Are You Interested in the W.I.N. Conference in Rome this October?

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in attending this year's Women's International Networking (W.I.N.) conference, then good news... registrations are now open and, on top of the early bird pricing (which runs until 22 June), if you mention "ExpatWomen.com" you are eligible to receive another 100 Euros off.

When? 5 - 7 (8) October 2011
Where? Rome, Italy
More details? www.winconference.net

"Every year, the W.I.N. global leadership conference, a three-day global learning program, brings together over 1000 people from more than 70 countries including: company executives, entrepreneurs, independent professionals, consultants, academics, artists, thought leaders, government and NGO representatives, international business school faculty and students.

The W.I.N. approach to the three-day learning event is based on “world”- a global overview; “work”- professional and career issues; and “you” - leadership and personal growth. They are distinctly feminine and focus on learning, creativity, exploring and applying feminine power, and accelerating innovation and change. The program is carefully designed based on a systems approach and a vision for the future based on sensitivity and increased global and feminine consciousness."

It has been a while since I attended a W.I.N. conference (2007, Oslo), and I cannot go this year, but I have only got good memories of the conference and I have only ever heard positive comments from more recent participants. In comparison to some other conferences I have attended, Kristin Engvig's humility and passion is to be applauded and I highly recommend the conference to any forward-thinking woman interested in being inspired by, and networking with, a large group of wonderful women. So think about going, and if you go, enjoy the experience! Andrea

Worldwide ERC® EMEA Global Workforce Summit: Free Conference Registration for Corporate/HR Professionals

Hi Everyone, If you are a Corporate/Human Resources (HR) Professional who might be interested in attending the Worldwide ERC® EMEA Global Workforce Summit in Amsterdam, June 23-24, you are invited to sign up now, for free.

Just like they did for their Summit in Shanghai last month, the Worldwide ERC® is offering this opportunity to Corporate/HR Professionals, but just like Shanghai, the free spots are limited.

The offer is open to "all corporate HR professionals responsible for the talent management and global mobility of their company’s employees."

To learn more, please click here. Then, if you have further questions, please contact Vice President, Meetings and Member Alliances Cici Thompson at Meetings@WorldwideERC.org. Thank you.

BlogWorld 2010: 12 Insights from the World's Largest Social Media Convention: by Expat Women's Andrea Martins

.
Hi Everyone!  As promised, here is my write-up from the recent BlogWorld conference that I attended in Las Vegas.  This article will actually be featured in our upcoming Expat Women December newsletter (but I wanted to share it with you in advance and would really appreciate both your feedback and/or your insights from other conferences as well). Thanks, Andrea

ps. If you do not already subscribe to our main Expat Women monthly newsletter yet, please support us by signing up now.  Thanks so much!


BlogWorld 2010: 12 Insights from the World's Largest Social Media Convention

In October 2010, I was privileged to attend BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas with more than 3,000 other attendees, mostly from the United States, but with a sprinkling of us based elsewhere as well.

As the world’s largest social media conference, many big social media names were there, such as Scott Stratten, Darren Rowse, Michael Stelzner, Mari Smith, Brian Solis, Yaro Starak, Jay Bear, Steve Garfield, Chris Garrett, Scott Monty – and even The Apprentice and Survivor creator Mark Burnett.

BlogWorld 2010 was a wonderful experience - so many genuinely educational sessions, so many networking opportunities, and so much to offer to bloggers and new media people alike.

But if I had to condense everything I saw and learned those three days into twelve key insights to share, it would be these...


The Speakers

1. Famous people, are just people

The more I travel and attend conferences with big name speakers, the more I realize that (most of) the big name speakers are just like you and I – normal, friendly people who are easy to approach, happy to answer questions and more than willing to share advice, tips, and many times, some key contacts as well. To me, this is a really important conference takeaway, because it liberates you from the excuse that you cannot ask them advice or that you cannot achieve what they have achieved.


2. You and I can keynote

BlogWorld 2010 had many speakers. With plenary sessions plus around twelve (!) concurrent sessions per time slot over the jam-packed three days, there were plenty of speakers to observe, enjoy, learn from and critique. Some speakers were awesome, many were 7 or 8 out of 10, and unfortunately others really should have prepared better or spoken more clearly - rather than relying on their laurels or latest book title.

But my message to you is that those speakers at this conference that usually charge US$5,000 - $10,000+ a day outside of BlogWorld, were not always better presenters than you or I (and the same is true for other conferences I have attended). Which begs the question, what can you and I do to package and market our own brand better, so that we can also grab a slice of the speaking action?


3. Learn from Barry Moltz

Barry Moltz is a professional speaker who ran a really enjoyable session entitled “Feeding Your Addiction: How to Create and Market Your Content to Drive a Professional Speaking Career”. Some of Barry’s most useful/interesting tips were:

• Tell people that you speak! Put it on your website. Simple, but not done enough;

• As part of the speaking contract/deal, request that the client passes you one or two new speaking event referrals;

• Think about putting some danger tape around the back row chairs, so people come closer to the front and the atmosphere feels more intimate; and

• Plan each segment of your presentation (such as the opening, part one, part two, part three and so on, and the closing) so that it has all of these three things: a takeaway; a story; and an action. This helps you to prepare more thoroughly with your audience in mind, and helps to keep your presentation valuable and focused.


