Concluding the event on a high note, we will recognize Accounting Today's 2024 Fast Growing Firms--designed to honor and recognize outstanding achievements in the accounting profession.

In this keynote session, four well-known experts share their insights on the major issues facing firms, from keeping up with technology and finding the right service mix, to optimizing their client base, finding the talent they need, making the move to advisory services, and much more.

No one knows better how to grow an accounting firm than those who have done it – and this panel brings together some of the savviest: Firm leaders who have built thriving practices that are more than standing up to the biggest challenges in accounting. They'll share their strategies for growth; for keeping clients, staff and partners happy; for managing technology; and much more.

This panel will bring together experts in the future role of artificial intelligence in accounting to discuss how and when it's going to disrupt the field, how pioneering firms are harnessing the power of AI right now, and what firms and individual accountants need to do and know to make the most of AI in their own practices and careers.

Who better to tell firm leaders why it's so hard to recruit and retain young people in accounting than those young people themselves? In this panel, students and entry-level accountants will share what they love -- and hate -- about the profession, what they're looking for in their careers, and the best ways to catch and keep their interest.

The promise of CAS (Client Advisory Services) practice is to gain potential new revenue streams with access to new and different clients all while streamlining processes. If your firm is exploring benefits of a CAS practice, or if you are already offering some CAS services but need to fine-tune your offerings, this workshop is for you.

The world is moving from services to subscriptions, access and transformations over deliverables. Advantages: Predictable revenue; creating annuities with a lifetime value exceeding cost to acquire; predict and plan capacity. For clients, provide peace of mind, convenience, recurring value, and a frictionless experience.

PE is adding gas to the already hot accounting firm M&A landscape. This is your opportunity to understand PE's plan, whether it is a fit for your firm, what you would need to do to be PE or M&A ready, and how PE is impacting traditional deals. Gain insight into an activity that is not stopping and is transforming the accounting world.

Much has been written and said about Artificial Intelligence (AI). But for many professionals, AI remains an enigma because they do not know how to get started using tools such as Bard, ChatGPT, and CoPilot. If that describes your situation, relax because help is here! Participate in Getting Started With Artificial Intelligence to learn to use today's AI tools. This session will teach you how to access and use multiple popular AI tools to improve efficiency and productivity.

As firms transition to delivering more advisory and consultative services, the focus on client experience is more important than ever. As firms struggle to recruit and retain enough quality staff, the focus on employee experience is more important than ever.

Your accounting firm clients want to focus on strategizing about the future, not the past. Offering forecasting services in your accounting firm gives your clients the strategy they want with tangible numbers to make decisions. Forecasting is one of the more scalable advisory offerings your firm can offer.

With staff shortages exacerbating capacity issues, firms are looking for ways to get work done that don't involve recruiting new employees. Among the most promising of these are outsourcing and offshoring, and this session will dive into their pros and cons, and how firms can make the most of their outsourcing relationships -- including whether they should start their own outsourcing operations.

Based on their forthcoming research, Jessica and Rachel challenge the norms of what a CPA firm looks like today and in the future. The session covers firm structures, the lack of business acumen among staff, shifting roles and responsibilities and the marriage of marketing and HR professionals.

As CPA firm deliverables become increasingly automated and compliance services more commoditized, this 50-minute training spotlights the role data science will play in your practice in the immediate and near future. We will learn how to think about data in the language of business (not the languages of accounting and not technology) and to ask the "What if?" questions that will transform your relationships with clients.

The traditional pace of career advancement at accounting and advisory firms is proving unsustainable. Post-pandemic expectations are coinciding with generational approaches to work-life balance and resetting how—and how much—professionals take on at each career stage. Where "yes" was the default response to new development opportunities and career responsibilities, the new default response, while not "no," is "for how long?" or "I need this in return." Audience input will be encouraged and specific examples shared.

For 125 years, charge hours have been the go-to metric for measuring performance at an accounting firm. However, a focus on input hours to measure value created for clients disincentivizes creativity, innovation, and efficiency. In short, superstars are punished for their efficiency with more work.

As an accounting professional, you understand the importance of balancing efficiency and precision. That's precisely where the power of no-code automation comes into play. This session, led by Heather Satterley, is tailored specifically for you. Envision streamlining your daily tasks, improving accuracy, and tailoring solutions to fit your unique accounting needs, all within the bounds of industry standards. No-code automation holds this promise, and Heather is here to guide you in harnessing its full potential.

Achieving an optimum level of growth in your firm requires more than vision. It requires a strong, synergistic team aligned with processes and practices that will keep your firm on track to meet short-and long-term goals.

Accounting firms have been using benchmarking for decades, but are they using the results to understand the drivers that impact each metric? This session will show participants why the RPH is so critical and how it is fueled by the performance of secondary metrics that build a firm's value, culture, sustainability, and marketability.

AI has taken the world by storm. The accounting profession is especially on AI's radar. Recent AI research reports state accountants are among the most exposed to AI.

Immerse yourself in an engaging series of technology-focused presentations, unveiling an array of innovative products and services specifically tailored to enhance your workflows.

Learn how The Accounting Lab became a forward-thinking accounting firm that harnessed the power of fully integrated software to revolutionize its financial and advisory services and spearheaded its digital transformation.

Recent changes in legislation have entirely changed what Clean Energy Credits can do for many individuals and business owners. Learn from multiple practicing CPAs and a Harvard law tax attorney how these changes can help you grow your firm.

"The accountant shortage threatens capitalism's future," – reported The Washington Post. So, it's now time to look at an out-of-the-box solution presented by Miles TalentHub - the international CPA talent pool pursuing MS Accounting (STEM) degrees at top US universities, followed by a 3-year work opportunity in the US.

Learn how a joint research study by Choreo and Accounting Today explored how accounting firms and CPAs are looking to expand and grow their client base and wallet share in 2024. Deepening client relationships and expanding offerings can be complicated undertakings, which is why a partnership based on authentic collaboration may benefit both the accounting firm and its clients.