Select Testimonials from 2021 Events:

• Incredibly well organized. Instructors all kept on-pace for the most part.  Technology worked perfectly – loved and appreciated the on-line method of delivery -Maxim Integrated attendee on SEC Update
• Excellent lineup of speakers, topic, and presentation materials. -Taulia Inc attendee. on SEC Update
• Compared with the seminars hosted by PWC or KPMG that I went before, what I like this webinar most is we have speakers from different accounting firms with different background and expertise, different style of presentations and it covers different areas and industry. Overall, it is very good webinar. I would join again if this is an annual webinar/boot camp to have updates/hot topics on Rev Rec. -Omnicell attendee on Rev Rec Update
• Great conference and great lineup of speakers! -Taulia attendee on Rev Rec Update
• I had yet to attend a full-blown virtual conference and I was extremely surprised at how well organized and ran this was. The content was excellent and the technology cooperated. Super happy I was able to attend.  LaSalle Network attendee on Best Practices in Accounting
• Great content, very relevant and insightful! -BioMarin attendee on Life Science Accounting Update
• Great conference! I learned a lot. -Matterport, Inc. on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update
• Great event – really like the mixed topics -Cogniac Corporation attendee on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update
• As usual, this was a great conference. -Bruker Corporation attendee on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update
• Very pleased with this training. Feel like I learned a lot and fully plan to attend next year. Speakers were fantastic -Mercury Systems attendee on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update
• This was my first conference at this organization, and it was my favorite accounting conference I’ve ever been to. The presenters and presentations were all fantastic. Thank you! -Mailchimp attendee on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update
• All of the speakers and panel members had a lot of knowledge to share and were able to answer guest’s questions quickly and with detail. Overall, I have a greater understanding of the new revenue recognition standard. -SusieCakes Holdings attendee on Rev Rec Update
• Great content! Enjoyed participating and listening to the instructors and speakers -Google attendee on Rev Rec update
• Thanks for another great virtual conference! It was the perfect mix of review and learning new concepts. -Preston Pipelines attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• Great group of speakers who are well versed in their areas of expertise.  Also content provided was definitely well thought out and kept me engaged through the CPE sessions -Biotelemetry attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• Great CPE course.  I look forward to attending it annually going forward.  Thank you! -Topgolf attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• This was my first year attending this conference. Will definitely attend in the future. – Farm Credit Mid America attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• A wonderful two days with a lot of information. I’ve definitely downloaded a number of the materials and will be referencing them OFTEN. -BioMarin Pharmaceuticals attendee on Life Science Accounting Update
• Very well organized with the modules of the right length and spaced out so that I could stay engaged the whole day while attending virtually. -Mission Bio attendee on Life Science Accounting Update
• All the speakers were great. The topics were all interesting and very relevant to today’s issues. I learned a lot and will definitely attend another ACS conference! -Sante attendee on Life Science Accounting Update
• I will be absolutely looking out for more classes from this organization. I was extremely impressed with the knowledge and most topics were directly relevant to my company. Thank you all for this! -Waystar attendee on Software Accounting Update
• I really like the format with different sessions, topics, and speakers. Presenters were very knowledgeable in their subjects and the various formats were well received. -Emburse attendee on Software Accounting Update
• This really was the best webinar I’ve been to in years.  Practical and relevant information.  Even though  this is the busiest time of the year for me, it was worth my time to listen to all of it!  Thank you! -Coastal Community Bank attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• I am really happy I attended and the information was super helpful and will make a big impact. I am looking forward to use what I have learned to further improve our organization. Thank you so much!! -Zocdoc attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• This is my third time attending this conference and it gets better each time. I enjoy the variety of presenters and topics. -Stinnett & Associates attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update
• This was my first course through ACS and it will not be the last! Very impressed with the level of knowledge from the presenters. -Aurinia Pharmaceuticals attendee on SOX & Internal Controls Update

WHEN ACCOUNTING GOES UNACCOUNTED FOR

byJASON BRAMWELL

Sponsored by: Accounting Conferences and Seminars LLC

If there’s one main thing pandemic living has taught us it’s how to pivot. For many of us, we’ve had to figure out how to do our jobs at home (oftentimes while simultaneously wearing our parent hat). Our kids have had to adjust to learning in virtual classrooms. The past year has forced some people to switch or start new careers. And many businesses had to adapt to new business models.