For Bloggers

4. Say something important

Darren Rowse (who reportedly makes a six-figure-plus income from blogging), founder of Problogger (167,000+ subscribers), got lots of nods from the audience with these pearls of wisdom: “say something important” and “build something that matters”.

Brian Clark, CEO of Copyblogger (137,000+ subscribers), reiterated: “give valuable content that people want to share and say good things about”. This “share-ability” concept was repeated by multiple other speakers at the conference.

Sonia Simone, also a founding partner of Copyblogger media, on the plenary panel with Darren and Brian entitled “The 7 Harsh Realities Of Blogging For Bucks”, echoed their comments and asserted that “It’s not about you - it’s about your customers. What do they want and care about? If you don’t have a big readership, maybe you’re not writing about something people care about.”


5. Improve your site’s call to action

Brian said that “free content is an attraction, but free is not a business model” – you need to sell directly-related products that solve problems, to make money – and you need to be good at asking people to buy your products. Brian used the bikini concept analogy to prove his point: he said that even if a site showed someone in a bikini that revealed nearly all of someone’s body, many people would still pay to see what was under that bikini – if you just asked them.


6. Focus on evergreen

Wendy Piersall is the founder of the new kids’ activity website Woo! Jr, who successfully sold her previous site, Sparkplugging, to a group of private investors in the fall of 2009. Interestingly, Wendy said that her strategy was not to get too caught up in Facebook and Twitter, but rather invest more time on creating evergreen content (aka content that does not really date) for her website that others can tweet, put on Facebook, link to, and which historically does well over time in the search engines.


7. Create your unique angle

Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice and Survivor, shared his advice, which was: don’t just copy what others are doing – you need to “take the risks…do things differently… and create things that other people want to talk about”.

Mark went on to give the example of Sarah Palin. He said that many media networks wanted to do a television series or documentary about her, but no one was able to secure a deal. Mark knew that Sarah loved both Alaska and adventure, so he proposed “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” to her – an eight-part television event that “takes viewers into the country’s ‘final frontier’ through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens”. Sarah loved it – and Mark successfully produced the series! (It was scheduled to premiere in the United States on 14 November 2010.)


For Authors

8. Bloggers can be better than Oprah

Ellen Gerstein, Director of Marketing at John Wiley & Sons, who has published many books by bloggers and is a great champion of social media, said that getting prominent bloggers to talk about your book can in fact be a more powerful force than going on morning television shows, or even Oprah!


9. Your books need to be e-books too

Justin Branch from Greenleaf Publishing revealed something authors should find scary: traditional books are now getting bad customer reviews on Amazon if the book is not available as an e-book! This means that regardless of the quality of your book, your book could potentially suffer from bad book ratings just because you did not offer your book in the medium that your potential customer wanted to buy it in.


10. Promote your book on the radio

Justin gave another great piece of advice: “The best way to promote your book is to do radio… you can do eighteen interviews a day from home – which is a very effective promotional strategy.”


11. Think about a manifesto

I am not sure which log I had been hiding under to miss the whole “manifesto” wave, but Jonathan Fields of Tribal Author book filled me in and I found it all truly fascinating.

Jonathan’s manifesto was The Fire Fly Manifesto, which served as a great prelude to his very successful book Career Renegade. He also talked about Chris Guillebeau’s manifestos: The Art of Non-Conformity; and the Unconventional Guide to Discount Airfare: Surviving Stress and Maximizing Fun.

In short, a good manifesto is an attention-grabbing, short book with an exceptionally-designed cover that is used to promote your main book, product or service. They can be a clever and potentially lucrative promotional strategy – think about them.


The Audience

12. Tech-savvy audiences are redefining our conferences.

As I mentioned in a recent blog update Taking Expat Women Around The World, never before have I seen what I saw at BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas. At every presentation, at least three-quarters (!) of the audience were always either blogging, typing, foursquaring, tweeting or reading Twitter updates from others in the room (or from other sessions at the conference), instead of looking straight ahead at the presenters. It was a real eye-opener – and I found myself mimicking this multitasking behaviour – tweeting things I was learning and reading the tweets of others around me.



Summary

• Think differently;

• Act creatively;

• Produce awesome content/products/services; and

• Believe in yourself – you are just as good as many of the famous people!

HR Professionals: Want To Attend This Year's Worldwide ERC Conference For Free?

Yes, good news from Peggy Smith, the new CEO of the Worldwide ERC®... If you are a government or corporate Human Resources Professional, Peggy is inviting you to attend this year's annual conference for free, as her invited guest.  That is a saving of anywhere from US$1095 to US$1495, depending when you register and whether or not you are a member of the Worldwide ERC®.

Now, I do not know Peggy personally, but I have to commend her clever strategy.  Conference organizers are always crying out for more HR 'decision-makers' to attend and vendors are always crying out for more decision-makers to attend.  The upcoming Worldwide ERC® conference in Seattle, Washington, October 25-27, has more sponsors than ever... so one can only guess that Peggy is under some moderate pressure to attract HR decision-makers to match-make with the (likely many) attending service providers.

