1st ANNUAL IVAA PROFESSIONAL SUMMIT PROMOTES THE GROWING VIRTUAL ASSISTANT INDUSTRY Not-for-profit organization offers development opportunities to entrepreneurs

The International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) announces the First Annual IVAA Summit: A Professional Virtual Assistants Best Practice Conference. The event will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada October 23 -- 25, 2002. This conference welcomes all virtual assistant (VA) practitioners and individuals interested in becoming involved in this growing industry. It is the mission of IVAA to educate the public about the industry, provide professional support for practicing VAs and encourage the business community to learn more about the benefits of utilizing virtual assistants.

Los Angeles, CA (October 22, 2001) The International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) announces the First Annual IVAA Summit: A Professional Virtual Assistants Best Practice Conference. The event will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada October 23 -- 25, 2002. This conference welcomes all virtual assistant (VA) practitioners and individuals interested in becoming involved in this growing industry.

A Virtual Assistant is an independent entrepreneur who offers professional business support services in a virtual environment. These services range from administrative and clerical to more specialized offerings. Many VA Practices now offer niche" services including: accounting, graphic design, web site authoring, marketing, public relations, human resources, project management, coaching, office management, real estate, legal, fundraising and development, event planning, travel and concierge, writing, editing, research, database administration, not-for-profit organization and other high-demand specialties.

The history of the Virtual Assistant profession is quite short-no more than a few years old-and is the result of a number of emerging factors in the general business environment. These factors include the growth of the Internet, changing demographics, corporate downsizing, the evolution of telecommuting relationships, and the expansion of the field of virtual services in general.

The Virtual Assistant" began to emerge from this backdrop in 1995, when isolated Internet sites began to appear offering Web-based staffing solutions. While recent research indicates that the majority of VAs are now based in the US, practices are also located in Australia, the UK, and other countries. The international development of the industry is expected to grow rapidly, in English-speaking countries in particular, as Internet usage continues to spread.

The First Annual IVAA Summit will offer presentations from leaders in the VA and related industries, workshops on legal issues for the small business entrepreneur and opportunities to address technical issues relevant to companies who provide their services virtually.

The IVAA is a not-for-profit international organization dedicated to promoting the VA industry and providing development opportunities for all professional Virtual Assistants.

As the leading professional Virtual Assistants organization, IVAA has set forth standards for professionalism in virtual assistance and IVAA Certified Virtual Assistants have passed a series of rigorous exams on ethics, prevalent software skills, Internet skills, and written communication skills.

The IVAA CVA certification immediately identifies career VAs with the professionalism demanded to perform expert virtual assistance. For potential clients, the IVAA CVA designation offers added assurance of quality VA services.

For more information about the IVAA Annual Summit, visit www.vasummit.org. For more information about the VA industry and the International Virtual Assistants Association, visit www.ivaa.org or e-mail info@ivaa.org.