FAB Accounting Events..

I've had quite a few conversations over the past few weeks with Bookkeepers and Accountants wondering what the hype is about accounting events such as Accountex , Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping , Xero con and Digital Accountancy Show and what it's like to attend them.

I've been meaning to share a summary of my visit to Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping for weeks but unfortunately life has been life and so I haven't got round to it so ahead of Accountex this week, I thought it was a perfect time to finally share it with you all in the hope that I inspire some of you who are contemplating attending Accountex to be brave / take the time to work ON the business / come see what it's all about. (Sorry in advance for creating FOMO for those who can't attend!

Back in March, thousands of accountants and bookkeepers were torn away from our laptops and calculators (just like we will be tomorrow and Thursday for Accountex !) and travelled to Birmingham for what is now considered the most refreshing event in the world of finance – The Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping !

Have you ever been to an accountancy event?

If you have, I am sure you will all agree that the first few moments always feel quite overwhelming from the bright lights, bustling noise and not quite knowing which direction to head first.

FAB however instantly set themselves apart – and not just because of the bright yellow carpet!

(Other than the carpet!), FAB made a conscious effort to ensure everything was a little less overwhelming from other events we are lucky to have in our industry.

They achieved this by proactively speaking to attendees of similar events and acting on our feedback.

They created a short ‘tunnel’ area between the entrance and the main event space to give people a quieter arrear to adjust to the FAB event they were about to walk into (with plenty of space for networking or arranging to meet a friend).

Veering off from this entrance way was a secret little passage to The Secret Garden and VIP area where free refreshments, plenty of seating and a quieter place to chill, catch up and bounce ideas with like minded people. If this spot wasn’t quiet enough to decompress, there was even an entire room away from the hustle and bustle for anyone who needed a rest.

All these FAB little touches are before we even ventured into the main event space which was clear had been given much thought to create an engaging and welcoming space.

The event space revolved around The Circle Stage. This was akin to the main stage at a music festival full of fantastic headliners – we were treated to keynotes from the likes of Rob Law who created Trunki (the ride on suitcase for kids), the inspirational founder of Green & Black’s chocolate, Jo Fairley ; there was even a climate comedy from comedian Stuart Goldsmith (Climate Comedian) !

There were then four additional stages in each corner of the event space that were cleverly crafted to ensure they provided something for everyone. Going anti-clockwise from the entrance (sorry, I’m left handed and we do everything backwards!), the first ‘festival tent’ you come to was ‘Any Answers Live’ which was perfect timing with the Spring Budget being announced the week before! There were sessions from tax experts such as Rebecca Benneyworth and Paul Aplin OBE , payroll experts and even HMRC themselves to address the Spring Budget and also the State of the Nation.

My second favourite spot of the entire event was placed between this stage and the next – a scrumptious pitstop rest area complete with tacos!

The far corner hosted the “Accounting Excellence Summit” ‘festival tent’ which started the day with Business Barbie at Brunch which saw Lucy Cohen and Rachel Harris share how the unlikeliest duo (despite both being influential role models to all in the accounting world) became fantastic friends before then becoming a drinks reception area to celebrate the launch of the accounting excellence awards!

The other side of the café area hosted the very popular “Accounting for AI” ‘festival tent’ which fortunately didn’t feature robots or AI voices attempting to sound human like but fellow accounting and bookkeeping humans from all over the globe such as Heather Smith from Australia, Lars Nielsen from Denmark and Nicolai Thomson and John Toon (from closer to home!), sharing their tips and advice about how we can leverage AI so that we can focus on providing value; but also warnings about remaining vigilant, sense checking the data AI provides and how to keep all data secure.

Whilst refreshments were plentiful, there was another little pit-stop en-route to my favourite stage of the entire event for anyone who wanted a fancier coffee which was a perfect spot to give your feet a rest and share our key takeaways with our fellow bookkeeper and accountant friends.

The most exciting stage – by far! – was of course The Bookkeeping Retreat! Yes! A WHOLE stage dedicated to Bookkeepers, at last! The Bookkeeping Retreat stage covered absolutely everything (similar to a Bookkeeper!) – from marketing to tech to maximising revenue. There was a not-so-secret bell that could be rung and a magical glass of prosecco appeared from the foliage wall, but even more exciting than that, this is the stage where I inspired lots of my fellow bookkeepers (and accountants!) to go Beyond The Books with my first ever in-person public speaking session – let me know if you'd all about my talk!

This stage brings us full circle back near the entrance to the Festival of Accounting and Bookkeeping.

Between the entrance and these nearest corner stages (The Bookkeeping Retreat and Any Answers Live) were two smaller stages that were cleverly positioned to pique the interest of those walking past. To the immediate left of the entrance there was the Tech Byte stage were software providers provided brief demos and flash talks. To the immediate right of the entrance was The Great Debate ‘battle arena’! Here, industry experts battled key topics facing the accounting community such as WFH vs Office; AI vs The Human Touch; plus my favourite two battles (and not just because I got to debate!) – Excel vs Software and Advisory vs Compliance! Don't worry, I won my battle! ??

In between all of these inspiring and captivating stages was an eclectic mix of exhibitors from the usual accounting software providers Sage, Xero, Quickbooks and Zoho to payroll solutions such as Employment Hero, Bright, Nest and Penfold.

From professional bodies such as ICB, AAT and ACCA to a range of other useful tools to support both you and your clients such as Apron, Dext, Money Penny, Xenon Connect and even Ask the Accountant had a podcast booth where they were recording Pitstop Podcasts for their upcoming series!

Look who starred on one of those Pitstop Podcasts.. ??

Watch my chat with Aaron Patrick ACA FMAAT to hear even more about events like these, and even more excitingly, my thoughts on the accounting world in general!

I absolutely loved my two days at the Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping and it wasn’t (just!) the swag or that I finally had the courage (kind of!) to stand on stage; it was – as always – the coming together of like minded people sharing their insights, experiences, thoughts and ideas of how they can up-level their business whilst helping to transform their clients. Despite being competitors on paper, there really is nothing like a bookkeeping and accounting community – we really are starting to form a revolution!

Did you attend #FAB24? If so, I’d love to hear your key takeaways too!

Are you attending Accountex ? If not, what's stopping you?!

The next two days are going to be absolutely sensational so if it's just nerves, client work, or not sure it's worth the effort, get yourself over HERE to book your FREE ticket and come join us!

If you are attending, I've also got a WhatsApp group with several others who are attending if you'd like to join a friendly and fun group of other bookkeepers and accountants so that you have a group of like-minded friends waiting at Accountex (or enroute!) for you!

Most importantly, make sure you are at Theatre 4 at 2pm tomorrow (Wednesday 15th May) ready for this...