Report on North American Forum – August 2018

The 2018 INAA North America Mid Year Forum was held in Denver, CO August 23-25, 2018,

and it was deemed by attendees as one of the most beneficial – and enjoyable – events ever held in the Region.
With representatives from across North America participating, the general discussion and question and answer sessions was wide-ranging and highly interactive. “Many issues crossed both state and international borders,” noted Carlos Alvarez Balbas (Despacho Alvarez Balbas, Mexico City, Mexico). “Obviously, cyber security and GDPR-type privacy laws are universal, but even the discussion about the cannabis industry was of interest because legalization of marijuana is a fact of life in many countries. The accounting profession’s ability to assist clients in this field is just as important as any other industry.”

Several attendees also commented on the special presentation on the historical nature of the profession. “I think it’s important that we periodically remind ourselves of the impact our profession has had on economies, and society in general,’ said INAA Vice Chairman Ed Turner (Turner Stone & Company, Dallas, TX). “I really liked the title of the presentation – ‘How Accountants Can Build an Accountable Society.’ It acknowledges that accounting is about more than numbers. It’s also about accountability in the moral and social sense, too, and has, for centuries, been helping build cultures.” 

Here is a summary of the presentations (and presenters) at the North American Mid Year Forum, and the links allowing you to download the slides used in these presentations (members only).