Surrey, British Columbia, Canada -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/03/2007 -- One year ago this month, VANetworking.com, home of the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (affectionately called “VANA” by members) celebrated the registration of its 3000th member with a special contest. Valuable prizes were awarded each day in December for the first annual VA Advent Calendar Contest. VANA’s founder, Tawnya Sutherland, is thrilled to announce that as of this writing there are more than 7,500 registered members which means an even bigger celebration is in store for 2007!

How did VANA’s membership more than double in one year? Because the VA industry is exploding! With a recent article published in ‘Readers Digest’, a segment on ABC’s ‘The Today Show’, and lots of other media attention, more people are being attracted to the industry and more business owners are becoming aware of Virtual Assistance. If you are a Virtual Assistant – a highly skilled professional providing administrative support and other specialized services to businesses, entrepreneurs and executives – here’s your opportunity to join this VA family for advice, mentoring, and camaraderie. As the forum theme goes, “Hey, Hey, The VA Gang’s All Here,” and they are! Supporting one another and working hard to promote the Virtual Assistant Industry.

Sutherland states, “One downside working virtually from home is that you now miss those office coffee breaks to brainstorm, network and just brag about your son’s latest sport accomplishment with your fellow office colleagues. Networking with others of like mind keeps many of us of sound mind allowing us not to go stir crazy working all by ourselves with little human interaction. By joining online networking groups, this void can be filled through forum interaction and online interactive webinars. A good example of this is our VANA Deck the Offices virtual holiday party being held December 13th in our webinar room. We will be playing networking games, having contests, giving away prizes and truly just enjoying each other’s company in a festive way.”

Considering becoming a Virtual Assistant? Now is the perfect time to join VANA – the global meeting place for aspiring and successful VAs. As a member you’ll have access to over 74,000 posts, expert advice on work-related topics, weekly VA chats, monthly contests, the VANA Newsletter, discounts on products and services, and placement on a growing listing of VAs in 14 countries in the VA Service Directory, and just in time for the holidays – access to the VANA Shop. And it’s all for free!

All members old and new will be eligible to win great prizes in this year’s VA Advent Calendar Contest. Prizes are valued at over $5,000 and are all perfectly suited for virtual assistants – both new to the VA industry and seasoned veterans alike.

How do you play? A different prize will be drawn daily during the Advent season (December 1- 25) and all members who have posted within 30 days will be entered into the draw. It’s that simple!

Prizes include:

-‘The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Thriving Business’ ebook by Yvonne Weld – value $49.95
-Get Clients NOW! book and 1 hour of consultation (donated by University of VAs)– value $90
-VAinsider membership – value $295
-Free enrollment in the Virtual Assistant Training Program (VATP) – value $1200
-Full scholarship for Virtual Assistant University (VAU) – value $1500
-Many more ebooks and business building products coveted by VAs everywhere!!!

Patty Dost, owner of ‘www.TimeIsOfTheEsCents.com’, is a volunteer at VANA and, in her role as volunteer, she is gathering prizes for this year’s contest. “I love volunteering at VANA and this type of thing, I just adore.” says Dost, “Not only does my business grow thanks to the advice and information I receive as a member, but I get to gather prizes that will make a different VA happy every day in December!”

If you have a product or service you wish to introduce to the VA community this is a great low-cost advertising opportunity. You can email Patty at resources@vanetworking.com for details.

If you are a business owner who would like to learn more about the VA industry, where better to look? You can’t beat VANA (VANetworking.com) when it comes to resources and the vast pool of professionals from which to draw.

About Tawnya Sutherland
Tawnya Sutherland, founder of Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) http://www.vanetworking.com and author of the Virtual Assistant Startup System (VBSS), is a Certified Internet Marketing Specialist sharing her expertise to help aspiring and successful VAs turn website clicks into cash for them.