Need some justification to explain the ROI of attending to your boss?  Well, I smiled to find that they have this covered too, in their Justification Toolkit! :-)

To me, Peggy's offer this year is a win-win-win.  If you are a Corporate or Government HR Professional, why not take advantage of this offer?  The zero registration fee reduces your organization's outlay, and you never know, in addition to networking with peers and learning about current trends... you might actually find some products/services that you would like to contract.  A win-win-win: for you; the Worldwide ERC®; and for the service providers.

To everyone going to the conference, enjoy!  Andrea

13th Annual Talent Management Summit: September 27-29: Las Vegas, United States

For HR Professionals: Next month, Las Vegas will play host to the 13th Annual Talent Management Summit, September 27-29.  The overarching theme this year will be Using Talent Management to Accelerate Strategic Change.

Here are the 7 sub-themes for the Summit:

* Running Talent Management Like a Business

* Measured Financial Benefits of Your Talent Management Competencies and Metrics

* Recognize Authentic Leadership and Self-Aware Emotional Intelligence: Metrics and Measurement to Evaluate Performance

* Successfully Leverage Subject Matter Experts in your Organization - Developing Training for Maximum Management Performance

* Growing Leaders from Within: Developing Critical Leadership Talent

* Creating a Comprehensive Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Process to Positively Impact Company Objectives

* Managing Risk and Influencing Organizational Success through Clear Talent Management Strategies


List of Speakers:

* Allison Allen, Senior Manager, Learning Solutions, Royal Bank of Scotland

* Allison Friend, Chief Human Resource Officer, Goodwin Procter

* Alysia Vanitzian, Head of Talent Management, North America, Zurich Financial Services

* Andrew LaValle, Executive Director, Worldwide Recruitment, Entertainment & Networks, Time Warner

* Arturo Poire, Global Head of Talent Management, Marsh & McLennan

* Brian Fishel, Senior Vice President, Executive and Leadership Development, Bank of America

* Carolyn Turman, Chief Learning Officer, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division

* Cheryl Thomas, Senior Vice President, Director of Human Resources, Johnson Financial Group

* Claire St. Louis, Vice President, Talent and Career Development, United Water

* Dale DeLetis, Presentation Skills Specialist and Coach, Suffolk Construction

* David First, Vice President, Learning & Development, Suffolk Construction Company

* Dr. David S. Cohen, Owner, Strategic Action Group

* Dr. Lynn Schmidt, Director, Learning & Talent Management, Raytheon

* Doug Bryant, Director of Aerospace Organizational Development, Honeywell Aerospace

* Ed Bancroft, PrimeGenesis Executive Onboarding and Author

* Elizabeth Nieto, Global Talent and Diversity Director, Global Functions, CITI

* Eva Lynne Disbro, Vice President, Human Resources, McKee Foods Corporation

* Twyla Salaiz, Manager, Learning & Career Development, Raytheon

* Gary Wise, Senior Director, Learning Architecture, Education & Training, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

* Glenn Gutmacher, Vice President, Arbita ACES

* Jason Lauritsen, Vice President and Director of Human Resources, Union Bank and Trust Company

* Jeff Klem, Leadership Development Director, Healthways

* Karen Tracy, Vice President, Talent Management, Oldcastle Materials

* Kathleen Edge, Vice President, Talent Management, Oldcastle Products and Distribution

* Kathy Brooks, Vice President of Organizational Culture and Internal Communications, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

* Kelly Chapman, Director of Diversity Recruitment, Microsoft

* Larry Israelite, Vice President and Manager, Human Resource Development, Liberty Mutual Group

* Marc Effron, Founder, New Talent Management Network, Recognized as 100 Top Influencers in HR and Author of One Page Talent Management

* Mark Feurer, Global Human Resources Director, Bunge

* Melissa Lytell, Director of Human Resources Shared Services, US Department of State

* Michael McNeal, Vice President, Talent Strategy and Acquisition, Intuit

* Michelle Braaten, Director, Recruitment, Human Resources, Royal Bank of Canada

* Scott Dolny, Senior Vice President, Leadership Development, Enterprise Leadership Development, Bank of America

* Sherryl Stalinski, Director Organizational Development & Talent Management, Parsons Corporation,

* Thomas Rottenberger, Senior Vice President & Chief Human Capital Officer, Univision Communications

* Thorn Jenness, Managing Director, Human Resources, Societe Generale

To find out more, please click here. 

Thanks, and do enjoy if you are a HR Professional and decide to go!  Andrea

12th Annual Corporate University Week: Expo & Conference: November 15-18, 2010

Hi Everyone, If you are a Corporate/Government HR Professional, you might be interested in the upcoming Human Resources IQ’s 12th Annual Corporate University Week Expo and Conference, which is taking place at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, from November 15 to 18.

If you register before 27 August, you/your company can receive a discount up to US$1,000.  Here are some details...

