Actor/Director Ed Burns, Baseball Legend Jim Abbott to Deliver Keynotes at BlackLine Systems Annual User Conference; Atlas Air, Cox, Iridium, Lafarge, Oshkosh Among Clients Presenting

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading financial close software company BlackLine Systems will be hosting its 2013 Annual User Conference next week from Sunday to Wednesday, Nov. 10 to 13, at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in Los Angeles – home of the company's global headquarters.

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Keeping in line with the entertainment heritage of Los Angeles, acclaimed Actor/Director/Writer Ed Burns will open the conference sharing his experiences skyrocketing from independent film maker to Hollywood super star.  The following day, pro-baseball legendary pitcher and Olympic Gold Medalist Jim Abbott, born without a right hand, will speak about the challenges he overcame to succeed as a professional athlete.  Other keynotes will be given by Forensic Accountant Tim Tribe and Results Coach Michael Bernoff.

Accounting/finance managers and compliance executives around the world use the BlackLine Financial Close Suite to automate traditionally manual, labor-intensive and spreadsheet-driven account reconciliation and financial close processes.   Additional BlackLine User Conference speakers include senior finance executives from more than 20 current BlackLine client companies including Atlas Air, Cox Communications, Iridium, Lafarge and Oshkosh.   Many of the sessions are expected to focus on creative applications and best practices for using BlackLine's flagship enterprise-class SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution.

Between 400 and 500 attendees from across the globe are registered to attend the four-day event. 'BlackLine Certified Implementation Professional' firms from the company's global network, including conference sponsors Grant Thornton, KPMG LLP, Resources Global Professionals and UHY Advisors, will be presenting.  Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC also each have BlackLine Certified Implementers registered to attend.  

In addition, representatives from enterprise application software leader SAP (NYSE: SAP) are signed up, following the announcement earlier this week that the BlackLine Financial Close Suite for SAP® Solutions has become an SAP-endorsed business solution – joining the ranks of fewer than 40 offerings globally.

The day before the conference begins BlackLine employees and interested clients and partners will volunteer their time with three different local organizations:  Dream Center, Los Angeles Mission and Los Angeles Christian Health Centers.

At the BlackLine Annual User Conference, clients from around the world are given an opportunity to:

• Learn best practices from BlackLine's team of experts
• Hear how experienced users from other companies, and in specific industries, creatively use BlackLine
• Preview upcoming software enhancements
• Directly influence the product direction going forward

For more information, contact BlackLine Systems Vice President of Marketing Howard Goldstein at [email protected].

About BlackLine Systems

BlackLine Systems was the first to develop and offer a commercially available Balance Sheet Account Reconciliation solution.  An experienced provider of software to companies from the Fortune 100 to beyond the Fortune 1,000, BlackLine provides quick-to-implement, scalable and easy-to-use applications that automate the entire financial close process to help improve financial controls for companies of all sizes.  With more than 75,000 users in over 100 countries, BlackLine software applications complement existing Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

BlackLine offers clients its enterprise-class software in a simple and secure OnDemand/SaaS platform.  With a proven track record and a commitment to customer success, BlackLine seeks to reduce the burden the financial close places on accounting and finance professionals. 

BlackLine headquarters are in Los Angeles, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, London, Melbourne, New York City and Sydney to serve the company's growing global client base.  For more information, please visit www.blackline.com.  

SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact:
Kimberly Uberti
Director of Corporate Communications
BlackLine Systems
[email protected]

SOURCE BlackLine Systems