17 must-see sessions from QuickBooks Connect 2023

How often do you find yourself in the same room as a Hollywood superstar?

If you’re headed to QuickBooks Connect 2023, you’re in luck. On November 13-15, thousands of accounting professionals will come together in Las Vegas to make the most of:

• 124+ sessions

• 126+ speakers

• 5 session tracks

• A panel conversation with Ryan Reynolds

• A fireside chat with Adam Grant

With so many great sessions and speakers to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. To save you time, here is a curated list of 17 essential sessions that will give you the critical insights you need to succeed in 2024 and beyond.

Monday, November 13

How to start your own virtual CFO practice

Presenter: Jody Gruden, Partner, Summit Virtual CFO by Anders

Time: 1pm

Thinking about offering virtual CFO services at your practice?

Jody Gruden will help you transition from compliance work to advisory. He’ll share practical tips on how to market, sell, and productize your virtual CFO services so you can pivot successfully.

Leveraging knowledge capture in AI in teams of 10+

Presenter: Jason Blumer, CEO, Thriveal CPA Network

Time: 1.30pm

Jason Blumer will share his learnings and the protocols, exercises and liabilities his team has considered in implementing AI at his firm, Blumer CPAs.

You'll take away some best practices to set realistic expectations for a similar deployment at your own firm.

Transforming CAAS: Maximizing customer service and profitability with the ’Team of 3’ approach

Presenter: Marcus Dilon, President, Dilon Business Advisors

Time: 1.30pm

Marcus Dilon piloted a ‘Team of 3’ approach for building a premium CAAS business. He’ll share how he implemented this model at his firm, including tips on how you can design your organizational chart and team structure to develop your own CAAS practice.

Bridging the CAS and tax practice gap

Presenter: Deborah Defer, Consultant, Deborah Defer Consulting LLC

Time: 3pm

Deborah Defer will talk you through the steps of organically integrating CAS into your tax practice. She will show you the client journey by building a workflow from daily transactions, monthly close, FP&A, and tax advisory.

An offshore team: Opportunities and challenges for firm growth

Presenters:

• Kristen Keats, CPA, Sherwood Tax & Accounting

• Matthew May, President, Acuity

• Zunie Nguyen, Founder and CEO, Yogi CPA

• Jody Grunden, Partner, Summit Virtual CFO by Anders

Time: 4.30pm

Offshore teams can make or break your firm’s talent pipeline. In this session, a panel of practitioners from diverse backgrounds will discuss the opportunities, risks, challenges, and strategies when engaging offshore teams in Mexico, Philippines, St. Lucia, and Vietnam.

Tuesday, November 14

Welcome and product keynote

Presenters:

• Carla Hall, chef, author, and TV host

• Marianna Tessel, EVP and GM of the Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

• Cassie Divine, SVP, Business Operations and Partner Ecosystem for the Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

• David Talach, SVP, QuickBooks Money and E2E Experiences, Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

• Jade Simmons, genre-bending concert artist, purpose strategist, and entrepreneur

Time: 9am

This is the Main Stage welcome, hosted by Clara Hall alongside key Intuit leaders who will share the latest innovations during a product keynote. Plus, in her unique musical keynote, Jade Simmons will help you unlock the power of purpose.

Deep dive into QuickBooks Online reports

Presenter: Hector Garcia, CPA, RightTool

Time: 10.45am

Hector Garcia is a well-known QuickBooks trainer. In this session, you’ll get an in-depth training on the Custom ReportBuilder inside QuickBooks Online and learn how to leverage QuickBooks Online+App ecosystem to build advanced reporting. 

For this session, it’s recommended that you have fundamental knowledge of core reports inside QuickBooks Online.

Firm growth through an Entrepreneurial Operating System

Presenters:

• Lisa Gilreath, COO, Acuity

• Matthew May, President, Acuity

Time: 10.45am

Learn first-hand about how Acuity implemented an Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), including:

• The importance of a clear mission, vision, and values

• Why you need to identify who's accountable in your organization

• How to empower your employees

• The exact tools that can help facilitate EOS execution

10 steps to building a world-class financial model

Presenter: Dan Gertrudes, CEO, GrowthLab Financial Services

Time: 1.30pm

Dan Gertrudes has honed his 10-step approach and SOPs over more than a decade to drive his FP&A business. His workshop will provide you with hands-on learning to build a financial forecast and use it to deliver quality advisory services to your clients.

