Focus..

Just returned to the office today from SEAS (Southeast Accounting Show) on Wednesday and Thursday. We had over a thousand people each day! It is a fun (and tiring) two days. 45 vendors/exhibitors and excellent speakers from all over the country and from right here in Georgia offered 16 hours of CPE for the two days.

We changed venues this year and placed SEAS at the Georgia International Conference Center which is off Camp Creek right at the airport. This move was a bit controversial for us as the event had been held for many years at the Galleria in Atlanta. We moved it simply because we needed more space for the event.

The new facility itself is excellent with quick access off the freeway and ample parking, as well as enough space to comfortably accommodate us. The comments I received were mostly positive regarding the location although I did hear some negative feedback. I guess it comes down to if you are coming from North Atlanta you’d rather have SEAS at the Galleria, but if you’re coming in from the south, or from out of town, you loved the location. It is difficult to please everyone because of the traffic we all have to fight while living and working in a major city. We’ll look closely at the final evaluations before making final decisions on future location of SEAS.

The economy seems to be making a mild comeback doesn’t it? I am personally still nervous about business this year and I’m hoping the modest gains made in the economy so far stay with us and the news continues to be positive for 2010. Here at the society, our budget, while scaled down significantly from previous years, is holding its own. Our CPE participation is on target (thank you!) and conferences, while not excelling, are “hanging in there.” At this point, it looks like we’re going to be on target also with our dues projections (thank you again!). So, we are breathing a little easier and hoping for a busy fall in the CPE area. It is gratifying that our members have kept the GSCPA in their budgets because we are well aware that we’re in a time of prioritizing where we spend our dollars.

Summer is slipping away and fall is nearly upon us. I guess that means football season and lost Saturdays! Would love to see Georgia win the SEC and Georgia Tech win the ACC.

It could happen!