KnowledgeNOW

Competitive, challenging and constantly shifting — that is today’s marketplace! To grow and compete, you need a new set of strategies and a new approach to seeing the big picture. Obtain an understanding of external trends and discover how to implement a new strategy with one hand tied behind your back. 

Success belongs to the professional who is ready to challenge the status quo and who sees change as opportunity rather than a threat. It’s time to courageously ask the hard questions to increase your agility and claim your position in the marketplace.

Thank you to Clarity Practice Management for sponsoring this Keynote Session!

Today it is not a matter of “if” you will move to the cloud, rather “how and when” to make the move. Explore the alternative approaches you can take to move your organization to the cloud, including the pros and cons. Also review key considerations when plotting your cloud computing strategy.

Whether you are looking to hire now or in the future, you should consider many factors to enhance your search. Discuss the craft of sourcing and recruiting in a challenging talent environment including:

• What true talent acquisition (TA) is and how recruiting and sourcing fit into TA
• The competitive job market and how it impacts your searches and hiring strategy including breaking down how sourcing and recruiting fit into talent acquisition particularly in the accounting field 
• How to enhance hiring practices including the applicant experience 
• Your social media footprint and how it impacts hiring
• Other factors including the generational span of workers and people working longer, flexible work schedules, on boarding and more 

Nonprofits have been dealing with many new changes in the world of generally accepted accounting standards (GAAP) over the past several years. Many organizations have implemented the new financial statements standards and have been getting ready for exchange transaction recognition under ASC Topic 606. Attention is now shifting to changes to GAAP that impact how organizations record contribution income and expense as well as lease accounting. Walk through the new rules under ASU 2018-08 (grants/contributions) and ASU 2016-02 (leases) as well as the relevant provisions of these standards and find out how to adopt them in your organization (or your clients’ organizations).

Global trends are changing the CPA profession in profound ways, and the VSCPA is developing strategies to ensure the profession remains strong and relevant in the future. In this session, gain insight into how CPAs will thrive by developing higher level skills, including leadership and cultural competencies; understanding and embracing technological disruption; investing in grassroots student awareness; and cultivating relationship-driven professional advocacy.

There is a lot of buzz in the profession these days about emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data, data analytics and more. Blockchain technology is poised to serve as the data storage platform for all the data associated with these technologies. Participate in an easy-to-grasp discussion of what blockchain is, how it works and the potential application of it throughout all aspects of commerce.

Drawing upon the latest and greatest research on benefits programs, participate in an engaging and interactive discussion on modernizing benefits. Walk through benefits preferences by life stage, the business case for wellbeing, how and why to deliver employee-centric benefits programs and more. Leave with actionable steps to evaluate your benefits strategy and experience.

With data breaches like what Capital One, the country's #5 bank, experienced in July 2019, it is more important than ever that CPAs be aware of how to advise their clients and staff on ways to be safe. Observe trends and identify tools and resources for staying safe in this digital age.  

This session will introduce a variety of software applications that every business can deploy to improve communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing and workflow automation. Learn about key apps in the Office 365 ecosystem that can transform the way you get work done in your office. Also discover additional applications for managing your login credentials, electronic contract signing and creating fillable digital forms.

So — you hate to network? That’s probably because you use at least one of the three traditional networking strategies that just don’t work:

1. You repeat someone’s name three times like a hyperactive parrot.
2. You pass out business cards out like a Harrah’s blackjack dealer.
3. Worst of all, you’re that guy who rides the elevator for hours ready to spew his 30-second pitch — that guy is the reason people stare forward in elevators.

In a world of cold calls and hard sales, building solid relationships through good networking techniques is more important than ever. People who know how to network close more deals. It’s time to take the edge of off the networking process and step out of the elevator. Walk away with the next generation sales skills that trump cold-calls and deliver a real return on relationship investment.

Satisfy your 2019 Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA) Ethics requirement with this 2-hour, Virginia-specific Ethics course.

