Interview with Linda Eagleton of Creative Surrounds, about her experience as a ʻnewbieʼ at her first AAPO Conference last year.

AAPO: ! Linda, when did you join AAPO? Linda: ! I joined around April 2009.

AAPO: ! So youʼd only been a member for a few months before you attended your ! ! first conference - what made you want to go?Linda: ! I wanted to meet other organisers face-to-face and learn more ! ! about the industry.

AAPO: ! What was the highlight? Linda: ! All of the speakers were really inspiring and had different information to ! ! share. Some were more motivational type topics and others were industry ! ! specific so it was a great variety of sessions. The highlight was really just ! ! being around other organisers and seeing how successful you could become ! ! if youʼre focussed.

AAPO: ! Did you change any aspect of your business as a result of learning new ! ! things at the conference? Linda: ! For me, it was really the turning point for going full steam ahead and realising ! ! that this is a professional business and Iʼm only going to be as successful as ! ! the amount of work I put into the business. So, the change was really in my ! ! mindset as opposed to a tangible thing and it has definitely affected my ! ! business in a positive way.

AAPO: ! Do you think the conference helped you to get new business? Linda: ! Absolutely! It changed how I run the business and made me more focussed.

AAPO: ! Would you recommend the conference to other newbies, or do you think ! ! people should wait until they've been in business for a couple of years before ! ! going? Linda: ! The conference is completely relevant for all Professional Organisers. For ! ! new members, it gives direction and is the best networking opportunity youʼre ! ! going to get. Youʼll gain valuable insight into the industry – certainly ! ! information thatʼs not available in any books. And Iʼd imagine for more ! ! established business itʼs important to constantly reassess and think ʻis there ! ! a better way to do thingsʼ. Itʼs a great way to open your eyes and think ! ! outside the box. Also, a year later, Iʼm still referring back to notes I took from ! ! Kit Andersonʼs presentation on chronic disorganisation. So I can highly ! ! recommend the conference to all members - new or not so new!