Fav Five For 2025: Live Events
This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive. - Alice Waters
I love attending live events, and below are the fav five I will be attending in 2025.
There is nothing like being with people you admire, feel comfortable with and who “get you” like your non-accounting friends and family never will. Learning is intensified in live settings as well. I suppose because that is what we are there to do: immerse ourselves in all things accounting and technology. The hallway conversations, the teaching and workshop sessions, the tech hall, inspiring keynotes, great meals with app partners and friends, and, of course, the after parties 💃🏿.
Conferences transformed the way I look at accounting and my business, and I recommend attending at least one live event a year if you can swing it.
I realize live events are spendy and out of reach for some, so further below, I list a virtual event to attend. There is also a great nonprofit organization, The Accounting Cornerstone Foundation, that sponsors newbies to attend. I encourage those of you who have benefitted from conferences to donate and help others get started, or to apply if you have not attended a live event and need financial help to get to your first one.
Events in date order, not order of preference.
One: Scaling New Heights
Orlando Marriott World Center June 22-25, 2025
The 2025 conference will equip you to create an intentional, proactive response to both the significant disruptions and the significant opportunities intersecting our profession. Attend SNH 2025 to get the tools, education and inspiration you need to take strong and decisive actions in your practice and to respond proactively to artificial intelligence, automation technologies, mobile-first collaboration tools, and other disruptive technologies. Simply put, attend Scaling New Heights 2025 to ‘Make it So.’
My take: this is a great event for solo/small/mid-size firms knee-deep in client accounting services. There is a lot of content around that, including bookkeeping and moving into advisory services. You will also find a tech-heavy influence and an outstanding app partner hall unrelated to one of the accounting platforms.
I am excited to be teaching a few sessions - Onboarding On Autopilot Part One: Building A Harmonious Workflow, Onboarding On Autopilot Part Two: Choosing Your Tech Stack, Automate Your Prospective Client Discovery Process and Graceful Endings: Disengaging Clients Respectfully.
Two: Get Connected Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto
Montreal (French only) May 27, 2025, Vancouver June 10-11, 2025, Toronto June 25-26, 2025
Intuit Canada’s annual in-person event for accounting professionals. Build new connections, get inspired, and grow your practice – hear from industry experts, log CPD hours, network with your peers, and learn more about QuickBooks’ latest innovations.
My take: this is a terrific educational experience for firms of all sizes, solo/small/mid-size/large firms, and it is a great event for networking with Canadian accounting professionals. You will also have opportunities to interact with Intuit team members, from development to executive and marketing.
I’ll be at the Toronto one fo-sho!
Three: Bridging The Gap
This year’s theme, “Expedition Innovation: Charting New Paths in People, Technology, and Practice,” delivers inspiring keynotes, hands-on workshops, and unmatched networking opportunities. Earn CPE & CE credits while connecting with industry leaders and exploring the latest trends shaping the future of accounting.
My take: this is a very engaging event, which focuses on accounting as well as leaning into mental health issues and the impact they have on accounting professionals and firms.
I am so looking forward to this unique event!
Four: Intuit Connect
There is no date or location publically announced yet, but if I had to guess I would say early November.
My take: this is a big, exciting event with top-notch sessions, ah-mazing keynote speakers, a vast trade show floor and a diverse mix of accounting professionals and firm sizes. And the after parties - oh my.
I have attended this conference since 2017 and have spoken at it since 2018. It is a meca event for me that I look forward to every year.
Five: CPB Canada Ignite
Calgary, Alberta September 9-12, 2025
The IGNITE Conference brings bookkeeping, accounting, and finance professionals alongside industry partners. Whether you operate as a sole proprietor, contribute to a small, medium, or large practice, or are dedicated to advancing in the field of accounting, IGNITE presents a wealth of opportunities. From fostering valuable connections with peers to engaging in nearly 50 hours of professional development sessions, exploring an expansive tradeshow, and participating in an array of social events, IGNITE 2025 promises a comprehensive experience.
Curated by industry experts, IGNITE's content is designed to be relevant and practical, aiming to enhance your capacity and skills in the field.
My take: Canadian bookkeepers were early adopters of cloud accounting technology, and it shows with the Ignite conferences. The days of “why” are well behind us, and this conference is very focused on “how”. It also has a unique and large amount of content on compliance topics such as payroll and sales tax, along with in-depth sessions on industry-specific bookkeeping (construction, real estate and e-commerce, for example).
This is the conference that changed my business life way back in 2014. It is a will-not-miss for me.
I'm thrilled about the upcoming events in the accounting world!
The approaching webinars, workshops, and conventions will be filled with valuable insights, showcasing the latest innovations, and the networking opportunities will be fantastic.
The real magic happens in our organic interactions—discussing accounting tech, exploring new apps, sharing client stories, and exchanging tips on managing our businesses.
Whether I'm attending or speaking, I can't wait to connect and learn together. See you there!
Kellie :-}
PS: Honourable virtual event mention: Financial Cents WorkflowCon
November 11 & 12th
You can watch the replays from 2024 here.
If you want to become efficient at Accounting Workflow Management to increase your firm’s efficiency, you should gear up for WorkflowCon 2025. WorkflowCon is a groundbreaking event designed exclusively for accounting, tax, and bookkeeping firm owners determined to streamline their workflows for the better.
My take: this is by far one of the most engaging and best-organized virtual conferences and is very focused on workflow management, which we could all use some help with, right!? The speaker line-up in the last few years has been on fire, and I’m sure it will be in 2025 as well.
I will be hosting a session or two on workflows, so please join me!
Join Your Peers Here ⬅️ this is my events page, which is kinda fun given this week’s topic.
Check back for updates, as we are starting to fill it with the 2025 events - live & virtual.
