Every time I see an advertisement for a conference that is related to what I do or who I am, I find myself thinking “I need to do that!”

The truth is you cannot attend every conference you hear about.  Not only because you would go broke attending them all but you wouldn’t get any work done!

Here are just a few reasons why you should attend the conference of your choice:

• You get out of the office! They are a great way to re-energize.  Everyone gets run down and you feel like you are in a rut.  Attending conferences help to get you out of that rut and refuel you.
• Conferences provide a great opportunity to learn more about your field of interest in a diverse environment.
• You get a chance to meet new people and network among your peers.
• They are an excellent place to gain new ideas.
• Attending in-person conferences as opposed to webinars, helps to keep other distractions at a minimum.  While at an actual conference you aren’t usually still dealing with emails or working on projects while listening.  Although, you are actually tweeting and on Facebook!
• Social media is an awesome tool but there’s still something to be said for actually speaking with someone face-to-face.
• You get meet industry leaders.
• Conferences help you to keep current on the things happening in your industry.
• Being around like minded people is great.  They understand what you are going through and they speak your language.
• They help you expand your network and circle of influence.
• You may receive answers to challenges you have.

I try to pick just one conference per year to attend because I always come back energized and refocused on my business. Conferences are an investment of time and money so be sure you are getting something in return. One of my first thoughts when choosing a conference is always “Where is it?” I know I can’t pick one based solely on its location, but it does factor in.  So how do you choose which one to attend?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Can I learn something at this conference?
• Will there be people there that it will benefit me to network with?
• Is it easy to get to?
• Do I have time in my schedule?
• Will it benefit my business?

My hands down winner this year for a NEW retreat-style Virtual Assistant conference to attend is the Virtual Assistance League Retreat on February 6^th through 9^th in Orlando, Florida.  The idea for this retreat is to go with a goal in mind and they will give attendees the guidance to form a plan with actionable steps for achieving that goal. The VAL Retreat will allow you to focus solely on YOUR needs without distractions from regular work, kids, phones, emails, etc. I believe that this type of conference will lead to results.

This has to be the best retreat this year right? I mean really, who doesn’t love 70 degree sunny Florida in the winter!