Reflections on the IASA Conference

As my plane touched down at Reagan Washington National airport on Sunday morning, I was headed into the unknown to attend my first national IASA conference as a representative of Plante Moran. At the conference, my role was to attend sessions as a participant as well as host our vendor booth (a first for the firm). Three short days later, I was on my way back home with a new experience under my belt and a variety of great takeaways. Here are a few:

1. The conference was jam-packed with sessions that ranged from statutory accounting/financial reporting updates to reinsurance hot topics to various sessions on leadership and vendor connection tours. Plante Moran presented intense interactive sessions on healthcare reform, SSAE-16 compliance, and business succession planning. The sessions provided value and a deeper understanding on topics that my clients are concerned about and seeking guidance on.
2. Monday evening, Plante Moran hosted a happy hour event. As clients, friends, prospects, and even family filled the room, the event began to feel more like reunion than networking. People laughed, conversed, and were genuinely interested in not only our business services but who we were as individuals. The camaraderie was wonderful.
3. As host of a vendor booth, it was rewarding to be able to look around and see my coworkers and other vendors sharing stories and excitedly talking about the services they had to offer. I felt pride in the sense that visitors to our booth had questions about our firm and were interested in hearing what we had to say about a place that I’ve come to consider a second home. 

Before I knew it, the airport was in sight, and it was time to go home. As I sat on the plane, slightly exhausted, I thought to myself, I can’t wait to do this again—what a great time! The technical expertise and knowledge gained while attending equipped me to be prepared to provide perspective and in-depth awareness on the issues that are important to clients and the industry. The connection with coworkers, clients, and prospects was rewarding and provided not only a sense of pride but camaraderie as well. See you Indianapolis in 2014!