"Human Resources IQ’s 12th Annual Corporate University Week Expo and Conference focuses on aligning learning and development with corporate goals. Discover how to run training as a business by acting as an internal strategic consultant, measuring performance, and tracking ROI.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain insight into:

* Integrating learning and development with short and long-term business goals

* Developing your next generation of leaders and building employees’ skills as a strategy for business growth

* Leveraging social media, serious games, mobile learning and virtual worlds to improve learning

* Building a sustainable talent pipeline by driving personal development and succession planning

* Running training as a business by acting as an internal strategic consultant, measuring performance and tracking ROI

Attend the Free Expo Hall

The Expansive Expo Hall will include the Brilliance Bar, interactive roundtables, product demos and the Presentation Theater, featuring:

* Transforming your Leadership Development Program for Excellence - Mary Kay Kopp, Global Learning Network Director, UPS

* Translating Results to ROI and Learning Effectiveness - Linda Landry, Senior Director, Global Learning and Organizational Effectiveness, Nuance Communications, Inc.

* Sustaining and Growing a Corporate University to Align with Business Objectives - Tricia Danielsen, Manager, ACI University, ACI Worldwide, Inc.

* Global Training Programs - Abigail Fuchs, Technical Training Manager, Aristocrat Technologies"

"A learning revolution is taking place, again - you can lead it or follow it....” - Christopher R. Hardy, Ph.D., Director, Global Learning and Technology Center, Defense Acquisition University

Click here to learn more, find prices, watch webinars and listen to podcasts.  Thanks.

Globe Women Summits: 2010; 2011 & 2012

Hi Everyone, Last month, the annual Globe Women Summit celebrated its 20th anniversary in Beijing, China, with 1,040 delegates attending (the largest number in the Summit's history), from 80 countries.  This was an impressive achievement and a credit to both the Summit's longevity and to the Summit's President and key spokesperson, Irene Natividad. 

For those of you interested in reading more about this year's summit, please see below some extracts from the Globe Women newsletter today.

For those of you interested in attending future summits, the 2011 Globe Women Summit will be held in Turkey (dates to be advised) and the 2012 Summit in Greece.

Best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea

Extracts From The Globe Women Summit Newsletter

"At the Opening Ceremony, Summit President Irene Natividad reminded participants of the uniqueness of this global forum – its focus on advancing women’s economic status worldwide; its program emphasis on exchanges of solutions and strategies forged by women; its insistence on having business, government and civil society leaders present at each forum – the three ‘legs’ of change, according to Natividad.

The Honorable Chen Zhili, Vice Chair of China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Chair of the All-China Women’s Federation, extended her country’s welcome and was joined by Vietnam’s Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson and the First Lady of Tanzania Salma Kikwete in greeting women leaders from around the world. A spectacular display of Chinese cultural music and dance capped the opening of the Summit in the Great Hall of the People, the venue for visiting heads of state over the years, whose doors China opened to women from around the world at the Summit."

"...How business can work together with government and civil society was the theme of the Ministerial Roundtable preceding the Summit. Thirty women government ministers of various portfolios and special high-level government officials including U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer and Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga shared with each other examples of such partnerships. Corporate leaders as well were invited to present programs they have developed with various governments to improve women’s lives.

ITT’s President for China and India Mike Kuchenbrod spoke of the water program they initiated in China that enabled women and girls in rural areas to secure water through water pumps they learn to put together. Qiagen’s President for Asia Pacific Victor Shi announced the provision of one million test kits that his company is making available to ensure early detection of cervical cancer among Chinese women and those in other developing economies. Wing dar Ker, Microsoft’s General Manager in the Asia Pacific and Greater China Region, spoke of technology programs for women in the region; Ernst & Young’s Billie Williamson described their project to assist entrepreneurial women, while the U.N.’s Executive Director for the International Trade Center Patricia Francis spoke of a telephony project with the Liberian government which enabled market price information to be conveyed speedily to farmers, many of whom are women.

The Ministers themselves voted to recognize two of their peers to receive the Ministerial Best Practices in Public/Private Partnership Awards. This year, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Labor Patricia Espinosa Torres was awarded for her ministry’s program to certify day workers, many of whom are women, to enable them to receive benefits. Saudi Arabia’s first woman minister, Norah al Faiz, Vice Minister of Education, was lauded for various education initiatives for girls developed in alliance with various partners in her country. For each project, the Global Summit of Women gave a U.S.$5,000.00 mini-grant to distinguish these initiatives. (For more information on past and recent Ministerial Roundtables, click here, click to GSW, then to Ministerial Roundtable.)

In keeping with the Summit’s tradition of saluting achievement on the world’s stage on behalf of women, the Global Women’s Leadership Award went to two renowned, outstanding women: Finland’s President Tarja Halonen and President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata."

"...The 2010 Summit Women’s Achievement Award was given to Chen Zhili, Vice Chair of China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Chair of the All-China Women’s Federation (with the rank of Minister). One of the highest ranking women in the Chinese government, Minister Chen serves as a role model for the women in her country as to the heights they can reach with effort, intelligence and leadership skills. She is now heading up ACWF’s programs to expand Chinese women’s economic and educational opportunities as well as to improve women’s health.

