Learning Guide 2018

2018 National CPA Educator Conference
Learning Guide

February 28 – March 2, 2018
Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans

Welcome!
Welcome to the 2018 National CPA Educator Conference…the only conference planned by
CPA learning professionals for CPA learning professionals! We hope that you come away
from this conference invigorated and ready to make positive changes at your respective
organizations. Review this Learning Guide for information to improve your experience!

Important Information
WiFi – Free WiFi is available! Thank you to our WiFi Sponsor, ACPEN! Connect via the Royal
Sonesta Hotel splash page with password: ACPEN2018

Social Media – Use the conference hashtag on all social media platforms! #CPAedu18

Attendance Forms – Mark all of the sessions that you attend and account for the minutes
you were in each session. Keep the form for your record.

Materials – All materials are available electronically by logging into your account on the
VSCPA.com website and clicking on My CPE.

Sponsors – Please be sure to stop by each sponsor’s booth and thank them for their
support. There will also be a chance to win a $100 and a $50 gift card during the Innovation
2018 session if you visit all of the sponsors!

Evaluation – Conference evaluations will be done electronically. Please review each session
you attended and provide feedback to help improve future conferences!

Learning Guide Fast Links
 Conference Agenda At‐A‐Glance
 Facility Map
 Detailed Session Info
 Conference Planning Committee
 Our Sponsors
 Takeaways & Notes Pages
Conference Agenda At‐A‐Glance
Wednesday, February 28
3:00‐5:00 PM Best Practices Round Table (State Society Staff Only) Grand Ballroom

5:30‐7:30 PM Opening Reception Fleur De Lis Room

Thursday, March 1
7:00‐8:00 AM Breakfast & Registration Arcade & Foyer

8:00‐8:20 AM Welcome & Opening Remarks Grand Ballroom

8:20‐9:40 AM Market Forces Facing Today’s Mid‐Market CPA Firms
Presented by: Amy Vetter Grand Ballroom

9:40‐9:50 AM Networking Break

9:50‐10:40 AM Concurrent Sessions:
 Getting the Best From Your Presenters & SMEs (C)
Presented by: Kristen Rampe Bourbon
 Modern Branding – Why It’s Important & How It can Change Your Business (M)
Presented by: Janelle Archer Royal Conti
 The Leading Learning MBA (LLMBA): Strategy (LL)
Presented by: Jeff Cobb Grand Ballroom


10:50AM‐12:05 PM Concurrent Sessions:
 Let’s Talk Logistics! Devil Out the Details: Your Step by Step Process to Strategic
Event Planning (L)
Presented by: Katie Riggs Royal Conti
 Understanding the Member Experience (C)
Presented by: Kristen Rampe Bourbon
 LLBMBA: Business Model Innovation (LL)

12:05‐1:00 PM Lunch

Thursday, March 1 (continued)
1:00‐2:15 PM Concurrent Sessions:
 Getting Creative with Conferences: Best Practices Panel & Discussion (L/C)
Presented by: Various Royal Conti
 Growth Trends and Pain Points in the Profession Today (C/LL)
Presented by: Art Kuesel Bourbon
 LLBMBA: Markets, Customers & Channels (LL)

2:15‐2:30 PM Networking Break

 Advantage: Business Intelligence–Putting Your Data to Work for Better Results (C)
Presented by: Tommy Stephens Bourbon
 CPE Marketing Panel: Successes & Failures (M)
 LLBMBA: Product Development & Lifecycle Management (LL)


4:00‐5:00 PM Innovation 2018! Grand Ballroom

Friday, March 2
7:00‐8:00 AM Breakfast Arcade & Foyer

8:00‐8:15 AM Review Learning Objectives & Takeaways Grand Ballroom


 Business Development Training: Capitalize on This Much Needed Training
Curriculum (C/LL)
Presented by: Art Kuesel Royal Conti
 Social Media Marketing Trends & Best Practices (M)
Presented by: Kellen McGugan Bourbon
 Content Strategy Secrets to Win Learner Loyalty (C/LL)
Presented by: Tracy King Grand Ballroom

Friday, March 2 (continued)

 Delving into Self‐Study & On‐Demand Programming (L)
Presented by: Michael Grand Bourbon
 A Panel Discussion: The Speaker Development Struggle Bus (C)
 LLMBA: Director’s Wrap Up (LL)
Presented by: Various
Grand Ballroom


10:30 AM‐12:10 PM Surviving or Thriving?
Presented by: Judy Hissong Grand Ballroom

Thank you for attending. Have a safe trip home!

