Reflections from Our Founder on 2024 for Admin Avenues
By Celebrate

Season’s Greetings to You – Our Amazing Admin Avenues Community,

It’s been a minute, and wow, 2024 was tough! It was undoubtedly one of the hardest years for the admin profession globally. The job market was challenging, and many of us felt the weight of uncertainty. I experienced this firsthand while living in London, where I struggled to secure work. It was a humbling and eye-opening chapter that ultimately led me back home to Australia. But… this decision turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing me to refocus my energy on projects that truly matter.

Admin Avenues in 2025: A Renewed Australian Focus
After much reflection, I’ve decided to refocus our efforts for Admin Avenues on the Australian market. While we’ll always welcome and cherish our international members, our primary content, resources, and events will now have a distinctly Australian perspective. This renewed focus allows us to better serve our local community while still offering global members valuable resources like newsletters, blogs, career advice, and templates – all still free and accessible.

Excitingly, we’re launching a brand-new website in 2025 to align with this Australian focus. It will be a dedicated hub for Australian admins, packed with resources to empower your professional journey. And here’s the big news: Admin Avenues will be hosting its very first conference in Australia next year! We can’t reveal all the details just yet but trust us – it’s going to be something truly special.

Reflecting on 2024
Despite its challenges, 2024 gave us so much to celebrate and reflect on:
✨ We turned 2! We celebrated Admin Avenues’ anniversary on Australia’s Admin Professionals Day by sponsoring the Australian Institute of Office Professionals (AIOP) awards. Nominations for 2025 are open now – if you’re an Australian Office Professional, nominate HERE.
✨ We hosted in-person and online events, masterclasses, and “In Conversation With…” sessions for members of our community group, The Admin Collective.
✨ We published 24 blogs on our Admin Avenues Career Advice page.
✨ Partnered with fantastic businesses like The Conference Shop, ShareCal, and Savoya.
✨ My personal LinkedIn post, “Saying Goodbye to the Title Assistant,” went viral, garnering over 727,000 impressions.
✨ We launched Season 2 of The Future Focused Admin Podcast with my incredible co-host, Jessica McBride.
✨ I spent much of the year in London, where I spoke at:
• The PA Show on ‘Pathways to Progress: The Essential Role of Career Development for Admin Professionals.’
• Practically Perfect PA (now The EA Campus) Virtual Summits on ‘Future Skills’ and ‘Managing Up.’
• Executive and Personal Assistants Association (EPAA) ‘Evolution vs Revolution’ seminar, Fireside Chat and Panels
• Spoke on the Panel after the exclusive screening of the ‘Still Working 9 to 5’ documentary, hosted by Executive Support Media.
• The NHS Administrative Profession Conference.
✨ Travelled to Denver, Colorado, to speak on the keynote panel at the Administrative Professionals Conference about ‘The State of the Profession.’ We made a little highlight reel of this event HERE.
✨ Returned to Australia in November and began working on an exciting secret project…
✨ TA-DA! We announced that we are launching The Future Focused Admin global community, uniting The Admin Collective and The Tech Savvy Assistant with Jessica McBride. To be the first to know when we launch, sign up HERE.

Introducing ‘The Future Focused Admin’
For our global community, I’m thrilled to announce an exciting new venture. Jessica McBride and I are combining The Admin Collective and The Tech Savvy Assistant under a single brand: The Future Focused Admin. This initiative, which shares the name of our Podcast, will create a new global community for admins, designed to empower, connect, and inspire professionals worldwide.
Our “big reveal” podcast episode goes live on Friday, 27th December 2024, but as a valued member of Admin Avenues community, you’re hearing it first! While Admin Avenues will maintain its Australian focus, The Future Focused Admin will be our platform for global discussions, resources, and initiatives. We couldn’t be more excited to grow these communities together. Be the first to join ‘The Future Focused Admin’ community HERE.

A Note of Gratitude
To our amazing Admin Avenues members, contributors, sponsors, and supporters – thank you! Your engagement and encouragement have been a light during difficult times. The admin profession can be exhausting, and 2024 tested us in ways we never expected. Your unwavering support has been a beacon of hope, and I’m endlessly grateful for each of you. As we head into the holiday season, I hope you take time to rest, recharge, and prioritise self-care. You all absolutely deserve it! Let’s step into 2025 with renewed energy, knowing we’re here to support each other every step of the way.

Looking Ahead to 2025
We can’t wait to share everything we have planned for the new year – from our new website to our Australian conference and exciting collaborations. Thank you for all your support in 2024. I mean it when I say, please reach out if I can help you in your admin career.
Here’s to a brighter, stronger, and more connected 2025.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a very happy new year 🌟🎅🎄🤶🎁

With gratitude,

Candice