It's February and in the accounting world, busy season is in full swing! In fact, between work and IAAP responsibilities, things have become downright crazy! Did I mention totally stressed? It's what we refer to as feast or famine. Everything's due at the same time or there's nothing to do! Preparation for the Spring Board Meeting is also in full swing. We've been busy working on the agendas and it's taken about ten days to get the agendas laid out, with bringing forward topics or assignments from the prior meeting, making sure we've covered all the agenda topics that occur specifically at this meeting, and ensuring we have all reporting subcommittees listed. And just when you think it's complete, there are revisions and more revisions! Thankfully, we've gone green with our board books, and everything is electronic.
Flying out Thursday after putting in the equivalent of a full day at the office means arriving exhausted at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, assuming one doesn't miss any connections! You may even see me chasing down the shuttle bus driver at the airport so I don't have to another wait thirty minutes for the next shuttle to arrive. Then, as I'm dragging my luggage through the hotel door and thinking about the time difference, unpacking and sleep ─familiar faces appear! In that split second my face is all smiles, and my pace picks up. Forget the check in desk! Hugs, hellos, more hugs, catching up on arrival times and what everyone has already checked out is most important. One minute I'm ready for bed and the next we're making plans to meet up before calling it a day. What an adrenaline rush!
Once the board meeting starts, it's non-stop from morning until evening. We are planning some fun on Sunday evening. If everything comes together, we'll be dining at the burger and shake joint in the resort, followed by bowling! A few board members will be cheering on the bowlers and a couple more said they would be taking pictures. Hmm… wonder where those might pop up! Hopefully in March's communication!
What's best about the Spring Board Meeting is that it's followed by the Spring Conference (formerly Professional Education Conference or PEC). The conference always provides great speakers, which means going home with a new book or two to read. It offers professional development on current issues as well as 15 recertification points. Have you been thinking of attending a Spring Conference? Well, now's the time to attend! With room rates at only $89, this may be the most affordable event ever! For more information and to register, go to http://www.iaap-hq.org/events/pec/registration.html.
Remember the Compliments/Suggestions/Complaints database which was rolled out in 2008? I'm thinking probably not because it's not being utilized to the extent that it could be. The database is used to track trends, issues, etc., and help us figure out what we need to focus on or communicate on a mass scale. Most recently, a trend or issue that could have been communicated better is the speed of the web community. I read the postings and raised the question, "What's going on with the web community?" only to find out that while we were communicating in the community itself, we should have been communicating our efforts to speed things up on a larger scale. Had everyone utilized the database, that issue would have tracked sooner for a broader communication. And, yes, we are in the process of upgrades that will increase the capabilities of the web community, increasing the speed. So when 5,000 of us all get online at the same time during our lunch hour, access will be much faster. The Compliments/Suggestions/Complaints may be found by going to the Members Resources section drop down menu or http://community.iaap-hq.org/IAAPHQ/IAAPHQ/MemberResources/Feedback/Default.aspx.
Another way to keep abreast of what's happening with the web community is to subscribe to the Sitebuilders eGroup, which is where Ben McClanahan Internet Communications Coordinator, provides updates on what's happening as well as responds to webmaster questions.
December 2009 was the end of another financial quarter for IAAP. The Financial Oversight Subcommittee has reviewed the fiscal year-to-date information and updated the Financial Plan, which may be found here. You will note that IAAP continues to maximize its resources to help get us through a very lean time in this tough economy.
Have you heard about the two (yes, two keynoters) we’ll have this year in Boston? Vernice Armour, the U.S.’s first woman combat pilot will kick the day off by showing us how to “create breakthrough,” and then Erin Brockovich, one of the most famous admins in the world, will be on hand to close out the day.
Hopefully I’ll get to see all of you there for a great EFAM… be on the lookout for registration information soon!
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