Take Accounting Conferences and Seminars LLC, for example. For nearly a decade, the NASBA-registered professional training organization held two-day in-person conferences about 15 times a year, in different parts of the country, offering CPE credit to those attending sessions on the latest accounting developments.

But that all changed a year ago when the Rona caused companies to shut down all business travel. So ACS had to … you guessed it, PIVOT, by moving to a virtual format via GoToWebinar.

“Things have worked out really well,” said Rob Dowd, founder and managing director of ACS, who cut his teeth in public accounting at Deloitte and later Arthur Andersen. “We’re getting new clients that wouldn’t necessarily be able to travel to the different geographical locations where the conferences were held.”

The independent in-person conferences hosted by ACS attracted accounting and finance professionals from around the country who do the bidding of their company’s CFO—corporate controllers, vice presidents of finance, chief accounting officers, and accounting directors and managers, among others—so they could spend two days being briefed on the ever-changing accounting rules and requirements for topics like:

• Revenue recognition;
• Financial accounting and reporting update;
• SOX and internal controls;
• SEC reporting; and
• Life sciences accounting.

“It has always been a two-day format because people will travel for two days and it allows enough time to really delve into the nuances of the topics,” Dowd said. “All the speakers come from the Big 4 or the different regional or niche public accounting firms. And then we’d also have panelists from industry.” 

Through the years conferences were held at different locations throughout the country, but the San Francisco Bay Area had by far the best turnouts, according to Dowd.

“That area has such a high concentration of technology and software companies, and they have the most complex technical accounting issues like revenue recognition,” he said. “So we gravitated toward there and found that other people, whether they’re from Boston or Texas or other hubs of technology like Salt Lake City or Denver, were willing to travel there to get that expertise. Most of our events are on Pacific Daylight Time so we can accommodate our folks in the Bay Area.”  

Now, accounting and finance professionals from those tech and software companies can learn about how rev rec is being applied in a SaaS environment and be educated on the standard’s latest nuances—and earn CPE credit in the process—from the comfort of their own home offices, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants or even their PJs, if they so desire.

“The thing that separates us from other webcast providers is generally during a webcast you’re going to jump on there for an hour or two hours or four hours to learn about this new topic. It’s really rare to jump on there for two days and sit in your home or office and get updated during that big chunk of time,” Dowd said. “Attendees appreciate having the chance to really dig deep into these topics that you can’t do in an hour, two hours, or four hours.

“But you’re not going to sit down for 16 straight hours and hear somebody pontificate on what they think are the best ways to walk through revenue recognition, so it’ll be a mixture of lecture, case studies, and industry panelists,” he added. “One of the great things about going virtual is you can have great panelists from all over the country. Our next revenue recognition conference will have panelists from Starbucks and Bay Area tech companies. We might not be able to get those speakers in a live format, but the time commitment for them is not as difficult for just coming in and participating for an hour-and-a-half panel discussion.”

Dowd also said each 75- or 90-minute session is followed by a break so attendees can check their email and reply to urgent matters before the virtual conference reconvenes with the next topic and speaker.

While Dowd still believes there’s immense value that comes from a live in-person conference, he offered up a few other advantages to attending a virtual training event:

1. It’s more convenient (and cheaper)

Business travel can sometimes be a hassle—and expensive (well, expensive for your company because you’ll be trying to expense the hell out of everything you possibly can). The virtual conference means not having to worry about being stuck in traffic or flight delays or your luggage being lost or booking a room at a hotel with erratic Wi-Fi (although your Wi-Fi at home might be spotty because your kids are sucking it up on Zoom during school, but that’s a different story). So you’re saving precious time and your employer is saving precious money.

