From the Desk of the Executive Director – June 2017

I always look forward to our annual conference as it rejuvenates me in many ways. While I don’t have the chance to attend many sessions, I get to meet with you and find out firsthand what is happening. It gives me a fresh perspective on the conference and the association. I walked away feeling good about both.

One of the benefits of being with the AICPA is the level of keynote speakers we can get. I particularly enjoyed Kevin O’Leary. He had a lot to say about women run companies meeting their goals. I found his comment on the importance of being able to articulate an idea in 90 seconds very relevant to our industry. As technology advances and we fight for mindshare, we need to be clear in what we can offer a client.

Wayne Scott came back this year as a keynote for AAM and spoke about innovation. One of his key messages was about the importance of quiet time. Get comfortable with hearing your own head – that is when the ideas come. Simple, but brilliant.

The campfire sessions were particularly good this year. I hear Abbey Kanellakis opened hers with a little beatbox. In another one, Lee Frederiksen of Hinge provided us with a preview of the results of the 2017 Marketing Budget Benchmark Study which was just released. If you participated in the survey, you should have received your copy from us via email. If you did not participate the survey is available for purchase on the website.

The survey provides data from 84 firms across the US with detailed budget breakdowns. The differences in spending are examined for both high-growth and low-growth firms. There are some startling differences noted.

• Advertising is no longer the largest expenditure
• Firms that focus on a specialization or niche are more successful
• Sponsorships remain a big expenditure but not effective
• High growth firms emphasized online marketing, digital tools, and education

Other high points in the conference included members being recognized for their marketing success with the AAM-MAAs. Simply meeting new people and sharing ideas remains the best part of the conference for me, and I know many of you agree.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this conference a success. It was a great undertaking for the AICPA. Next year we are going to be at the Hilton in Portland, Oregon, May 14-17. The committee has already begun working on that event! And after that, we will be back again with the AICPA in 2019 at the MGM in Vegas.

What was your favorite part of conference? What ideas did you take back and hope to implement?

Some answers to questions you have asked:

• Presentations are available here (Log into your registration account from Summit, then go to the meeting, then “handouts”)
• Recordings – you will be notified when available in about four weeks

I look forward to welcoming our new board members and president Laura Snyder, July 1. Many thanks to Kristen Lewis and her leadership this past year. We will miss Joe Kovacs, Sara Robertson, Susie Brown and Jack Kolmansberger as they roll off the board, and we thank them for their service.

Don’t forget to think about volunteer opportunities with AAM as our annual Call for Volunteers just went out. We need YOU to be successful as an organization, and you’ll get that much more from your membership by participating.

Enjoy your summer!