Reflections on the APDO conference

I am late in writing my blog post this week. Why? Have I been lazy? Not at all! I spent the week in Preston, Leeds and Manchester at the APDO conference: A TIME FOR CHANGE.

In this week’s blog post, I want to give my reflections on the APDO

APDO is the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers, the trade organisation for professional organisers like me. This week we had our annual conference where we laughed, networked and listened to some fascinating talks. Below is a roundup of what happened, my impressions and the talks I attended.

I arrived at the conference venue, a hotel, just after 9 am on Wednesday morning. I was greeted by the lovely organisers, who made me feel welcome and directed me towards the coffee pot. Essential for an addict like me!

After a short mingling opportunity, we were ushered into the main conference room to receive an official welcome and to listen to an excellent talk by Clarissa Krist Jansson on working with menopause, a topic close to my heart. The speaker was engaging and made the subject accessible to everyone, including men.

Following on from the keynote speaker, we were divided into workshops. The one I attended was on social media by Jonathan Tilley. Jonathan explained in an engaging way the dos and dont’s of social media and how to get the most out of it. Alternatively, I could have attended one on selling successfully. Luckily, they are all filmed so we can watch the recording.

Lunch was another fabulous affair; I was expecting soggy sandwiches but instead was given a choice of various hot and cold meals, salads and soups. I settled for soup and good company with a fellow organiser who lives around the corner from me in London. We chatted about our respective businesses and our first impressions of the conference.

After lunch, we had more workshops. I attended the one on photo organising, which was a good introduction for anyone unfamiliar with what photo organisers do. As I had already binged on the photo managers training courses, I didn’t really learn too many new things, but hey ho. Still good to support my photo organising colleagues.

During the afternoon break, Caroline Rogers offered a meditation session that I naturally attended. It made me feel relaxed and got rid of some of my tiredness.

The day’s final session was by American Leslie Josel on how to create multiple streams of income. Really good to hear from someone who is successful and has been in business for a long time. Leslie Josel from Order out of Chaos specialises in coaching children and teenagers with ADH, lecturing on the topic and creating products, such as an academic planner, to help those affected.

In the evening, I attended the official social. I chatted to a group of lovely women, ate delicious pie and enjoyed getting to know my fellow organisers in a relaxed setting.

On day two, I woke up to the views of HMP Manchester; I was staying in a cheap Travelodge rather than the hotel where the conference was. I had breakfast, changed clothes and went back to the conference centre for coffee, networking and more talks.

First, we did a little dancing workshop, which was a brilliant way to wake us up and get the juices flowing. What a fab idea!

After that, we again had a choice of workshops; I chose one on turning your passion into a profitable business. Again, I struggled slightly with staying awake, but that wasn’t a reflection on the speaker, who, like all before her, was engaging and had useful stuff to say.

The highlight of the conference was a panel discussion on hoarding that consisted of two hoarding experts and a woman who is a hoarder. I thought it was brave of her to come up on stage and talk about her experiences as a hoarder.

After another fabulous lunch, we had two more workshops to choose from Wardrobe Decluttering and Defining Goals and Guided Visualisation. Both sounded interesting, impossible to choose. So I went for the latter.

In the next break, we again had the option to attend a workshop, this time an introduction to the APDO book group. I again attend the workshop to support my fellow book group attendees rather than learn anything new.

The day’s final session was another talk by Jonathan Tilley on niching down to brand up. He is a very engaging speaker due to his background in acting; it perked me up.

In addition to socialising, networking and listening to talks, there were also stalls scattered throughout the conference venue. Stalls from commercial exhibitors selling their products and stalls from fellow organisers offering their services or associations.

After the final session, there was another social, but I only managed to stay for one diet coke. After that, I was well and truly exhausted and felt it was time to return home. But not before I had gravy and chips, my favourite comfort food.

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trabantbettina

Bettina Anna Trabant, Founder of Life Organised, your professional organising and decluttering service in East London. Eco-conscious minimalist and avid tea drinker,