Speaking of saving money, once ACS decided to go virtual, Dowd said the business cut out all direct costs it would have to pay for a two-day in-person event, like for venue rental and food and beverages, which reduced the cost of attending a two-day virtual conference by $250 per person.

“We were able to reduce the fee for the virtual conferences from $795 to $545, which people really liked,” Dowd said. “We were getting comments like, ‘Why isn’t everyone doing this?’ and ‘Not only am I able to attend from my living room and having to not travel, my boss loves the cost savings.’”

2. These aren’t pre-recorded sessions

“They’re all done in a live format. Attendees are getting that instant interaction,” Dowd said. “If you don’t understand something on the slide the speaker is talking about, in real time you’re able to reach out to the instructor via the chat box and say, ‘Can you clarify what you mean by this acronym or this point?’ and they’ll be able to get right back to you and answer that question in real time. The average class size is manageable. We’re not talking about 500 people on a webcast. It’s usually an average of 80 to 100 attendees.”

3. Ask questions anonymously

So you’re in a hotel ballroom listening to a speaker and his or her talk ends and now it’s time for the audience Q&A. You’ve got a question you think is a pretty good one and you start to raise your hand for the moderator to give you the mic. But speaking in public is not an accountant’s forte, and anxiety sets in after scanning around at the 300 or so people in the same room as you. “Nevermind, my question isn’t really that important,” you tell yourself as you put your hand down. 

Well guess what? You needn’t feel intimidated by asking a question during a virtual conference. GoToWebinar is one directional, so you can’t see your fellow attendees, only the speaker and whatever materials he or she provides. And the instructor can’t see you. So ask your question pantsless if you want. Nobody would ever know.

“If you have a question that you might think is stupid or if you have a question that might put your company in a bad light—‘We’ve been doing it this way. Is this the right way we should be doing it?’—you’re able to ask your question anonymously in the chat box,” Dowd said. “We found that people are actually participating more than they would in a live event. They are asking more questions and they do like the low-risk anonymity of being able to ask questions through chat without having to hear their voice, without having to stand up and ask a question, and without having to identify themself.”

4. Review course materials repeatedly

The good news for those attending an ACS two-day virtual conference is you’ll get a video replay of the conference to rewatch at your leisure. The bad news for those who don’t attend is the conferences are not on-demand. So y’all are missing out on really engaging speakers presenting information in a way that won’t make your head spin. And the best part is you won’t have a person sitting next to you who was out drinking until the wee hours of the morning with his eyes closed and his head tilting backward snoring during the duration of the presentation. You know what I’m talking about. 

“One of the constant things we’re told by attendees is that the instructors are able to keep their attention during the session,” Dowd said. “And there are a variety of different delivery methods. It’s not just a straight lecture. It’s industry panels. It’s case study discussions with interactive polling. It’s more of a livelier format than just sitting there in a passive lecture.”

The next ACS virtual conference will be held on March 23 and 24, from 8:45 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. PDT on both days. The topic is “Revenue Recognition Accounting Update (ASC 606).” You can register for the two-day virtual conference here.

A full list of ACS events for 2021 can be found here.

June FARU:

Excellent.  First time attending ACS will do so again. -attendee from Crown Castle

I really enjoy the ACS conferences. Always well done! –attendee from Argo AI

Great job and a very informative conference!!! –attendee from KBR

Thank you so much for making this available for virtual attendance. I will be more likely to attend in the future if all offerings include a virtual attendance option.  Very well done! –attendee from Xoma

June Revenue Recognition:

Great job making this work in a virtual environment -attendee from Alteryx

This was my first conference with your firm and I am very pleased.  You did a great job in pulling off this remote learning. –attendee from Multi-Color Corporation

Great conference even being virtual.  I know with COVID everything had to be changed but I am very happy with the conference.  Sessions were engaging and presented very well.  I learned a lot and received a lot of support that will help my company with implementation. -attendee from VOX Network Solutions

It was great, very informative. The speakers were knowledgeable and it was so well organized. -attendee from Verizon Media Inc.

