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Greta's Conference CountdownJuly 13 Okay, this is it! It's only a few days until the start of Conference. As you are packing your bags and getting ready to leave, we have a check list of items we think you will want to bring with you:
Along with your clothes, cash, and other miscellaneous items, that should cover it. Now get ready to learn and have a lot of fun. We are looking forward to your arrival in Reno. And, if this is your first time coming to Conference, please be sure to stop me and say "hello" and ask me any questions you might have about the event. I'd be glad to help. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center July 6 I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July holiday. We made our usual fruit basket and had a water fight. We've been doing this since I was a kid. It was something my great-grandma started when she lived in Blue Island, IL, just south of Chicago. One 4th of July my great-grandma leaned out the window and threw water at one of us kids and it has been "game on" ever since. So, the kids and I keep the tradition going. It is a blast! I hope your day was as fun as mine. Well, now that the holiday is over, it is back to work. We are busy starting to pack and organize the truckload of material that we ship from textbooks, to Tax Store products, badges, office supplies, tote bags, etc. As you could imagine, it is quite a task – nothing like moving your office during tax season though ;-). Not only are we packing, but we are also meeting regularly as a team to discuss pre-Conference planning details, and ensuring the on-site team is aware of its responsibilities. We've all worked together for years, so we work in harmony and have a great time doing it. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center June 29 In less than one month, our National Conference will be over and our team will be gearing up for our new conference - the TOP Conference. This is our brand new Technology & Office Productivity Conference to be held in Cherry Hill, NJ on September 22 & 23. The focus of this conference is all of the "other than tax" stuff. We are bringing together some of the top vendors and suppliers in the nation to show you how you can be more efficient and effective in your office. Who wouldn't want that? We won't be focusing on any CPE, but will give you a bonus of a $50 gift card toward self-study education when you register and attend the event. To learn more, visit the web page. If you have any questions about the TOP Conference or National Conference, feel free to contact me. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center June 22 The cutoff has come and gone, but all is not lost. You can still choose to be part of the fun! At up to 33 continuing professional education credits in four days, you are still getting a bargain for your investment. Remember what I said earlier? 99% of the attendees from last year were satisfied or more than satisfied with the event! You also get a great opportunity to network with some of the best tax professionals in the country… or you might possibly meet a few who live in other countries. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center June 15 Well, the cutoff for booking a room at the hotel is just five days away, along with the registration price increase. No more time to wait! Did you have a chance to check out the hotel's website? If you haven't, you really need to check it out. http://www.grandsierraresort.com/ While we have some speakers who have taught at Conference before, we do have some new names and sessions this year that will prove to be worthwhile. I'm sure many of you know this….NATP has the best members of any tax association. Our staff realizes this, our members realize this, and even speakers who teach for us realize this. So, you can't really go wrong by coming to Conference. You get the best tax education in the country with the best group of people you could ever imagine. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center June 8 I've reviewed all the textbook material from the speakers and can tell you that this year's content looks great. The speakers have taken a lot of time developing material to enhance their sessions and for you to use as a reference after the event. Anyone who registers before Conference will have the ability to access the speakers' materials. This allows you the time to read and review the content and help you plan out your days while at Conference. I created this handy form for you to use this year to organize and track your sessions. Let me know how it works for you so that I can make improvements next year. You can download it here. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center June 1 Did you know that you can find close to 50 vendors in our Expo Hall? If you are looking for new products or services, then Conference is the place to be! The Expo Hall is open only the first two days – Monday and Tuesday, so plan your day to include a visit with the vendors. They have great raffles/drawings, wonderful company representatives, and great product information. Don't miss it. By the way, did you know that 99% of those who attended Conference last year were either satisfied or very satisfied with the overall Conference? Yes, 99%! I even double-checked the math as even I was astounded with results like that. It is definitely a smart investment to attend Conference. I mean how many times do you pay for workshops and seminars that just bore you to death? Well, not here! I am pretty confident that our speakers will keep you awake and engaged even at the Sunrise Session at 7:00 am (for all of you early risers ). And, if that doesn't work, the complimentary coffee will help. Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center May 26 I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day. We are now less than two months away from our National Conference. I can't believe it. My dad always told me that the years seem to go faster as you get older and I believe it! It just seems like last month we were in Atlanta and now we are gearing up for Reno! Here are some things you should be doing, if you haven't already:
I hope to see you soon! Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center May 18 I thought I would take some time in this post to explain National Conference for those of you who never attended. For those of you who are old hats…feel free to come back for next week's post or read on…just don't complain to me if you're bored ;-) Expo Hall – Our Expo Hall is open the first two days of Conference – July 20 - 21. The vendors are a highlight of this event, as they bring a lot of great product and solution ideas for you to view. They are very helpful at explaining what they have to offer and how it will meet your needs. While the Expo Hall is open, all of our refreshment breaks will be in that area.