The Global Summit of Women itself received an ‘award’ for its two-decade record of bringing women together internationally to improve women’s economic futures by the Sungjoo Foundation. Its President, Sungjoo Kim (CEO of MCM), granted the Summit a US$1 million pledge to be used towards the engagement of youth in entrepreneurship. This year’s Youth Forum – the first of many to come -- brought over 100 business students from China for a program that introduced social and commercial entrepreneurship to this audience.

The Summit marked this generous commitment by granting, in turn, a U.S.$10,000 mini-grant to the All-China Women’s Federation for its Innovative Microenterprise Development program for Chinese Women. One of the interesting aspects of this program included coverage of the interest payments on loans secured by women business owners to start or to grow their businesses, thus releasing additional capitalization.

Since the 2007 in Berlin, the Summit has made a commitment to engage women worldwide to prevent cervical cancer – the only health issue in its program because there is a solution: effective testing and vaccinations. It is the only cancer for which the cause is known, HPV (human papilloma virus), and for which new technologies provide a promise of its eradication. The Summit asked its delegates to inform themselves and others, to get themselves tested and to persuade family members and networks to do the same. Hundreds of delegates at the Beijing Summit submitted pledge cards committing themselves to this fight and thus joining GSW’s Global Consortium to End Cervical Cancer."

"...As it moves towards the next decade, the Global Summit of Women announced two major initiatives to mark its 20th anniversary. The first is NGO Leads, a training program designed to assist NGO leaders in establishing sustainable organizations. “Women’s business associations and economic development groups do a tremendous service for women in other countries, but many are challenged by the demands of meeting their mission with limited resources and largely volunteer-driven programs, so NGO Leads is an attempt to assist in helping these critical institutions to grow,” states Summit President Irene Natividad.

Since small business is the foundation of every economy in the world, Entrepreneurial Legacies is a program that the Summit is launching to connect young women and girls with successful women entrepreneurs in different parts of the world. “You cannot imagine a career in which you don’t see role models, so showcasing women entrepreneurs in your own country and sharing their stories of lessons learned is a powerful source of inspiration, as well as information, for seeing entrepreneurship as a future path for economic success,” explains Natividad. (For NGOs to apply for either program, please email Globe Women here.)"

Dialogue For Action (For Women), June 24, NYC

Hello Everyone, Here is some information for an event in New York City on June 24, 2010, which is part of the International Herald Tribune’s Female Factor series...

Cécilia Attias Foundation For Women's Dialogue For Action

"The Dialogue for Action will function as a new dynamic platform where action-driven discussions will focus exclusively on identifying the three main women’s issues affecting each continent and finding solutions to improve them.

It will be the first event of its kind to build a dynamic community of organizations that champion the cause of women’s dignity, equality and well-being. We are delighted to be inviting NGO leaders from every continent and to provide them with a platform for dialogue and sharing best practices.

Experts and influencers from the public and private sectors of business, politics, media and academia will provide insight to identify solutions to the most pressing issues facing women.

Following the Dialogue for Action, The Cécilia Attias Foundation for Women will see that dedicated initiatives are implemented where needed. Local regional meetings will be organized as part of the follow-up in the field to assess the progress of each initiative.

With the help of dedicated NGO leaders, our media partners and through a series of creative fundraising events, we will work towards the betterment of women’s lives around the world.

Registration

If you have received an invitation letter, please complete the following online registration process to participate in the Dialogue for Action 2010.

Apply For An Invitation

The Dialogue for Action is an invitation-only forum. We welcome NGO leaders and women’s rights experts from the public and private sectors to apply.

To be considered for an invitation, please send us an email or call us at +1 (212) 794 8801 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 (212) 794 8801 end_of_the_skype_highlighting ext 107."

Thanks.

Writers, Authors & Self-Publishers Be Quick! Online Conference May 12-14

Hi Everyone, I just discovered what looks like a really great online conference, if you are a writer, author and/or a current or wannabe self-publisher... 

It is the Self-Publishers Online Conference and it is being run May 12-14 (US Pacific time).  You can listen 'live' for free, or you can pay US$97 for the downloads (if you have a credit card from one of these countries: United States; Australia; Canada; England/Great Britain; Ireland; New Zealand; or Northern Ireland) as I just did, so you can listen later at your convenience.

But hurry... it is almost May 12, so if this conference sounds like you, check it out quickly.  Best wishes, Andrea.