Very well done and organized. Efficient and on time throughout. Good mix of questions and presentation. First full virtual course I’ve  attended but was quite good. attendee from Huawei

July SOX:

All the speakers were extremely knowledgeable, shared relevant experiences to illustrate the material, and were very engaging. I would definitely recommend ACS to my colleagues. attendee from Fitch Ratings

It was really good. -attendee from Iridium Satelite LLC

Really enjoyed the conference. It was done extremely well given the remote nature of it and will definitely attend other conferences in the future. -attendee from Quanterix

This is my second time to attend this conference. It was fantastic again – there are very few conferences covering SOX and internal controls these days and this one has very high quality speakers and topics. -attendee from Stinnett & Associates

September Life Science Accounting:

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a two-day virtual conference but this was fantastic! -attendee from Zymeworks

Overall, really great conference – the content was very relevant and informative. Thank you, looking forward to the next conference. -attendee from Sarepta Therapeutics

This was an excellent conference to attend for a firs- time attendee. Extremely informative and is perfect for a life sciences finance/account professional. Very well executed for a virtual conference! Thanks to all!  -attendee from Santen Inc.

September Accounting Update for Software Companies:

Everyone who spoke seemed very knowledgable of their topics. I enjoyed the interactive sessions the most as I found lots of things I could relate to in audience questions – notably the Revenue Recognition Past Issues and Emerging Trends and Commissions sessions were very informative. -attendee from WP Engine

I’m glad I attended the conference! Gained new useful knowledge. -attendee from Matterport, Inc.

October SOX:

Thank you for adapting to this COVID situation and putting on a great virtual conference. I did miss the networking aspect to chat with my fellow attendees, but not much to be done about that. I also wanted to say thank you for adjusting the price of the conference to reflect the change from in person to virtual. I’ve seen other organizations not do the same and it is frustrating. I also want to say thank you for the value. I have paid similar amounts for webinars that are much shorter and less impactful.. -attendee from eGenesis, Inc.

Another great ACS conference. I really enjoy these, the topics, and the presenters!  -attendee from Argo AI

Very good even with being virtual.  Time well spent. -attendee from SDI LaFraga

I’ve had to catch up on a lot of CPE recently. This conference was certainly the best overall. Technology platforms provided effective content delivery. Staff was highly responsive of all questions. Topics and presenters were nearly all focused directly on things that matter to my role and will provide great reference materials. Thank you for a great seminar!  -attendee from Myriad Genetics

November Financial Accounting & Reporting Update:

Great speakers and very well organized! -attendee from Equinix

Conference was very well done with appropriate presentation materials . Presenters were great.  I liked that they had personalities (while knowing their stuff). -attendee from Trevi Therapeutics

Great material and presenters. It was engaging – which was a pleasant surprise! -attendee from Glassdoor, Inc.

This was a very informative conference with interesting and relevant sessions. Instructors were knowledgeable and engaging. -attendee from Castlight Health

Regardless of Covid-19, virtual needs to be the way forward – this was great.
~attendee from Cockroach Labs, Inc.

Seems like everyone was able to adapt nicely to the virtual environment. Overall I was satisfied with the content and the vast majority of the speakers were not only well versed in the subject matter but were enjoyable/entertaining to listen to.
~attendee from Jam City

The hosts were great and interacted well and coordinated well between each presenter. Well done!
~attendee from AMD

Overall, very interesting. It’s hard to stay captivated for 8 hours online but the day seemed to fly by.
~attendee from Cummins, Inc.

This was a great conference but I look forward to being able to attend in person in the future!
~attendee from Curation Foods, Inc.