How-to advisory: The fundamentals of impactful client advisory relationships

Presenter: Carla Caldwell, CEO, Candella Accounting & Advisory Services

Time: 1.30pm

Carla Caldwell is a CPA and seasoned advisor. In this session, she’ll dive into the essential skills every accounting professional needs to establish and nurture advisory relationships with clients. 

By the end, you'll be empowered to build stronger advisory relationships and have the confidence to exceed client expectations.

Panel discussion and fireside chat with Ryan Reynolds

Presenters:

• Jeremy Sulzmann, VP, Accountants Segment, Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

• Cassie Divine, SVP, Business Operations and Partner Ecosystem for the Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

• Ryan Reynolds, actor, producer, and entrepreneur

Time: 4.30pm

It’s Ryan Reynolds, in the flesh.

In this panel discussion, Ryan will join Intuit’s leadership team to discuss his success in business, the power of marketing, and finding new opportunities.

Wednesday, November 15

KPIs: What to measure, when and why

Presenter: Jeff Wilson, Principal, The W2 Group, LLC

Time: 9am

In this session, Jeff Wilson will provide a comprehensive overview of KPIs, their pivotal role in evaluating the success and growth of accounting firms, and how to track and benchmark your KPIs using third-party sources.

Work/life harmony transformations for accounting professionals

Presenter: Amy Vetter, CEO, The B3 Method Institute

Time: 10.30am

Amy Vetter will share her best practices to help you reduce burnout and understand the commitment, change process, and time investment needed to transform your workplace into a thriving one.

Having an effective voice in the accounting industry

Presenters:

• Kenji Kuramoto, CEO, Acuity

• Jason Staats, President, Realize

• Lorilyn Wilson, Owner, Lake Oswego Tax

• Duke Alexander Moore, CEO, Duke Tax

Time: 10.30am

Kenji Kuramoto will host a fireside chat with some of the profession’s brightest, delving into their experiences of how they've authentically scaled themselves to have authoritative, fresh, yet unique voices in the accounting industry.

Fireside chat with Adam Grant

Presenters: 

• Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and best-selling author

• Carla Hall, chef, author, and TV host

• Ted Callahan, Director, Accountants Segment, Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

• Ashleigh Sutter, Director, US Accountant Sales, Small Business & Self-Employed Group, Intuit

Time: 1pm

Get inspired by Carla Hall’s fireside chat with Adam Grant on empowering teams, igniting innovation, and breaking boundaries. 

Intuit’s Ted Callahan and Asheligh Sutter will then close out QuickBooks Connect by reflecting on the connections made, knowledge gained, and experiences shared.

Mastering month-end

Presenter: Marnie Stretch, CEO, Accounting Loft

Time: 3pm

Marnie Stretch will demonstrate how you can use Books Review, a tool inside QuickBooks Online, to improve your month-end processes and workflows. Plus, you’ll also learn how to communicate with your clients right inside QuickBooks Online and schedule reports to wrap your books up neatly once a month.

Thoughtful automation for accounting firms of all sizes

Presenters:

• Jody Gruden, Partner, Summit Virtual CFO by Anders

• Kenji Kuramoto, CEO, Acuity

• Zunie Nguyen, Founder and CEO, Yogi CPA

• Michael Ly, CEO, Reconciled Accounting Services

Time: 3pm

Automation, including AI and new trends like no-code tools for app development, are emerging trends in the accounting space. 

What mindset and selection process should firm owners go through to choose the tools that best fit their firm size and client niches?

In this session, owners of varying sized firms will discuss their use of automation so you can be confident in exploring your own.

Three days full of value, insights, and connectivity.

QuickBooks Connect is a unique opportunity to connect with peers, learn from the industry’s best and brightest, and explore the latest technologies and services available to accounting firms.

The Karbon team will be at the exhibitor floor to meet and greet friends old and new. Drop by booth #9 and say hi 👋