Concurrent Session Track Abbreviation Key:
 (L) = Logistics
 (C) = Content
 (M) = Marketing
 (LL) = Leading Learning

Facility Map
Detailed Session Information
Wednesday, February 28

3:00‐5:00 PM Best Practices Round Table (State Society Staff Only)
You asked for it, you got it! This session is time to discuss hot topics and share ideas with friends from the
various regional groups (previously Western States, Northeast States, Southeast PEEPs, Conference
Connection). However, attendees are welcome to choose ANY group for discussion or even switch groups
partway through the session.

5:30‐7:30 PM Opening Reception

Thursday, March 1

7:00‐8:00 AM Breakfast & Registration

8:00‐8:20 AM Welcome & Opening Remarks

8:20‐9:40 AM General Session:
Market Forces Facing Today’s Mid‐Market CPA Firms – Presented by: Amy Vetter
CPAs love consistency, but the foundation of the profession is being rocked from every angle. Artificial
intelligence doesn't just change how work is done, it changes the soft skills needed to thrive. The audit field
faces commoditization that requires innovation in service offerings to remain profitable. Classic
assumptions about succession planning are no longer relevant as new generations bring different
expectations on what success means to them. As educators, we can't overwhelm people with this
information. We need to create conversations that allow CPAs to easily digest what's happening and
consider what it means for them now, and in the future.
Learning Objectives:
o Learn how to create situations that allow for easy comprehension of information.
o Recognize how to accurately address current happenings and the impact on our members.



Getting the Best From Your Presenters & SMEs (C) – Presented by: Kristen Rampe
Finding and developing a high‐quality speaker pool for CPA societies can be challenging. We’ll open this
session by talking about the challenges that CPA societies face in their quest to provide great learning
experiences to their audiences. We’ll then dive into the personas of speakers, what they bring to the table
and where they need help, and we’ll finish with tips you can share with your local experts to improve their
audiences learning experience.

o Understand the challenges of both the society and the speaker in providing a great learning
experience.
o Learn simple tips and resources you can provide speakers to set them in the right direction.

Modern Branding – Why It’s Important & How It Can Change Your Business (M) – Presented by: Janelle
Archer
Branding – it’s everywhere. It encompasses the entire identity of every product and company that you
interact with. So what makes your brand so important, and how can you identify what your brand is (or
what you want it to be)? These are all points that you will learn in this seminar.
o Address “What is a brand?”
o Learn how you can define what your brand is.
o Discuss tactics that you can do to enhance/support your brand.

The Leading Learning MBA (LLMBA): Strategy (LL) – Presented by: Jeff Cobb
Strategy is more important than ever in an increasingly competitive market for continuing education and
professional development, but Tagoras research suggests that most organizations do not have a formal
strategy in place for their learning business.
o Discuss key elements for effective strategy.
o Outline a process for formulating a strategy that will help your organization.



10:50 AM‐12:05 PM Concurrent Sessions:
Let’s Talk Logistics! Devil Out the Details: Your Step by Step Process to Strategic Event Planning (L) –
Presented by: Katie Riggs
We all know that the issues relating to your weekly, monthly or annual events are what will catch you up
and potentially sabotage any well laid plan. Strong logistics set you to achieve the end goal whether that is
to connect attendees to new ideas or enhance the knowledge of veteran attendees. Whether your goal is
to connect attendees to new ideas or to grow the knowledge of veteran attendees, you must have strong
event logistics.

In this session, you will be guided through the steps and processes I have perfected over my 15+ years as an
event and meeting professional to ensure you succeed in planning events that are organized, thorough,
streamlined and most important strategic in their delivery, (while we still manage to engage and have a
little fun too)!
o Review an outline for building an event strategy.
o Gain tips to keep any event on track.
o Discuss a reliable project management platform recommendation.
o Learn about free resources (timelines, website links, etc.).
o Work through problem solving activities.

Understanding the Member Experience (C) – Presented by: Kristen Rampe
Serve and market to your members better, knowing how it feels to stand in their shoes. Research shows
that exceptional member/customer experiences lead to loyal customers who reward organizations with
increased engagement, additional purchases and lower price sensitivity.
In this workshop, we’ll journey‐map how your members interact with your organization; the first step in
providing an exceptional experience. We’ll then use the mapped touchpoints to evaluate interactions that
could be changed to improve your members’ experiences in a positive way.
o Understand the value of loyalty vs satisfaction.
o Identify touch‐points along your member’s journey.
o Assess the member’s experience and potential areas for improvement.