SUMMARY OF THE AGENDA

Day 1 - May 12 - Writing/Publishing

Keynote: Dan Poynter
Self-Publishing Past, Present, and Future

Marcia Yudkin
Writing Without Angst

Writing & Publishing Roundtable: Q & A

Susan Daffron & James Byrd
Finish Your Book the "Publishize" Way

Mark Levine
How to Avoid Publishing Pitfalls

Hobie Hobart
From Book Cover to Blockbuster Brand: How Choosing the Right Book Cover Can Launch Your Business


Day 2 - May 13 - Promotion

Keynote: Fern Reiss
How Self-Publishers Can Thrive in Today's Publishing Climate

MJ Rose
Buzz Your Book

Promotion Roundtable: Q & A

John Kremer
Book Promotion 101: The Secrets to Book Marketing Success

Kate Bandos
DIY Book Promotion

Internet Publicity: How to Leverage Social Media for Profit


Day 3 - May 14 - Build Your Empire

Keynote: Mark Victor Hansen
How to Become a Wealthy Writer

Peter Bowerman
Build Your Own "Well Fed" Empire

Empire Building Roundtable: Q & A

William Patterson
How to Turn Your Product Line into a Fortune

Janet Goldstein
The Platform Manifesto for Authorpreneurs: Grow Your Visibility and Tribe to Grow Your Sales, Success, and Satisfaction

Peter Winick
Develop and Execute a Strategy to Monetize Your Platform

Twitter Updates For Relocation & Conferences: What Have You Missed?

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in conference and/or relocation industry updates, here are some of my recent tweets (nearly all are not already on this blog) that might interest you:

Latest Cartus survey reveals new global relocation trends http://bit.ly/cr6c5v

WITI's Women and Technology Summit, San Jose, CA, 12-14 Sept 2010 http://bit.ly/clxECs

Brookfields' annual Global #Relocation Trends Survey released http://bit.ly/9YKJNL

Top 10 Global #Immigration Mistakes and How Companies Can Avoid Them - Free Webinar http://bit.ly/d6EeDU

43rd Atlas® Corporate Relocation Survey results: Less people willing to relocate. More short-termers http://bit.ly/bMDzqK @Atlas_Van_Lines

Forum for Expatriate Management holding Global Mobility Summit & Awards Dinner, New York, 4 Oct 2010 www.bit.ly/c0xcT7

Forum for Expatriate Management holding Global Mobility Summit & Awards Dinner, London, 15 Nov 2010 http://bit.ly/92ypX2

The sold-out EuRA Conference in Palma this week has been postponed until April due to ash havoc http://bit.ly/aW7w8x

Some of the speakers lined up for the first Fearless #Woman Summit in Atlanta, June 16-17 http://bit.ly/aeupgX

School Choice appoints Global Mobility expert Timothy Dwyer as new COO http://bit.ly/crhoj9 Read our i/v with CEO Liz http://bit.ly/aeaHPX

Did you go to the FIGT Conference in March? If yes, you might yourself in @crossingculture 's photos http://bit.ly/ch0cmZ

Mark your calendar: Next FIGT conference: Mar 17-19, 2011, Washington, DC. Subscribe for updates http://www.figt.org RT @crossingculture

Effective Parenting Conference Dubai 24 April Our friend Becky Grappo speaking: 'How To Get Kids To Think About T'row' http://bit.ly/ab8AfH

PwC's 'Talent mobility 2020: The Next Generation of International Assignments' expects 50% more expats http://bit.ly/aBDZEY RT @expatsguide

Info evening Paris (18 May) http://bit.ly/bB8MHh about Women's International Networking (W.I.N.) conference (6-9 Oct) Paris

Please click here if you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter.  Thanks.  Andrea. :-)

EuRA Conference This Week Postponed

Hi Everyone, After tweeting last week a congratulatory note to EuRA that their conference scheduled for this week in Palma de Mallorca was sold out, I felt really bad for all involved today when they announced that their conference has been postponed now to April 2011 (in Palma), due to the ash havoc disrupting so many flights to/from/within Europe. Our thoughts go out to EuRA and to everyone planning to attend.

To compensate a little, here's a shout-out for EuRA:
"European Relocation Association (EuRA) is an industry body for Relocation Professionals in both Europe and Worldwide. EuRA launched in Brussels in May 1998 in response to the increasing demand for an industry body. The launch was the result of a year of international co-operation. To date EuRA has over 236 members worldwide."

Various Expat Women News Tidbits

Hi once more Everyone, Following on from my earlier post today about how easy it is to put tidbits of information on Twitter, here are some of the tidbits I have posted on Twitter recently that might interest you...

Seeking: American and British Expats in Singapore for a Research Project
"For Third Culture Kids Seeking: American and British Expats currently in Singapore to participate in a research project. Single recording session approx 2 hrs, reading English sentences. Monetary Token of appreciation will be given at the end of the session. Contact Nicole at dataproj.sg@gmail.com if interested."

Which Airport has been Voted Best in the World for the 5th Year in a Row?
You'd be surprised!

Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010
Over 19,000 votes.

13 Mistakes For Americans to Avoid When Filing Taxes This Year
If you are American and needing to lodge a tax return in the United States this year, read on...

American Council on International Personnel's 36th Annual Symposium
June 7-10
Washington DC
Main topic: Immigration

Totally Expat Show for Global Mobility Industry Professionals
London 24 May 2010

Families in Global Transition Conference
March 4-6
Houston, Texas, United States
It's not too late!
I really wish I was going...

7 Reasons Not to Put All Your Eggs in the Twitter Basket
Interesting blog post on Social Examiner by Jay Baer, a social media strategist and coach.

