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Maryland Association of CPAs Features Innovative Technologies and Social Media to Increase Engagement and Collaboration at Innovation Summit
Towson, MD (PRWEB) May 15, 2013
The Summit theme of Innovation, Connection, and Collaboration is designed to showcase innovation in the CPA Profession and features almost 20 of the top thought leaders in the Profession, top technology vendors and leading innovations in Accounting Standards, XBRL, Healthcare and more. All in an event designed to spark serendipity and innovation.
A recent IBM Global CEO study identified collaboration as the number-one trait CEOs are seeking in their employees, with 75 percent of CEOs calling it critical. The CPA Horizons 2025 Report by the American Institute of CPAs also identified collaboration in the top five skills needed by CPAs in the future. MACPA Chair Anoop Mehta said, “We are very excited to be able to use these technologies to enhance and accelerate collaboration among summit attendees, sponsors and speakers. These relationships will be instrumental in keeping our members ahead of the rapid pace of change we find ourselves in.”
Here is how these exciting technologies will be used at the Innovation Summit.
ThinkTank by Group Systems (http://www.groupsystems.com) is a powerful crowdsourcing, crowd-computing, and group decision support platform that wows participants, significantly accelerating and enhancing outcomes, creating a profound collective experience for participants. It will be used in a special session (on May 16th) with Learning Leaders across the CPA Profession titled, “Turning Training and Learning into Business Results” by the Business Learning Institute’s Richard Flanagan, author of The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning and Bob Dean, CPA, CLO, Founder of Dean Learning & Talent Advisors
Flybits (http://flybits.com) is an exciting location-aware technology that connects people to places called “zones”. It is the way we are distributing conference materials to participants at the Innovation Summit. It’s an incredible technology that delivers specialized content to your mobile device based on where you are at any moment. Want some fun? See what pops up when you visit a vendor’s booth (aka “Flybits zone”). Zone’s will be created for the MACPA and our Platinum Sponsors, CPA2Biz (http://www.cpa.com), Sage (http://na.sage.com), CCH (http://www.cch.com), Ziptr (http://www.ziptr.com), and Simplified Innovations (http://simplifiedinnovations.com).
Conferences.io (http://www.conferences.io) is an innovative web-based audience participation application used to increase engagement and make learning more collaborative. Special polling and social Q&A features allow for constant participation during and after events and will be used in several sessions at the Summit.
MACPA Groups (http://cpa.tc/roups) is our newest tool to help MACPA members connect and collaborate and share the “wisdom of the crowd”. The Federal Tax group was recently used to crowd-source MACPA’s testimony for the House Ways & Means Committee about the “tax season from hell.”
Social Media will be used extensively at the Summit as a connection and learning tool. Special pre-summit webcasts were held with our members (Social Media Quick Start) and with sponsors (How to Tip the Adoption Curve) to teach them specifics around ”how to crush a conference”. A special Social Media Guide has been created to connect people to our sponsors and speakers. Follow the conference at hashtag #MDSUMMIT13.
Jennifer Warawa, Sage’s vice president of partner programs and channel sales, said in a recent press release, “This event is different from any other in the profession, so our approach to how we engage with the show and its participants is different. Sage is getting social with the help of MACPA and there are several initiatives planned to get everyone online and talking in the social channels.
MACPA CEO, Tom Hood, CPA,CITP, CGMA said, “we are now at a point where the collaboration curve can help us jump the experience curve. We are excited to see how these innovative technologies can help our members amplify their connections at our Summit and increase their ability to collaborate for years to come.”
About the Maryland Association of CPAs: The MACPA exists to help CPAs connect with each other in strategic ways, to be the organization to protect our members’ interests, and to help them achieve greater success. We provide the resources and services that CPAs need to excel in their profession. Since 1901, the MACPA has been a national leader as a premier professional organization in the CPA Profession. Tom Hood, our CEO, was recently named as one of the Top 25 Thought Leaders in Public Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor and a one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the CPA Profession by Accounting Today Magazine (eighth time in 2012). We’re honored that the Baltimore Business Journal and Washington Business Journal have named the MACPA as one of the top 5 largest networking organizations in Baltimore and D.C. for each of the past five years.
Related Crowd Sourcing Press Releases
Governor OMalley Swears in Members of Maryland Venture Fund Authority at Inaugural Meeting
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) August 31, 2011
Governor Martin OMalley today presided over the official swearing-in of the Maryland Venture Fund Authority (MVFA) members. The nine-member Authority was established to provide advice to and consult with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development in connection with the administration of the InvestMaryland Program. The Authority oversees the development of the Programs bidding mechanism that raises investment capital for seed and early-stage companies and selects the private venture capital firms who receive InvestMaryland funding and make investments through the Program, ensuring that all statutory requirements are met.
The Maryland Venture Fund Authority will play a key role in carrying out our comprehensive, long-term strategy for job creation, investment and venture capital growth in Maryland, said Governor OMalley. In these challenging economic times, InvestMaryland will help us continue to provide Maryland businesses with access to capital and support early stage investment companies. Together, we can create jobs and expand opportunity for economic development.
The MVFA is comprised of a diverse group of private sector executives and entrepreneurs, investors, small business owners and educators with experience in IT, bioscience, cyber, manufacturing, financial, advanced technology, education, agricultural, transportation, and non-profit sectors. This seasoned group will guide the States efforts to attract and grow small and early stage investment entrepreneurs and companies throughout Maryland. Earlier this year, aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs, companies, stakeholders, legislators and government officials helped craft policy, participated in InvestMaryland day which showcased support, entrepreneurs and venture capitalist successes and culminated in the passage of InvestMaryland legislation in May.
Authority members serve staggered three-year terms. Chairing the Authority will be Peter Greenleaf, President, MedImmune. Since joining MedImmune in 2006 as Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Greenleaf has overseen the development of the companys global marketing and portfolio organizations, as well as managing the broader commercial corporate development and strategy functions.
Maryland has an impressive legacy of creating an environment that cultivates and advances innovative thinking across many business sectors, among them the local biosciences community of which MedImmune is privileged to be a part, said Peter Greenleaf, president of Gaithersburg-based MedImmune, the global biologics business of AstraZeneca. I am honored and inspired to serve as chair of the Maryland Venture Fund Authority, which marries investment to visionary ideas that can become reality and, eventually, strong economic drivers for the State.
During their inaugural meeting, the Authority deliberated and established guidelines for both the requirements and process for an entrepreneur or venture capital company to seek funds under the States $ 70 Million initiative to spur early seed investment for businesses in Maryland.
Governors Maryland Venture Fund Authority Members *(Bios noted below)