LLBMBA: Business Model Innovation (LL) – Presented by: Jeff Cobb
A business model defines how an organization generates revenue in return for the value it provides to its
customers. In the learning business, this typically means dollars paid in return for a course or conference
registration, but there are other possibilities.
Learning Objective:
o Discuss possibilities and explore approaches for generating business model innovations.

12:05‐1:00 PM Lunch

Getting Creative with Conferences: Best Practices Panel & Discussion (L/C) – Presented by: Kari Lux, Jean
Rieden, Katie Riggs and Lacey Trent. Moderated by Sherre Sattler.
Conferences not only offer education but a chance for members to connect. Providing a well ran,
memorable experience can keep attendees coming back and hopefully improve your bottom line. Find out
what fellow Societies of all sizes are doing to cut costs, run an efficient event and create a memorable
experience. After hearing from our panel, you will have a chance to share your creative ideas and best
practices.
o Learn strategies to reduce costs at our events
o Discuss ow to more efficiently run an event and create a memorable experience
o Discuss best practices for booking content for conferences

Growth Trends and Pain Points in the Profession Today (C/LL) – Presented by: Art Kuesel
Keeping up technically is a top concern among your membership, but it’s just the tip of the
iceberg. Running a CPA firm today is a challenge filled with concerns like recruiting, retention, growth and
succession. How do you recognize the opportunities inherent in these issues and create meaningful
programming surrounding them?
o Recognize opportunities in the areas of CPA firm recruiting, retention, growth and succession.
o Discuss how to create meaningful programming to hit on these hot points.

LLBMBA: Markets, Customers & Channels (LL) – Presented by: Jeff Cobb
Where and how customers are able to access learning products and experiences is one of the most
overlooked aspects of marketing strategy. It is also one that, when fully appreciated, can dramatically
change a learning business’s prospects.
o Explore some of the possibilities for new markets and customers for your learning products.
o Learn when it does ‐ or does not ‐ make sense to pursue new markets or customers.



Advantage: Business Intelligence–Putting Your Data to Work for Better Results (C) – Presented by:
Tommy Stephens
You and your team have been collecting data for years so isn’t it time you put it to work for you? Emedded
in your data could be a wealth of information that could help with scheduling, , course ratings, and
profitability, among other items. Fortunately, a new breed of business intelligence (BI) tools has sprung to
life – tools that facilitate “do‐it‐yourself business intelligence” – and in this session you will learn how to
use these tools to put your data to work for better results.
o List the five characteristics of successful BI efforts.
o Create Data Models that lend themselves to more effective data analyses.
o Utilize free and low‐cost tools such as Power BI and Qlik Sense Desktop to build effective BI
dashboards.
o Identify the best way to communicate BI results to other stakeholders.

CPE Marketing Panel: Successes & Failures (M) – Presented by: Kari Lux, Stephanie Parton and Misean
Reed. Moderated by Stacey Wilson.
When it comes to marketing your CPE events, chances are, that between the states in attendance, we have
tried it all! Avoid re‐creating the wheel and join this session to get some tried and true marketing tactics
that have proven successful in other Societies. The panel will discuss marketing best practices, share
examples of successes and discuss what did NOT work! Be sure to bring your big successes (and failures
too) to share!
o Be able to evaluate your current marketing for CPE and make suggestions for improvement.
o Get an overview of different project management software.
o Leave with at least one new idea for implementation.
o Better understand the importance of knowing your members when marketing to them.

LLBMBA: Product Development & Lifecycle Management (LL) – Presented by: Jeff Cobb
How clear and coherent is your learning product strategy? Does it convey a logical, compelling value story
to your prospective learners? And what are your criteria for introducing new products, refreshing current
products, and retiring those that no longer fit learner needs?
Learning Objective:
o Examine an approach to effectively managing your learning product portfolio.



4:00‐5:00 PM Innovation 2018!
Discover the latest in content development, product offerings and event technology during this fast‐paced,
rotating‐group styled session. Strike up a conversation with our vendors and sponsors, exchange some
business cards and enjoy some festive NOLA refreshments! Join us to spark your interest for the coming
educational season. Visit all of the sponsors for a chance to win a $100 or $50 gift card!

Friday, March 2

7:00‐8:00 AM Breakfast

8:00‐8:15 AM Review Learning Objectives & Takeaways


Business Development Training: Capitalize on This Much Needed Training Curriculum (C/LL) – Presented
by: Art Kuesel
Firms today are asking more of their current partners in terms of business development – and that also
translates to any partner‐hopefuls on the bench. Despite this fact, firms are not equipped to effectively
train their people on business development—enter the State Society. In this session we will discuss the
opportunities for your Society to help your members meet this need. We will also discuss the competitive
landscape in business development training and different formats you could implement. If time permits,
we will explore case studies from ICPAS and MNCPA on their business development training academies.
o Gain insight into providing CPA firm business development training.
o Discuss aspects of the competitive landscape.
o Explore case studies from state societies who have implemented business development training.

