AIIP: Agile Independent Information Professionals Weather the Storms
Wow – what a year we just had. Like many others, as we begin 2021, I am wondering when we will get back to normal—and what exactly normal will look like!
One thing I do know is that my colleagues in AIIP have adapted and are continuing to adapt to the new way of being, whatever that may be. A few years ago, at our 2017 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, the theme was “Resilience, Reinvention, Renewal: Pivoting for Success.” Our keynote speaker was Jenny Blake, whose talk was titled Pivot: The Only Move that Matters is Your Next One, helped us to think about staying agile in an ever-changing world.
So, to say we are equipped for changes like what we saw this past year through the pandemic is an understatement. Recently, I heard from members like Kelly Schrank of Bookworm Editing Services, that she was able to speak at more conferences than she would have normally due to all conferences being virtual – therefore no travel or travel budget required. This has allowed her to get exposure to a wider audience than she would have in a ‘normal’ year. Another member, Daniel Foscarini of Toscin Data, ruminated that his data contract business is thriving, while his painting business has declined. This has been a pattern that he has seen in the past, so he easily adapts from one to the other based on the needs of his clients. Member Jennifer Wegman of Insight Information Solutions saw a change in the widespread use and acceptance of virtual networking in the year 2020. This was a tool she had used in prior years out of necessity due to being a mother with young kids, and now it is so commonplace that it has allowed her to expand her network even more.
Many of us were already working from home, so the fact that our clients are now also working from home seems to have leveled the playing field when starting new projects. Now that everyone is attending meetings virtually, we can relate to one another in the same way, with no one having an advantage of being onsite.
AIIP as an organization is also adapting to the changes in the world brought on by the pandemic. We are excited to be holding our first ever virtual conference this year, from April 14-16, 2021. The conference will provide a robust virtual networking space for our attendees and the presentations will include valuable sessions such as:
- Making the Most of Change
- Recognizing and Responding to Isolation’s Effects: A Story from the Trenches
- All Things Secure: Safe Virtual Interactions with your Clients
Our keynote speaker, Micki Vandeloo of Lakeview Consulting, will talk about Turning Adversity into Action, while our closing speaker, Emily Binder of Beetle Moment Marketing, will present Voice: The Next Marketing Channel.
In addition to our annual conference, we have also partnered with some of our expert members to provide a few pre-conference workshops that will allow solopreneurs from all over the world to attend. Remaining workshops include Making Yourself Irreplaceable: The Power and Magic of The Reality-Check Conversation presented by strategic business coach Mary Ellen Bates, and Mighty Content Creation Planning for Solopreneurs, presented by marketing coach Jennifer Burke.
We hope you will join us as we continue to learn how to adapt and thrive as independent information professionals, whatever the weather.
Jennifer Pflaumer serves as AIIP’s 2020-2021 president. She launched her information management consultancy, Paroo, in 2009 after realizing the need for concentrated information management solutions for businesses across all industries. Her expertise includes liaising between key business groups and IT departments to manage digital assets, creating information strategies and performing systems analysis and design.
