AICPA to Host Practitioners Symposium and TECH+ Information Technology Conferences

Conferences Feature Five Keynote Speakers and More Than 70 Educational and Interactive Sessions

NEW YORK, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of public practitioners, managing partners, CFOs, financial managers and emerging leaders will gather at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practitioners Symposium and TECH+ Information Technology Conferences. For the first time ever the AICPA will be offering the two conferences simultaneously, allowing attendees to participate in sessions at both conferences. They are scheduled for June 7-9 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.  

With the growing complexity of today's accounting and auditing functions, accountants and auditors are depending on advances in technology to perform their jobs successfully. The combined conference provides a one-stop learning experience for practitioners, firm administrators and consultants. Sessions at Practitioners Symposium will give CPA practitioners a complete update on accounting, auditing, tax and practice management topics, and sessions at TECH+ Information Technology will give technology practitioners, consultants and IT professionals a complete view of the important topics affecting their practice areas.

"The conferences are must-attend events for CPAs and are premier practice management conferences offered by the AICPA," said Michael Shost, CPA, chair of Practitioners Symposium. "They are invaluable events for attendees looking to learn about how to better manage their practice and people."

Peyton Burch, CPA, chair of TECH+, added, "Both conferences will feature influential keynote speakers who will offer their assessments of current and future issues and sessions that will give CPAs the tools they need to succeed."

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

The Practitioners Symposium and TECH+ Information Technology conferences will feature five combined keynote speakers, each of whom will be beneficial for attendees at both conferences.  Keynote speakers for this year include:

• Robert R. Harris, CPA, Chairman, AICPA and Managing Director, Harris, Cotherman, Jones, Price & Associates, CPAs-Chartered. Harris has served the AICPA in many capacities, including as Chairman from 2009-2010 and a member of the Board of Directors and Council for 15 years. During his keynote, he will discuss several AICPA initiatives and efforts, as well as the state of the economy, tax law changes and updates, globalization of the profession and accounting for sustainability.
• Rick Richardson, CPA.CITP, President, Richardson Media & Technologies, LLC. During his keynote, Richardson will predict the technology of the future, providing his vision for both the short and longer-term future for technology in the accounting profession.
• Randy Johnson, Executive Vice President, Network Management Group, Inc. & K2 Enterprises. Johnson's keynote will present the vision, strategy, and practical technologies all attendees should consider for their businesses, including updates on the requirements to run applications.
• Peter Sheahan, entrepreneur and best-selling author. Sheahan is a renowned speaker on business trends and new market opportunities, and his keynote will address how to find opportunities in a down market through leadership, innovation and change.  
• Edie Weiner, President, Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc. (WEB). Weiner's keynote will highlight the opportunities and challenges facing those in the accounting profession arising out of social, economic, technological, political, demographic and environmental shifts.

PRACTITIONERS SYMPOSIUM

Designed for public practitioners, firm administrators, senior level partners, sole practitioners, shareholders and others, the conference will cover a wide range of information programming and value-added services to help build or improve a CPA's practice. Some of the sessions available at the conference, include:

• Tax Season Debrief – a look at what you need to do now to plan for an even more successful year ahead: what worked, what didn't and what you should do differently.
• Deepening Your Client Relations to Enhance Your Value – the threat to client retention is palpable, and this session will explore a number of ideas to engage clients more than ever before, including ways to build and maintain trust and how to understand business issues and challenges.
• How To Transform Client Accounting Services Practice Through Cloud Computing – this session will highlight how progressive firms are transforming their client accounting services area from basic transactional services like accounts payable and receivable to more profitable outsourced CFO services.

TECH+ Information Technology

The conference provides attendees with the tools they need to stay current with today's state of technology, and will feature a diverse array of sessions and solutions. Designed for managing partners, firm administrators, directors, CPAs, CFOs and controllers, the conference will bring together talented minds from CPA firms and businesses around the country, who will all come together to exchange the latest ideas and strategize about technology. Some of the sessions available at the conference, include:

• IT Roundtables – hosted by the AICPA IT Executive and CITP Credential Committees, attendees can join peers to discuss the top issues facing CPAs and information management professionals, and how these issues impact an organization.
• Challenges and Issues With a Technology Consulting Practice – at this session, industry leaders will address strategies for achieving partner alliance and support, bridging cultural differences between traditional practice units and the consulting firm, and hiring and maintaining top consulting talent.
• Top 10 Ideas for Cutting IT Costs – this session will focus on how to maximize the return of an IT investment including detailing myths, old paradigms and obsolescence.

The conference brochure for Practitioners Symposium can be found at www.cpa2biz.com/ps, and the brochure for TECH+ can be found at www.cpa2biz.com/tech. The registration fee to attend both conferences is $920 for AICPA members, $1,220 for non-members.

About the AICPA

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (www.aicpa.org) is the national, professional association of CPAs, with more than 360,000 CPA members in business and industry, public practice, government, education, student affiliates and international associates. It sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, non-profit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination. The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Durham, N.C., Ewing, N.J. and Lewisville, Tex.

Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Online Media Center at www.aicpa.org/press.  

SOURCE American Institute of Certified Public Accountants