Meet Me

Hi, my name is Leesa Barnes. I’m an award winning author, virtual event producer and author of Podcasting for Profit.

I’m President of the International Association of Virtual Event Managers (IAVEM), an online membership organization that teaches businesses how to produce profitable (and pain-free) virtual events through education and peer support.

Why You Should Trust Me With Your Virtual Event Journey

I hosted my first virtual event in 2003 while working as a software project manager for a global technology company. The small company I worked for was acquired by a larger company and practically overnight, I went from a team of 12 project managers to 200 worldwide.

I had to teach all these project managers how to do what I was doing so they could use our methodology to deploy the software in their local countries. And because there was a ban on inter-company travel, I had to find another way to train my colleagues. That’s when I used a webinar platform to teach my colleagues what to do.

When I was laid off in 2004, I started using virtual events to boost my visibility. I made alot of mistakes, however, by 2006, I finally understood how to host virtual events and virtual shows for profit. I now teach others how to make money hosting virtual events through my association and through my home study programs called Virtual Event Launch Secrets & Virtual Event Marketing Blueprint.

And if you’re too busy to learn how to produce your virtual event, I can do it for you. Just holla!

So, Some People Think I’m Way Cool

It’s good to know that someone other than my mother thinks I do some awesome stuff. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with mom (God bless her), but mom’s perspective on her eldest is a bit skewed. So, it’s awesome that others recognize me and my accomplishments and see what my mom sees. Here’s just a few:

• Named as one of the 101 Inspiring Women Bloggers to Watch in 2010 by WE Magazine for Women.
• Winner of the 2009 Harry Jerome award for excellence in Technology & Innovation.
• Ranked #2 on Profectio’s 2008 Top 10 Most Influential Women in Social Media in Canada.
• Only Canadian named in 2008 as one of the 50 Most Powerful &Influential Women in Social Media by Ron Hudson.
• Host of an annual virtual event called Social Media Telesummitwhich attracts hundreds of attendees from around the world and features some of North America’s top best selling authors and success gurus including Michael Port, Paul Colligan, Andy Wibbels, Pam Slim, Milana Leshinsky and David Meerman Scott.
• In 2007, I authored Podcasting for Profit: A Proven 7 Step Plan to Help Individuals & Businesses Generate Income Through Audio & Video Podcasting, a critically acclaimed book featuring interviews with over 50 podcasters who are making a five, six or seven income using a podcast (oh, and it sold just under 1000 copies in the first 30 days of publication without me leaving my house).
• Lead organizer of the very first Podcamp Toronto in 2007 which attracted just over 300 attendees and $5000 in sponsorship without paying for any advertising.
• Named by Canada’s Word of Mouth expert in 2006 as one of theTop 50 Media & Marketing Bloggers in Canada.
• Ranked #1 in Google for the search term podcasting expert, a position I’ve held since April 2006.
• Was the founding president in 2000 of a professional association called BITePRO that went from 25 to 200 members in just 90 days.
• Worked as a software project manager for a global technology company managing million dollar projects and hundreds of resources in a dozen countries.
• Winner of a young entrepreneurs award for my achievements in technology from the African Canadian Achievement Awards and Black Enterprise Network.
• Launched sportsfemmes.com in 1998, an online sports magazine that netted $2500 a month in ad sales before the dot com bust.
• My clients have used my social media advice to appear on TV talk shows, win prestigious awards, get invited to speak at high profile events and increase their income.

I list these accolades not to brag (because that’s an un-Canadian thing to do), but to show you that online marketing, virtual events and technology is something that I have been involved in since 1994. Online marketing and virtual events are not a fad to me. I’ve used these tools to help me and my clients achieve many goals.

Yes, I’m More Than Just a Serious Business Woman

My interests are pretty tame and not so interesting, but here’s what gets me uber excited from time to time:

• Lululemon – The gear, not the activity they were made for. In other words, I love Lululemon because no other athletic apparel company can make women look so dang good while they sweat, but sadly, I’m so not a fan of yoga.
• Star Trek – I don’t care which series (except DS9), but I can watch Star Trek for hours.
• Post Apocalyptic or Apocalyptic films – The end of the world is near (or has come), so who will save us (or revive the species)? I just can’t get enough of these films and no matter how bad (like, The Happening, but definitely not Battlefield Earth because that’s, like, the worst movie ever), I’ll buy it, put it on my bookshelf and watch it over and over.
• Speaking French – I couldn’t understand why I’ve been obsessed with learning to speak French (I think I’m at 30% proficiency) until I discovered that my great-great-great grandfather was French. From France. Now I get it. My obsession, not the French language.
• Winter – My favourite season of the year. I was born in a snowstorm, so what do you expect? And I participate in every OUTDOOR winter sport you can name. Except ice fishing (too messy). And cross country skiing (too boring). But I’ll definitely watch it during the Winter Olympics (cross country skiing, not ice fishing and definitely NOT figure skating or curling).
• Gary Larson’s The Far Side – The. Funniest. Comic. Strip. Ever.
• Sewing. Learned the craft in a homec course in high school and have sewed ever since. I only sew dresses (my favorite patterns are Simplicity) and I was saddened to hear that all the fabrics I bought to sew this summer aren’t “in” colours. Apparently, Summer 2010 is all about neutrals. I have purple, pink and blue. Bummer.

So, What Next?

I look forward to sharing my virtual event knowledge with you and your network. If you’d like to work with me, here’s your next steps:

• Hire me to produce your virtual event, to coach you personally in a strategy session or to speak at your next conference or event.
• Interview me for your article, segment, podcast, teleclass, membership club or mastermind group.
• Get some free stuff on virtual events from my success vault.
• Check out my list of home study programs to help you plan, promote and profit from your virtual event.
• Contact me for anything else not listed above.