One of my side projects is working with the Telework Coalition, a Metro D.C.-area telework advocacy group headed by former ITAC leaders Chuck Wilsker, John Edwards and Jack Heacock. Much of our time is spent promoting the benefits of virtual, mobile and distributed work at industry events. Here’s our calendar, so far, for 2005.  

Call Center Demo and Conference, Intercontinental Hotel, Dallas, Jan. 31– Feb. 2 

For several years now, Telcoa puts on a full-day pre-conference session at the Call Center Demo and Conference. This year’s program, on Jan. 31, Continuity of Operations and Distributed Work Best Practices, will focus on two key areas: 1) The role telework and telecommuting plays in organizations’ continuity of operators and disaster recovery plans; 2) Best practices in setting up a safe, healthy and productive home office.

The idea is to educate the call-center industry on the benefits of setting up a virtual call center or how outsourcing customer care to a domestic virtual call center can cut costs, improve customer service and help bring call-center jobs back to the U.S.

Speakers include Susan Harrington, of Harrington Software, who’s developing an online education program on home office health, safety and ergonomics. Lisa Kanarek of HomeOfficeLife.com will speak the areas of efficiency, productivity and safety. Representatives from AT&T, Citrix, GoRemote, Lucent, Cisco, and leaders from virtual call-center firms Willow CSN, Alpine Access, Working Solutions and ARO.

The Call Center Demo folks will also put on a full-day track on Feb. 2 devoted to virtual call centers, which includes panel discussions on best practices, continuity of operations and case studies.

Digital Cities Expo, Hyatt Regency, Reston, Va., April 18-19

This first-ever two-day event will look at options for municipalities interested in deploying broadband services. Expect keynote speeches and classroom-style sessions that dig into the various technologies and benefits.

The Telework Coalition will address the business opportunities municipal broadband creates by making it possible to work remotely from home offices.

Earth Day/Earth Week, Nationwide, April 22

Though plans are still in the works, Telcoa will push telework’s benefits to the environment in events in the D.C. area. Working with the EPA, Department of Transportation and others, Telcoa's Wilsker says, “We want to show appreciation to telecommuters who are ‘paving’ the way towards better air quality.”