virtual. If it is virtual, it really is open to everyone:)

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on January 14, 2021 at 12:30 pm

      That’s a big plus of virtual events!

  2. Julie Bestry Julie Bestry on January 13, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    I’m looking forward to the NAPO (virtual) conference in April, though it won’t be the same. Last year would have been my 20th consecutive NAPO conference; I’m excited about the learning opportunities, but I will miss seeing all of my peeps in person, plopping down on the nearest couch to chat for 15 minutes before the next event, and dining together.

    I’m surprised the Photo Organizers are going to be partly in-person; that’s only 90ish days away.

    It would be cool to attend one of the international conferences, like APDO or POC, virtually at least. You’ve given us good stuff about which to ponder!

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on January 14, 2021 at 12:34 pm

      I hear you, Julie – that’s one of the best parts of conference!

      I wonder if the Photo Organizers will proceed with the in-person events. At least they already have the infrastructure in place if they need to switch to all-virtual.

      And yes – what a great opportunity to attend an international conference!

  3. Avatar Sabrina Quairoli on January 18, 2021 at 8:44 am

    Wow! Thanks for putting together these 2021 conferences. It’s great to see there are some that will be in-person.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on January 18, 2021 at 12:52 pm

      Hopefully they will be able to carry out their plans!

  4. Avatar Diane N Quintana on January 18, 2021 at 9:52 am

    Thank you for this list, Janet. I’m really looking forward to attending the ICD conference in October – fingers crossed that it will be safe enough to hold it in-person!

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on January 18, 2021 at 12:53 pm

      It’s hard to imagine it won’t be, but then again, we never thought the pandemic would still be on now, did we?

  5. Linda Samuels Linda Samuels on January 18, 2021 at 10:41 am

    It was an interesting 2020 with all conferences being virtual or canceled. I attended NERCPO and the ICD conferences virtually, along with several virtual one-day or evening workshops. While I love being in-person and face-to-face with my colleagues, there were also many advantages of attending virtually- cost, comfort, and time being three of them.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on January 18, 2021 at 12:54 pm

      Those are all very good advantages, Linda! I hope people keep that in mind as they make their plans.

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.