As usual, great conference. New webcast format works well.
~attendee from Adobe

Overall, I find this to be a great “survey” seminar covering a variety of topics. The Webinar does present some challenges personally due to distractions at work/home, but it also provided enhanced flexibility in “stepping out” for a quick call.
~attendee from Revance Therapeutics

Well organized and extremely relevant. Excellent way to earn CPE and learn/update on various topics. Speakers were knowledgeable and I learned something in every session. 
~eGenesis, Inc. on Life Science Accounting Update

Very good lineup of instructors on relevant topics. One of the better conferences I’ve been to.
~Topco on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Very helpful session
~Neovia Logistics on Revenue Recognition Conference

Great variety of topics! Really appreciated all the SOX optimization tips. Excellent food
~TDS on SOX & Internal Controls Update Conference

Overall, I think the conference was great! Well organized and planned out
~TD Ameritrade on SOX & Internal Controls Update Conference

Great! Well organized and one of the best I’ve attended
~C&J Energy Services

Great conference. First time for me
~Astellas on Life Science Accounting Update

I attend a lot of workshops and seminars. I knew the content would be great. I did not anticipate the delivery and ambience would be equally as great. Thank you! 
~Santen Inc. on Life Science Accounting Update

Very informative and got to get a great refresher of various topics which are either relevant or we expect will be relevant in the near future.
~Global Blood Therapeutics on Life Science Accounting Update

Very good conference. Good topics that provided useful information
~Exelixis on Life Science Accounting Update

Overall great seminar with appropriate timing for each topic. Also, had a variety of topics that make it interesting and engaging.
~Cohesity on Accounting Update for Tech Companies

Lots of information and speakers were a wealth of knowledge.
~AppFolio on Accounting Update for Tech Companies

Speakers were very knowledgeable and cared a lot about their topics and presentations
~Vimeo on Accounting Update for Tech Companies

Enjoyed the conference very much overall. One of the better events being offered in the realm of SOX 
~Federal Home Loan Bank on SOX & Internal Controls Update Conference

The binders and handouts are wonderful! Great variety and some great speakers. Good food, drinks, snacks.
~Ascendium Education on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Great conference overall to attend. Enjoyed the corporate culture discussion. SEC Developments is the best.
~JBSS on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Great training sessions. Very informative
~UL on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Great training yet again
~Maxim Integrated on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Engaging speakers and creative presentations
~Cohesity on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Great conference. I will be back.
~Tanner LLC on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Excellent two days!
~Gainsight on Financial Accounting & Reporting Update

Here is a link to the upcoming events including Lease Accounting in March in Santa Clara and August in Manhattan Beach/Los Angeles, CA: https://acslive.com/events/

PwC’s Ashima Jain led off the October version of the Accounting for Leases Conference with an overview discussion.  Ashima went on to cover key concepts including:

Identifying a lease

Key Concepts

Contract Components

Lease Classification

Recognition and measurement

Ongoing requirements

Other transactions

Disclosures

Transition

ASC 842 vs IFRS 16

Implications beyond accounting

Ashima is a managing director in PwC’s national office, PwC’s think-tank, providing technical advice and thought leadership on complex accounting matters.

Prior to joining the national office in 2008, Ashima worked in PwC’s Transaction Services Group, a global business unit that provides quality, real-time advice on accounting, financial reporting and valuation implications inherent in a variety of complex transactions.  Ashima specializes in merger & acquisition, joint venture, consolidation and lease accounting and focuses on several sectors including technology, entertainment, media, telecom, cable, power, healthcare, real estate, retail, transportation & logistics, etc.

Ashima is a leasing subject matter specialist and has been doing lease accounting for over 15 years. She advises clients in lessor and lessee matters and is a popular speaker at conferences.

Ashima has been closely involved with the new leasing standard.  She has attended the FASB/IASB outreach roundtables, is in close touch with the FASB staff and works closely with PwC’s global national office.  Ashima has authored several thought leadership papers and presentations, led several roundtables and one-on-one meetings with clients across several regions and sectors helping them navigate through the rules and the implications.

Before her appointment with PwC, Ashima worked in strategic and financial planning in the ocean transportation industry where she advised C-suite executives on strategic initiatives and helped raise $500 million from global sources under tough economic conditions.

Ashima obtained a BS degree in Physics from Bombay University, India, and MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India’s premier management school set up in collaboration with Harvard.  Ashima is a CPA and is based in San Francisco/Bay Area.