Opening Session – Opening Session covers a lot of activity, including opening remarks from Mike Whittle our National Board of Directors President and Kathy Stanek, our CEO. We will also be conducting our Annual Meeting. After the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors will present our national awards – such as Chapter Person of the Year, Chapter of Year, and Tax Professional of the Year. Wrapping up this session is our keynote speaker, Mr. Faris Fink who is the IRS Deputy Commissioner, Small Business/Self-Employed Division. Charity Auction Sponsored by the National Board of Directors – Each year, we select a local charity to be the recipient of money we raise. It is our way of giving back to the community that is hosting our Conference. We receive donations from members, vendors, and chapters that we then auction off. All proceeds go to the charity. Here is a picture of some auction winners from last year.
Chapter Showcase – Chapter Showcase is a fun networking event. The Chapters set up and decorate a table where they place goodies for those who attend and items for the NATP-sponsored charity. It is almost like trick or treating for grown-ups. At this event, there is a cash bar and usually some pretty good hors d'oeuvres to quench your appetite. Check out last year's Kansas Chapter table and members.
Banquet – The banquet is the final event as we wrap-up another National Conference. There is usually a plated dinner, a highlight of award winners and outgoing Board Members, and entertainment. This year, we are having Erick Känd, a Hypnotist. This should be quite interesting and entertaining. Here is a link to a video of one of his prior shows: http://www.hypnosisevents.com/video.html. He promised me that we will all have fun and no one will be embarrassed. I just have to do this… here's a picture of the NATP team that was at Conference in Atlanta last year. (They are going to be soooo mad at me once they found out that I posted this on the Internet. Shhhh!) This photo was taken at our Annual Banquet & Gala. This team did a great job making our 2008 Conference a success and you will see some familiar faces in 2009.
Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center May 11 This week I'm going to let you in on a little secret. One of our speakers at Conference, Beanna Whitlock, has told me that this is her last teaching event before she retires! What a great compliment to NATP and its members to have Beanna finish out her amazing teaching career with us. If you've never heard Beanna before, you will not want to miss this opportunity! Another bit of exciting news! At our Opening Session, we will be welcoming our newest Chapter of NATP – Washington State. This will be the first time in nine years that a new Chapter has been chartered and we couldn't be happier. The fine members in Washington have been working very hard to get this Chapter up and running - and they did it! So we have Beanna, the new Washington Chapter, and up to 33 continuing professional education credits all in Reno…what else could you ask for? Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center May 4 Whew! Tax season is over. I'm sure many of you are still trying to catch up on your sleep and everything else you have neglected the past few months. Well, while you have been preparing tax returns, we have been pulling together an extraordinary lineup for this year's National Conference at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada from July 20-23. By now you should have received your Conference Brochure. This piece outlines the details of the conference for you, along with the information you need to register. You can also download a copy from our website. Like previous years, we are selling advanced copies of the recorded education sessions through Playback Now . They have been our vendor for audio recording for the last few years and always do a fabulous job. You can save $50 by purchasing the recordings in advance. For more information, click here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! I'm so excited. Except for a quick stop to check out the Grand Sierra, I've never experienced Reno before. There are some fabulous things to do in the area. I also learned a lot more about the host hotel, Grand Sierra Resort, and what it has to offer. I was amazed at how beautiful the property was and also how economical it was for a resort. The café's prices were reasonable, with some evenings having all-you-can-eat specials for $3.99. Another feature was the 2500 Lounge that offered free drinks for ladies every Monday through Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There are even free line dancing and salsa lessons in the hotel. You can see a second run movie at the hotel's theater for just $3 per person. And, what I thought was really cool was the wine bar, Reserves. This was not like any wine bar I have ever been to. First, you purchase a prepaid card. Then, you swipe your card in the reader and press the button for the wine you want to sample. There are more than 80 wines available. You can purchase the wine by the ounce, ½ glass or full glass. I hope to see you in Reno! Greta
Director, Tax Knowledge Center
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