AICPA Engage [Overview, History & Highlights]

Accounting conferences are a staple for many firm owners and partners. In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at one of the biggest — AICPA Engage.

This post will cover:

  • The history of the event
  • Recap the past 5 Engage conferences
  • Talk about the upcoming event
  • Discuss the future of AICPA Engage

Let’s get started.

A Brief History of AICPA Engage

AICPA Engage was designed to help you learn how the accounting profession is evolving directly from the trailblazers in our field. This way, you can take away all the actionable insights to decide where you want to go next in your career.

The event started as a four-day event in Las Vegas to bring fresh ideas that would immediately inspire and spark innovation in everyone who attended. The conference has kept on moving forward ever since.

Here are some highlights of the previous events.

2017 Conference

AICPA Engage 2017
AICPA Engage 2017

The inaugural year was four packed days that allowed attendees to gain access and learn from genuinely inspiring speakers like Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank, best-selling author Amy Cuddy Ph.D., Abigail Posner, and more.

One of the main goals of the conference was to divert from the run-of-the-mill conferences where you simply go and listen, by adding both virtual and face-to-face engagement sessions that attendees could opt for.

2018 Conference

AICPA Engage 2018
AICPA Engage 2018

For the follow-up year of the AICPA conference, the focus shifted towards some of the most significant aspects that were impacting the industry, such as the growing role of technology and how it would change the way that firms need to do business from that point on.

2019 Conference

2019 was a landmark year in AICPA Engage history since a variety of pressing topics that, in retrospect, have changed how accountants conduct their business. I even got to chat with Jody Padar about the conference:

The kickoff session by Barry Melancon tackled the way firms need to transform their revenue models to stay relevant and not see their income shrink. This initial talk gave everyone in attendance the framework and additional information to understand why the industry changed forever and how accountants now have a host of new opportunities that can take them to new levels of growth.

Simon Sinek delivered a memorable talk where he covered how transformation is inevitable and how, in an eerily prophetic manner, the importance of how being able to work remotely should be paramount to every firm.

2020 Conference

AICPA & CIMA Engage 2020
AICPA & CIMA Engage 2020

With Simon Sinek’s words on remote work still ringing clearly, the 2020 conference took place in virtual sessions due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, that didn’t mean that there was any less value delivered to the attendees. The number of attendees increased, and so did the amount of amazing content delivered.

Daymond John from Shark Tank and Fubu fame covered some of his most valued lessons learned from a life in entrepreneurship and the financial keys he learned along the way.

2021 Conference

The 2021 conference was conducted in an in-person and virtual hybrid model to make sure that all members could choose the option that suited them the best.

The main topic being addressed here was revenue generation and how to futureproof your business to make sure that your firm will keep on moving forward no matter what happens.

The Upcoming AICPA Engage Conference

In 2022, AICPA Engage has the goal to make sure that you can see all the challenges and opportunities in the field. There are seven learning tracks that cover how you can capitalize on the opportunities that have arisen in the past year.

Here are the seven tracks for this year’s conference:

  • Estate planning
  • Advanced accounting and auditing
  • Advance personal financial planning
  • Corporate finance and controllers
  • EDGE career development
  • Practitioners and Tech+
  • Tax Strategies for the high-income individual

With over 100 speakers on average, you’ll have your pick of the litter for what you want to learn about.

Click here to find a detailed list of all the speakers alongside the schedules so you can plan.

Getting the Most from Your Experience

Maximizing your time spent at any conference is all about the pre-and-post preparation you make.

Pre-work is all about ensuring your firm is good without you there and having all of your travel arrangements finished up.

A few tips for travel arrangements include:

  • Book accommodations early and in close proximity to the venue/site. Accessibility is the key. Ideally, the venue should be within walking distance, don’t wait for rideshare.
  • Get in touch with people with the same interest or people you know (that are going). It is essential to book dinners, coffees, save seats, and so on is too hard once you get there.
  • Either leave early or stay late. From checking out of the hotel to getting a lift to the airport, it’s often best not to do it at the same time as thousands of people.

You can also brush up on your practice management and technology knowledge so that you’re not completely lost in some of the more forward-thinking sessions.

Post-conference is all about ensuring that you process, disseminate, and use what most appeals to you. This is also a great opportunity to network with like-minded people.

The better you implement the resources and sessions into the day-to-day of your firm, the bigger the benefit you stand to realize.

After all, that’s why you’re going.

Want to learn more about AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE 22?

You can learn more about the event by clicking here. However, you can also contact them during normal business hours, 9 AM-5 PM (ET Monday-Friday).

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AICPA Engage [Overview, History & Highlights]

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