Social Media Marketing Trends & Best Practices (M) – Presented by: Kellen McGugan
This session will cover social media trends and best practices for 2018. Learn where associations live in the
realm of social media and how you can reach your targeted audience through the power of advertising.
o Discuss the latest trends in social media marketing.
o Discover effective ways to reach your members and the general public via various social media
platforms.


Content Strategy Secrets to Win Learner Loyalty (C/LL) – Presented by: Tracy King
When planning new programming, it’s common to tally the number of sessions available and brainstorm
topics to fill them. If we intend to be strategic, that’s the wrong place to start. In this session I’ll share with
you a proven process for developing a content strategy that’s sustainable and drives deeper learning.
o Explore a content strategy process that can be applied to their current learning portfolio.
o Consider two tool options for managing strategic content deployment.
o Craft a learning pathway prototype to take the conversation back to the home team.


Delving into Self‐Study & On‐Demand Programming (L) – Presented by: Michael Grand
You’ve decided you want to start creating self‐study/on‐demand programs. What’s the first step in building
them? Should you be your own content creator, crowdsource these programs or create partnerships? How
do you choose the type of delivery (online video/eLearning, virtual group study, downloadable PDF)?
What’s the best way to develop the exams?
Learning Objective:
o Gain marketplace best practices and advice to help create quality self‐study and on‐demand
programming.

A Panel Discussion: The Speaker Development Struggle Bus (C) – Presented by: Tiffany Crosby, Lynn
Kletscher, Dan Kolasinski and Linda Newson‐McCurdy. Moderated by Jessica Roberts.
Hear leaders of state society programs discuss how they are improving and expanding their speaker pools
and the issues they are still facing.
Learning Objective:
o Learn how to develop local speakers for your seminars and on‐line offerings.

LLMBA: Director’s Wrap Up (LL) – Presented by: Josh Goldman and Michelle Sopp
Combine two day's worth of knowledge into this capstone session! Directed towards VPs, Directors and
Manager, but anyone is welcome to attend. Discuss implementation for the key areas discussed in the
Leading Learning MBA Track – strategy, business model innovation, markets/customers, product life cycle
management and content strategy



10:30 AM‐12:10 PM General Session:
Surviving or Thriving? – Presented by: Judy Hissong
You feel the pressure to be available during every waking moment of the day, and the sleeping ones too!
Let’s look at what it takes to set boundaries that are healthy for you and your organization. In this hands‐on
session, you will explore the conversation that creates parameters for work and play. You will also take a
look at how you play a role in the development of expectations, and what it takes for you to change that
internal messaging. Along the way you will receive some specific tools for relieving stress, being mindful
and present to your life – at both work and home.
o Examine language for setting boundaries, including remote working and attending out of office
meetings.
o Determine what self‐talk is and how it contributes to stress.
o Use tools for de‐stressing for down time.

Concurrent Session Track Abbreviation Key:
 (L) = Logistics
 (C) = Content
 (M) = Marketing
 (LL) = Leading Learning

Conference Planning Committee
This year’s conference was planned by a dedicated group of professionals from various state
CPA societies and associations. Please be sure to extend a warm “thank you” to each of
these individuals who have given of their time and talents to make this event a success.
 Michelle Sopp, Oklahoma Society of CPAs
 Josh Goldman, The Ohio Society of CPAs
 Richard Gordon, Virginia Society of CPAs
 Dan Kolasinski, Michigan Association of CPAs
 Dan Koontz, Missouri Society of CPAs
 Jessica Roberts, Alabama Society of CPAs
 Sherre Sattler, North Dakota CPA Society
 David Schaeffer, New Jersey Society of CPAs
 Justin Steele, Tennessee Society of CPAs
 Stacey Wilson, Indiana CPA Society
If anyone is interested in helping plan the 2019 CPA Educator Conference by being on the
planning committee or a subcommittee, please email msopp@oscpa.com or indicate so in
the conference evaluation. Planning will begin soon!

THANK YOU!
Conference Sponsors
WIFI SPONSOR
BREAK SPONSOR
RECEPTION SPONSOR
Takeaways
Items to follow up on when I get back to the office:
1)
2)
3)
Things I learned that I want to share with my team:
1)
2)
3)
How has the conference move me to improve the future of learning at my
society or association?
1)
2)
3)

Notes

Notes

See You Next Year!

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