Managing Home Leave
Recent article by Paragon Relocations:
"Is there a connection between Home Leave and employee attrition/retention? Home Leave was intended to help minimise the effects of the culture shock of an international assignment. It allows assignees to maintain family ties and stay current with home business contacts and associates; and keep connected with their community and culture. Still, attrition rates upon completion of assignments remain high. Is there a disconnect between the philosophy of the home leave provision and its actual impact to assignment satisfaction?"

Looking for Expat Experts to Contribute to Our ExpatArrivals Guides
If you are interested, read the short message.

Expat Coach Megan Fitzgerald in Top 10
Congratulations to previous Expat Women Business Idea interviewee and long-time ExpatWomen.com supporter, Megan Fitzgerald, who was recently named by The Undercover Recruiter in their top ten Facebook fan pages for job seekers and career-minded folk.

Authors Needed for Culture Smart Books
If you are interested, please contact Jo Parfitt, who will then link you to Culture Smart. Thanks.


To catch all of these updates as soon as I make them, I invite you to follow me on Twitter.

Thanks, Andrea.

Global Summit Of Women, May 20-22: Beijing, China

Hi Everyone, It's only three months now until the annual Global Summit of Women (conference): May 20-22. Each year they hold the Summit in a different part of the world, with a different theme:

2010: Beijing, China: Women at the Forefront of Change
2009: Santiago, Chile: Setting New Paradigms for Business and Political Leadership
2008: Hanoi, Vietnam: Women and Asia: Driving the Global Economy
2007: Berlin, Germany: The Global Marketplace: Opportunities and Challenges
2006: Cairo, Egypt: Redefining Global Leadership
2005: Mexico City, Mexico: Leading the 21st Century Economy
2004: Seoul, South Korea: Leadership, Technology, Growth
2003: Marrakech, Morocco: Preventing Conflict Through Women's Economic Development
...and the list goes on.

It's a great gathering of women and if you would like to join their 20th anniversary celebration Summit this year, click here for details.

Conferences, Awards, Scholarships, Competitions & More...

Hi Everyone, If you have missed my Twitter shout-outs, here are some upcoming conferences, scholarships/awards/competition deadlines that might interest you:

Clements International Offers US$10,000 In Expat Youth Scholarships
Our Expat Women Silver Sponsor Clements International is again offering Expat Youth Scholarships to expatriate students. US$10,000 will be shared between six winning students, aged 12-18, of any nationality, who have spent the last two consecutive years living outside of their home country. The scholarship contest offers expat students a chance to share their experiences of living in a foreign country through a 500-750 word essay and a creative image answering the question “Where would you go in your flying house?”

The Great Giveaway: The Women's Conference 2010
"For the first time ever, The Women’s Conference® is presenting The Great Giveaway. Each month, from February through September, we’re giving you the opportunity to win two complimentary Special Guest Passes to attend the nation’s premier forum for women, interview one of our top speakers and meet California First Lady Maria Shriver. The Women’s Conference 2010, to be held on October 25 and 26 in Long Beach, California, includes a stellar lineup of leaders, journalists, experts, authors and artists to inform and inspire you to become an Architect of Change."

FIGT Conference Reminder & Early-Bird Discount Deadline
Families in Global Transition Conference
4-6 March 2010, Houston, Texas, United States
Early-bird discount ends midnight February 2.
Use code SPECFRD2010.

Transitions Abroad 2010 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest
Closes 15 February 2010.
1st prize US$500. 2nd prize US$150. 3rd prize US$100.
Seeking original and unpublished essays, up to 1,500 words.

"TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2010 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad. Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well..."

Awards for Foreign Service Youth
"Every year, the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) organizes a series of contests for Foreign Service youth. The contests offer U.S. Foreign Service kids and teens the opportunity to showcase their talents, accomplishments and unique perspectives on the world. Two winners will each receive a US$1,500 U.S. savings bond and recognition at the annual youth awards ceremony at the Department of State in July 2010."

Our Expat Women Silver Sponsor Clements International sponsors the Community Service Award, which honors U.S. Foreign Service youth who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts at home or abroad while facing the challenges of living an internationally mobile lifestyle. Deadline for entries is 15 April 2010.

FAWCO Conference
The FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) is holding its next conference in Boston, United States, 11-14 March 2010... which is only next month, so hurry, if you/your club is interested in sending representatives.

Re:locate Awards
And finally, entries for the UK's Re:locate Magazine's annual Re:locate awards close 15 February 2010. So if you are in the relocation arena and would like to enter, be sure to get your entry in this week or next.

The Seven Award Categories are:

1. Best Relocation Strategy/Policy;
2. Technological Innovation in Relocation;
3. Inspirational HR Team of the Year;
4. Relocation Service Provider or Team of the Year;
5. Best Property Provider or Solution;
6. Rising Star in Relocations; and/or
7. Relocation Personality of the Year.

Good luck to all who enter! Andrea

Registrations Now Open For Globe Women Summit in Beijing, China, May 20-22, 2010

Hi Everyone, A quick shout-out for the Globe Women Summit coming up in May 2010.

