Government Finance Officers Association Annual Conference 2009

Washington State Convention and Trade Center
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 98101, USA

Financial Strategies for Challenging Times 103rd Annual Conference

This year’s conference offers a selection of 78 quality technical sessions, covering the gamut of public finance. Participants can choose to follow a comprehensive “track” of sessions devoted to a particular public finance discipline (accounting, auditing, and financial reporting; budgeting and financial planning; cash and investment management; debt management; pensions and benefits; management and policy; and technology and digital government), or mix and match sessions to meet their individual needs.

Program

The annual conference includes general sessions on Monday and Tuesday mornings that feature recognized leaders in the government finance profession and offers concurrent sessions that address topical issues in government finance.
Stay current with the latest GFOA happenings. Visit GFOA’s annual conference page at www.gfoa.org for updates on
sessions, speaker listings, as well as tours and events.

Concurrent Sessions

Create your own curriculum from among concurrent sessions in seven tracks offered over three days. Sessions cover the following areas:
• Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting
• Budgeting and Financial Planning
• Cash Management and Investing
• Debt Management
• Management and Policy
• Pension and Benefits
• Technology and Digital Government

Exhibit Hall

See the latest innovations from exhibitors offering management- and finance-related products and services to local, state, and provincial governments. The GFOA’s exhibit hall is open Sunday through Tuesday.
Visit www.gfoa.org for a list of current exhibitors, exhibitor directory, and information on exhibitors. If you have a recommendation for a company not listed with us that you feel would be a valuable exhibitor, please e-mail GFOA at conference@gfoa.org with your suggestions.

GFOA’s Products and Services Booth

While in the hall, be sure to stop by GFOA’s Products and Services Booth to keep up to date on GFOA’s recent happenings. A GFOA staff member will be available at all times to answer any questions. Senior staff members, including the GFOA’s Director of Technical Services and author of Accounting for Capital Assets: A Guide for State and Local Governments, Stephen J. Gauthier, will be present to discuss hot topics in government finance.

GFOA YieldAdvantage™

Stop by the GFOA YieldAdvantage™ booth in the exhibit hall to learn how this Web-based tool can help you purchase certificates of deposit (CDs). It streamlines the process of collecting, comparing, improving, and awarding bids for your CD monies. In the process, it increases competition and enhances yields. See what other governments across the country are already doing with GFOA YieldAdvantage.™

Certification Examinations

The GFOA’s Certified Public Finance Officer program continues with the administration of all five examinations on Friday, June 26. Technical and administrative support for the program is provided by Radford University’s Governmental and Nonprofit Assistance Center. For an application packet, please go to the certification section on the GFOA’s Web site at www.gfoa.org or call Radford University at 540-831-5453.

GFOA Professional Networking Center

Are you looking for opportunities to meet peers, discuss common concerns, and develop professional relationships?
For the first time, the 2009 GFOA Annual Conference will offer a series of scheduled networking opportunities, designed to facilitate attendee-selected discussions on current topics such as fiscal first aid, budgeting and performance management, technology selection and implementation, and financial reporting changes. Nine networking sessions will be available to conference participants:
• State and Federal Networking
• Large Cities Networking
• Large Counties Networking
• Mid-Size Cities Networking
• Mid-Size Counties Networking
• Small Cities and Counties Networking
• K-12 School District Networking
• Special Districts Networking
• Canadian Governments Networking

The networking sessions will be informal. Attendees will select issues they want to discuss and GFOA facilitators will be present to support creation of group conversations. In addition, subject matter experts will be available to participate in discussions. While CPE credits are not available for these discussions, the GFOA Professional Networking Center is sure to provide a valuable opportunity to share ideas and create new relationships with your colleagues across North America.

Why Attend?

Local governments already hard hit by tax limitations, revenue stagnation, and rising costs are being further challenged by the current economic situation. More than ever, state and local governments are turning to public finance professionals to provide information and guidance.
Finance officers need to understand and be able to explain the economic situation and offer effective approaches. To do so, they must keep informed on the latest developments, find out what other governments are doing, and continually enhance their skills. The GFOA’s annual conference provides a uniquely comprehensive and cost-effective way of doing all of these things.
The conference focus will be on practical approaches that attendees can apply to their own situations. The goal is for each participant to get tips and ideas they can take home and use — now!

10 Reasons to Attend This Year’s GFOA Annual Conference

• Get practical advice on how to do more for your government with fewer resources
• Keep up with best practices
• Learn about GFOA’s Fiscal First Aid tools and resources and help your government weather the economic recession
• Meet with other government finance professionals to talk about common concerns
• Discover innovative products and services in the exhibit hall
• Network with officials from similar jurisdictions
• Gain insight and effective strategies to apply back home
• Earn up to 21 continuing professional education credits

Plus take advantage of:

• Training offered at an affordable price

• Discounted hotel room rates and airfare savings

Event Agenda

Sunday, June 28
1:30 pm – 2:20 pm     Going Global: The Move to International Accounting Standards
Sunday, June 28
1:30 pm – 2:20 pm     The Business of Government: When Private-Sector GAAP Applies to Governments
Sunday, June 28
2:40 pm – 3:30 pm     Covering All the Bases: Budgetary Reporting in the CAFR
Sunday, June 28
3:50 pm – 4:40 pm     We’ve Got a Pulse! Monitoring Internal Control
Monday, June 29
10:30 am – 12:10 pm     Accounting and Auditing Year in Review
Monday, June 29
1:30 pm – 3:10 pm     Getting It Right: A Financial Reporting Practice Update
Monday, June 29
1:30 pm – 3:10 pm     Mellow Yellow: A Government Auditing Update
Monday, June 29
3:30 pm – 5:10 pm     Which Way Is Up? Accounting for Derivatives
Monday, June 29
3:30 pm – 5:10 pm     Who Knew? Creating a Fraud-Free Environment
Tuesday, June 30
10:20 am – 12:00 pm     By the Book: The GFOA’s New Manual on Accounting for Capital Assets
Tuesday, June 30
2:00 pm – 3:40 pm     Negotiating Net Assets: A Calculation Challenge
Tuesday, June 30
2:00 pm – 3:40 pm     Staying in Shape: Case Studies on the Application of the Modified Approach
Tuesday, June 30
4:00 pm – 4:50 pm     The New Gold Standard: Fund Balance Redefined
Wednesday, July 1
8:30 am – 10:10 am     From Better to Best: GFOA Recommended Practices
Wednesday, July 1
8:30 am – 10:10 am     Back to School: Preparing a School District CAFR
Wednesday, July 1
10:30 am – 12:10 pm     What Do I Really Need to Know About the Audit? A Guide for Busy Finance Professionals
Wednesday, July 1
10:30 am – 12:10 pm     So What Will It Cost? How to Explain Cost Accounting to Elected Officials and Citizens
Outline pending

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