DAY 1 - MONDAY 16 MAY 2016
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| 7.30 am - 8.00 am | Registration and Breakfast | |
| 8.00 am - 8.30 am | Video preshow - snapshots of event exhibitors | |
| 8.30 am - 8.45 am | Welcome & setting the scene | |
| 8.45 am - 9.30 am | Opening Keynote I wish I was Benjamin Button David Smith, Smithink Technology is changing the face of accountants in practice but is also opening new opportunities to expand service offerings, transform client relationships and firm profitability. David Smith will review how firms around the world are capitalising on these opportunities and the opportunities to come. |
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| 9.30 am - 10.00 am | CCH® iFirm: Practice Management in the Cloud Shannon Paret CPA, BACS, Wolters Kluwer Accounting practices face operational challenges that are difficult to resolve in the face of limited resources, increasing client expectations, and the need for cost-effective management practices. This session will review the key benefits of cloud-based practice management solutions and will feature an overview of Wolters Kluwer’s new cloud-based practice management solution, CCH iFirm. |
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| 10.00 am - 10.30 am | Morning Tea | |
| 10.30 am - 11.15 am | Accountants: Is it time to welcome our new computer overlords? Malik Datardina CPA, CA, CISA, CPA Canada In 2011, IBM's supercomputer Watson was able to beat the reigning Jeopardy! human champions. Today, Watson is working in the medical profession – assisting cancer specialists with parsing through the massive volumes of research papers and data to develop treatment plans. Accountants are not immune to such trends: an Oxford study estimates there is a 94 per cent probability that what we currently do will be automated in the future. This session will explore current thought leadership on how this wave of automation will affect "white collar work", as well as what are the key exponential technologies - cognitive, blockchain, crowdsourcing, and others - that will impact the profession. |
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| 11.15 am - 11.45 am | New Technology for your Tax Processing Michael Giardina, Office Tools Today, more than ever, firms are trying to find a differentiator, an edge, a unique brand that elevates them over their competition. A new set of automated processes can be just the thing to set a firm apart, since simply offering tax return processing doesn’t present firms as being unique. Instead, tax firms seeking an advantage are automating their office management with new technology that presents their clients with a unique brand experience. This session will review what’s needed to automate todays tax and accounting firms and will feature an overview of Office Tools WorkSpace™ and WorkSpace™ Online. |
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| 11.45 am - 12.30 pm | The Accounting Practice of Today & Tomorrow Alan Salmon ASc, FCPB, PHF, K2E Canada We have more new technology to consider this year than almost any year in the last decade. Hardware and software businesses are changing quickly, the Cloud impacts business decisions, mobile strategies are becoming more clear, and the Internet of Things is a game-changer on all fronts. In this keynote session, you will learn how to create a technology roadmap that helps you to improve organizational efficiency and avoid pitfalls. |
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| 12.30 pm - 1.30 pm | Lunch | |
| 1.30 pm - 2.00 pm | Automating your Client's Data Input with QuickBooks Online Esther Friedberg Karp MBA, Intuit What if you never had to worry about your clients data entry? QuickBooks Online and its ecosystem of apps has revolutionized the way we think about getting the data in. Join us as we discuss best practices that save you more time than you thought possible. |
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| 2.00 pm - 2.30 pm | Accounting Software - Going beyond General Ledger Prashant Ganti and Raj Sabhlok, Zoho Join this session to learn about some intriguing developments in the Accounting Software realm and the opportunities that they bring in to provide innovation to your clients. Learn: 1. How your accounting software can be tailored to help customize business processes, workflows and manage data flow across multiple systems for your clients? 2. How to serve clients across the globe and help your small business clients expand overseas without switching systems? 3. How information hidden within an accounting system can be unlocked to make better decisions across various departments like Sales and Marketing? |
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| 2.30 pm - 3.00 pm | This presentation is designed to provide participants with an overview on how to improve digital workflow and workload management in a paperless office. Attendees will receive an orientation on different options in structuring their IT network, as well as the specialized hardware and softwares required. |
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| 3.00 pm - 3.30 pm | Afternoon Tea | |
| 3.30 pm - 4.00 pm |
5 Steps to Modernize your Practice
Gary Olynik CPA, CMA, Sage
Cloud technology is here to stay and will affect the way we all do business. In this session we will investigate various ways that you can use cloud technology to make more money in less time! Learn about the technological tools available and how you can incorporate them into your business operations. Walk away with 5 specific action items to apply to your business immediately. |
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| 4.00 pm - 4.30 pm | Numbers and Numbers that Matter Aron Pervin, Optimizer Reports It’s no secret that analyzing data to uncover meaningful insights is crucial. Today, a mid-market organization’s success (yours and each of your client’s) depends on an ability to gain fact-based insights faster than the competition, and to turn them into actionable decisions that have a meaningful impact on both performance and organizational value. This session will demonstrate how you can take your advisory practice to the next level – where clients demand not only expert advice on accounting and financial matters but also practical consulting help to improve their organization’s future performance. You will learn about the Optimizer720 system – an affordable, out-of-the-box diagnostic tool – and how easily you can integrate it into your practice to level the playing field with your larger competitors, open the door to additional business and enhance your position as a trusted advisor. |
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| 4.30 pm - 5.00 pm |
The Technologies to Enable Paperless Working
Paperless working has been the promise since the dawn of the PC revolution over 30 years ago. Many have given up and have striven to only using less paper. Finally we're seeing firms achieving this goal. It requires a mix of technologies and an end to end rethink of processes. This session will highlight the keys to achieving paperless working.
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| 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm | Cocktails and Canapes with the exhibitors | |
