Pre-Conference: Sunday, May 4
12:30 pm – 4:30 pm (PT)
Advisory
Thomson Reuters’ Advisory Bootcamp
Hosted by Thomson Reuters
This intensive, 4-hour session is designed to equip tax and accounting professionals with the knowledge, strategic guidance, and mindset needed to transform their practices into high-value advisory firms. It is designed for firm owners and partners looking to structure, grow and/or scale their advisory practice area. Through this comprehensive program, using examples from Thomson Reuters’ Practice Forward model, you will be introduced to the advisory methodology you can leverage immediately to redefine your business model. During the bootcamp, you'll learn from a panel of successful Alliance member advisory firm leaders, gaining inspiration and practical insights. You'll also discover how to differentiate between value-added advisory services and compliance work. From shifting your mindset, to implementing structured advisory services and standardized value pricing strategies, you will leave with a clear roadmap for enhancing your services, increasing your profitability, and delivering unparalleled value to your clients.

Bootcamp attendees are invited to a cocktail reception immediately following. Thanks to Thomson Reuters for sponsoring this reception!
Day 2: Tuesday, May 6
9:20 am – 10:20 am (PT)
Advisory
Transaction Advisory: Current Landscape and Latest Trends
Alliance Panel – Sean Beard, Creative Planning; Chris Tomas, Creative Planning; and Erik Olson, BerryDunn (CPA Members)
Join us for an engaging session where specialists from both sides of the M&A world—healthy and distressed—come together to provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape. Transaction Advisory leaders will offer valuable insights into the dynamics of mergers and acquisitions, whether dealing with thriving companies or those in turnaround situations. We'll also dive into the latest trends in the Private Equity (PE) environment, exploring how these forces shape M&A activity. It will conclude with an open Q&A, giving attendees the opportunity to ask the tough questions and gain practical knowledge to apply in your own practice.
10:40 am – 11:40 am (PT)
Advisory
Emerging Fraud Trends and Challenges to Internal Control
BDO USA, P.C.
Fraud continues to be a significant concern across industries, evolving in complexity as new technologies and business models emerge. This session will provide a broad overview of current fraud trends, highlighting common tactics and schemes that organizations face today. We will also examine the ongoing challenges to maintaining effective internal controls and explore strategies for safeguarding against these persistent risks. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the fraud landscape and practical approaches to strengthening their organizations’ defenses.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (PT)
CAS | Advisory
Advisory Through Industry: A Panel Discussion on Adding Value
Facilitated by Natalie Kotlyar, BDO USA, P.C. with Alliance Panel – Glenn Dunlap, Peerview Data, Inc. (BRN Firm); Glen Weyenberg, SVA Certified Public Accountants (CPA Member); and Alice Lerman, Roth & Co. LLP (CPA Member)
Everyone wants to be an advisor, to go beyond the value of a compliance product and become indispensable to the client. There are several schools of thought on how to go about achieving that, but few have proven to be as impactful as industry specialization. Join BDO's National Managing Principal of Industry & Premier Programs as she shares how BDO is maximizing its industry lines and introduces us to an innovative panel of BDO Alliance members using industry knowledge to beat out the competition and drive results. From benchmarking to product delivery to organizational structure, this session will expand your idea of how you interact with your clients and position you to become more than just an accountant.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (PT)
Advisory
Amping Up with Advisory
Mark Burnette, LBMC (CPA Member)
More and more firms are turning to consulting and advisory services to contribute to their growth and to help them further solidify their position with clients as a trusted advisor. In this session, Mark will share key considerations for Advisory Services practices, insights from LBMC's experience in building Advisory Services, and perspectives on leveraging Advisory Services as a growth engine for your firm.
2:20 pm – 3:20 pm (PT)
CAS | Advisory
AI = Advisory Intelligence
Matt Harpe, Basis (BRN Firm)
AI is a powerful enabler of efficiency and standardization, especially for CAS and advisory practices. It can also be your new thought partner. This session will focus on a set of practical ideas and lessons from the field on how AI can be a part of your strategy for an advisory-focused practice. Discover how AI is already being used to draw insights, generate ideas, and serve as a thought partner for accountants of all tenures – and where all of this might be going.
2:20 pm – 3:20 pm (PT)
Advisory | CAS | Marketing
Packaging, Pricing & Selling Client Accounting & Advisory Services with Compliance Work
Jon Hubbard, Boomer Consulting (BRN Firm)
The future growth of your firm will include the strategic growth of accounting & advisory services. The challenge is, it can be difficult to know exactly how to package, price and sell these services with compliance work. This session is designed to demystify these challenges by showing you exactly the strategies and tactics to implement.
3:40 pm – 4:40 pm (PT)
Advisory
Capital Markets Update
BDO Capital Advisors
This session will provide an update on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising trends and activity. It will discuss how to help clients who are positioning their company for a sale, avoid seller pitfalls and maximize the value of their business through a structured sales process.
Day 3: Wednesday, May 7
8:00 am – 9:00 am (PT)
Advisory
Structuring Your Practice for Advisory Services
Panel Discussion – facilitated by Rob Merl, BDO Alliance USA
Join us for an insightful session focused on how to build the infrastructure for an advisory practice with different sales cycles, staffing needs, and resource requirements than a traditional CPA practice requires. Industry leaders will share strategies and best practices for transforming your advisory practice from “add-on services” into a dynamic advisory powerhouse.
9:20 am – 10:20 am (PT)
Advisory
Unlocking Supply Chain Data
BDO USA, P.C. and Dean Jones and Jim Haller, AFS Logistics
Join this interactive session where we’ll explore important indicators of supply chain cost savings opportunities that appear in tax filings and other accounting records, as well as limitations many companies face when trying to unlock these savings today, and high ROI solutions to bring to clients to help them reduce risk and save money.