List of Highlights from NAPO Conference '09

In the heart of a winter in Maine, I signed up for the opportunity to exhibit ListPlanIt to the conference for professional organizers in Orlando, Florida. What I expected to gain from the conference was the exposure of a resource I was sure was a match made in heaven for organizers and their clients. What I hadn't expected was to discover "my people". Though I've never been a professional organizer, I felt like we had been cut from a similar cloth. While I didn't get to experience any of the sessions, there were still plenty of great things I took away from this conference.

1. The usefulness of Twitter - In February, I booked a room in the fabulous Caribe Royale where the conference was being held. The cost of the room was way more than I wanted to pay myself, so I put out a Tweet to Twitterville (i.e. a message to my Twitter.com followers) that I wanted a roommate. About 3 people said they were interested, and in the end I got a wonderful roommate from Bermuda named Anne Hyde. Not only that, but since I follow quite a lot of organizers, they were kind enough to allow me to tag along to the first ever Tweet Up (meet up in Twitter speak) POs on Twitter, organized by Scott Roewer. Not only did I get a terrific meal that evening, but I got my first introduction to the POs with whom I would be spending the next few days.
2. Two full days of exhibiting ListPlanIt to business savvy, no-nonsense organizers - In a business where the only contact I have with my customers is online, a chance for face-to-face feedback was invaluable to me. I was giddy to be in a place where it seemed the whole world had a love affair with lists.
3. A better understanding of professional organizing - What an amazing profession that can go into a client's home or office and give them not only the guidance but the tools needed to make real changes in their lives. These organizers truly care about their clients. They spent 3 days solid learning how to improve and expand on the services they already offer.
   
4. Saturday - After 2 long days of standing on my feet, smiling, and promoting ListPlanIt, on Saturday I slept until 8 a.m. (which I haven't done in years) and then laid by the pool and swam for 2 whole hours.