"The 2010 Summit theme 'Women at the Forefront of Change' illustrates our cause for celebration as the Summit enters the next decade of the leadership role that women are playing in addressing the critical issues that women—and men—face worldwide. The Summit will feature women who have led best practices and policies, which are improving women’s economic status worldwide.

Please note that we are limiting participants to 1,000 at the 2010 Summit and we expect to reach full capacity far in advance of the Summit opening so we encourage you to register early."

The Summit will take place at the Marriott City Wall Hotel in Beijing, China.

Registrations are now open and you can learn more online here.

Reminder: I Am Not A Tourist Fair, October 25, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hi Everyone, A reminder that if you are living in (or considering living in) The Netherlands, Expatica's sixth annual I Am Not A Tourist Fair is the place for you to be on October 25.

I am actually going to be at the Fair this year, so mark your calendars and come and say 'hi' to me at our Expat Women stand. Andrea :-)

"Don’t miss the “i am not a tourist” Fair on Sunday, 25 October. It’s all an expat needs to make the most of life in the Netherlands.Whether you have lived here for 10 days or 10 years, make sure you keep Sunday the 25 October free on your calendars for this once-a-year opportunity.

“i am not a tourist” 2009 will be an interactive extravaganza of experts and companies specialising in expatriate life, workshops, networking, and entertainment.We’ve invited 90 exhibitors to offer you a helping hand. Have a chat with a recruitment agent, get a word of advice on house hunting, compare universities for your master’s degree, join a group or club and mix with thousands of other internationals.

Get invaluable information about surviving abroad, attend seminars on meditation, landing that perfect job or pubic speaking, and enjoy superb entertainment and networking opportunities.

The programme includes workshops on whiskey tasting, salsa, improv comedy, and chocolate and sushi making as well as on-stage performances by standup comedians and salsa dancers. Bring the family along, as we have a dedicated kids corner!

Tickets are FREE when ordered online at: www.expatica.com/iamnotatourist."

Reminder: 12th Annual Talent Mgt Summit, Chicago, US, October 26-28, 2009

Hi Everyone, A reminder that if your job is HR/talent management/ recruitment, do not forget to check out the annual (US) Talent Management Summit is coming up in two weeks in Chicago.

From October 26-28, you can join in the action at the Wyndham Lisle-Chicago Hotel, Chicago, IL. Here are some official words from the organizers:

"The largest industry gathering of talent management professionals returns to exciting Chicago! Guaranteed to invigorate and improve your talent management strategy, The 12th Annual Talent Management Summit will bring together Fortune 500 leaders to share their recession-proof talent strategies.

The war for talent has completely changed. It's more important than ever to retain and develop your current employees. The 12th Annual Talent Management Summit provides strategies to:

• Assess which leadership skills matter most;
• Develop different types of people;
• Upgrade your talent pools;
• Sharpen your talent;
• Be smarter about how to approach talent issues; and
• Prepare for the turnaround.

View the final agenda here."

Other links of interest:
Confirmed conference speakers
Pricing and discounts
Workshops

12th Annual Talent Management Summit, Chicago, US, October 26-28, 2009

Hi Everyone, If your job is HR/talent management/recruitment, you might like to mark your calender that the annual (US) Talent Management Summit is coming up next month in Chicago.

From October 26-28, you can join in the action at the Wyndham Lisle-Chicago Hotel, Chicago, IL. Here are some official words from the organizers:

"The largest industry gathering of talent management professionals returns to exciting Chicago! Guaranteed to invigorate and improve your talent management strategy, The 12th Annual Talent Management Summit will bring together Fortune 500 leaders to share their recession-proof talent strategies.

The war for talent has completely changed. It's more important than ever to retain and develop your current employees. The 12th Annual Talent Management Summit provides strategies to:

• Assess which leadership skills matter most;
• Develop different types of people;
• Upgrade your talent pools;
• Sharpen your talent;
• Be smarter about how to approach talent issues; and
• Prepare for the turnaround.

View the final agenda here."

Other links of interest:

Confirmed conference speakers

Pricing and discounts

Workshops

Global Summit Of Women 2009 & 2010

Hi Everyone, The Global Summit Of Women get-together recently wrapped up in Santiago, Chile. To see media interviews about this year's event, I invite you to visit the Summit's media page here. To read some of this year's presentations, just visit their 2009 conference page here.

The 2010 conference will be their 20th anniversary conference and it will be in Beijing, China (assumably in May).

Globe Women Summit & Female World Leaders

Hi Everyone, Just a reminder that the Globe Women Summit is fast approaching. If you are interested in going to Santiago, Chile, for May 14-16, then the Globe Women Summit might be for you.

Background: Every year, they change the region in which this annual conference is held. Last year, it was in Asia (Vietnam). Before that, I believe it was in Europe and in Africa.

Whilst on the other Globe Women site, I read an interesting page about our world's current female leaders. According to Globe Women, there are 9 female Presidents and 6 female Prime Ministers in power today. Hats off to these women... and here's hoping that one day, instead of 15 leaders, women hold 2, 3, 4 or 5+ times this number of country leadership positions.