We’re hosting a book club on Tuesday morning for anyone who wants to earn a bonus CPE credit and continue the conversation from the opening session on day one. To prepare for discussion, please read the book “Thrive — Strategies to Turn Uncertainty to Competitive Advantage” by Meridith Powell prior to the conference. Even if you don’t have time to finish it, you’re still invited to participate.

Discuss the challenges and opportunities that business leaders face due to the disruptions caused by technology, and discover strategies to win in the future. Learn about cognitive technologies enabled by IBM Watson, artificial intelligence, big data and analytics. Finally, explore case studies and client examples from the financial services sector, retail and consumer packaged goods industries. 

Find out why organizations should be concerned and learn why cognitive solutions will allow customer engagement and operational management.

The FBI was created in 1908 and is the principal federal law enforcement agency in the United States. During the last century crime has evolved from the gangsters in the 1920s to today's Ponzi schemes and cryptocurrency fraud. 

As for misconduct by professionals, including CPAs, it seems to be everywhere and just waiting to be found. Inevitably at some point in your CPA career, you or someone you know will encounter it. 

To help you stay fraud-free, this session will address "CPA privilege" — the role of an attorney (also a CFE), a CPA, the FBI and counsel for business or the accused. Gain insight into when and how each skillset is involved, when you and/or a client or peer may be called upon, how to respond and much more!

Satisfy your 2019 Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA) Ethics requirement with this 2-hour, Virginia-specific Ethics course.

Experts say over the next five years, technology will advance 32 times from where it is now. Advancement in technology will touch virtually every aspect of how we do work — from how businesses attract and retain employees, to where and how employees do their jobs, to how they communicate and collaborate, to the skills they need and tech tools they use at work. Explore the workplace of the future and how you can prepare today to develop the speed and resilience you’ll need to meet the challenges of a rapidly-changing world.

Strolling through your career is no longer an option. In today’s climate, individuals must assess themselves and their passions, and forge their own path for career success. Hear four very different stories about how these CPAs ended up in very different places. Learn how to identify your professional passion, create a plan for how to achieve your personal definition of professional success and stay true to yourself!

Over the past year since the Tax Reform Bill hit the streets, you’ve heard about updates ranging from tax rates to deductions … and your head is likely spinning. Tax compliance always has its challenges, but there are lots of opportunities. Obtain an understanding of ways to capitalize on the biggest changes.

Today with everything going digital and everyone’s personal profiles steadily growing online, it’s more vital than ever that professional service providers have a working knowledge of the concept of personal branding so they can stay competitive. Gain practical tips to help you grow your personal brand to engage key stakeholders.

As a CPA, building high-performance relationships with those who matter most can bring you effortless efficiency, enable you to gain a competitive advantage, and get you ready for the future. However, because the nature of your work tends to involve analysis, careful thought, attention to details, and also tends to be less physical than other career paths, at times it can create distance with those who are important to you at work and at home. Find out how to build and nurture meaningful relationships with those who matter the most to you and, in the process, transform your work, your life and your world. 

• If you are managing a group of employees, learn how to build effective teams that work with each other and your stakeholders with effortless efficiency. 
• If you are building a practice, learn how to bring in clients and build trusting relationships so you can continue to do business with them in the years to come.
• If you work one-on-one with others — clients, coworkers and service providers — learn how to build deeply meaningful, yet professional relationships that inspire long-term mutual trust.

Get an update and discuss Virginia legislative and regulatory changes and their implications including 2019 tax conformity, state and local tax reform and the upcoming 2020 Virginia General Assembly session.

This session is dedicated to the possibility that innovation goes beyond just technological developments. Technology is important, but it is only a small part of innovation. For innovation to be more fully complete, we must look at other areas including the internal processes of the organization and most importantly the very language we use. Innovating like this is hard work and not for everyone because it requires deeper thinking than is most often thought.