Join us for an exclusive pre-conference meet-n-greet where you’ll have the opportunity to network with fellow attendees, distinguished speakers, esteemed editors, and members of the advisory committee. This intimate gathering by the Bay sets the stage for meaningful connections and collaborations, offering a chance to engage in insightful discussions, exchange ideas, and forge valuable relationships within your field.

Firm leaders from Accounting Today’s 2026 Fastest-Growing Firms go beyond revenue metrics to share how they built growth that lasts. This keynote panel explores how firm leaders evolved their strategies, differentiated their practices, navigated staffing and operational challenges, and adapted as they scaled—while maintaining strong cultures, client relationships, and long-term sustainability.

Tax and accounting professionals have more solutions available to them now than ever before. So why are so many firms still bogged down by cumbersome tools? The answer: Because not enough of those tools work together in a way that provides real, seamless automation. In this session, we’ll uncover how Thomson Reuters helped Friedman & Huey Associates streamline operations and unlock real automation. We will detail exactly what firms should look for in tax workflow solutions—red flags, green flags, and more—helping attendees to better identify tools that fit their firms’ needs.

• Sometimes, Less Is More: It may seem counterintuitive, but more tools don’t necessarily mean more efficiency. In fact, many tax and accounting firms are inefficient because of the larger number of software within their workflow.
• The Secret Sauce: Flashy, new offerings can be awfully enticing; after all, they do come with all those bells and whistles. But remember to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s seamless integration. If a solution doesn’t work with what you’re using, it doesn’t matter how innovative it is.
• You Simply Can’t Skip Your Homework: Firms must strategically evaluate all tools—both those they’re considering and ones they’re already using. Grade solutions against your firm’s contemporary and expanding needs, not just against performance during the most recent tax season. Expanding your lookahead distance is critical to strategic planning.

In this panel discussion, CPA firm leaders and experts examine how to build and sustain a tech-forward firm through disciplined technology selection, integration, and adoption across the organization. Panelists will share practical, real-world examples of how firms are modernizing core systems, improving operational workflows, and driving staff adoption to support efficiency, scalability, and advisory growth. Attendees will gain applied insights they can use to evaluate their own technology environment and make informed decisions that support long-term firm performance.

This interactive roundtable brings CPAs and accounting leaders together for a candid, peer-to-peer discussion on today’s most pressing staffing and operations challenges. Guided by a facilitator, participants will share what’s working—and what isn’t—across hiring strategies, workforce models, capacity planning, and operational efficiency. Attendees will actively exchange ideas and perspectives on how to better support their firms, their teams, and their clients.

As traditional CPA firms seek new revenue streams, expanded service offerings, and deeper ways to support their clients, CAS has emerged as a leading path for growth. This session will explore the key elements of building and scaling a niche CAS practice.

• What to do—and what to avoid—when launching a CAS practice
• How developing an industry niche can accelerate growth (and where it can create challenges)
• Approaches to pricing CAS services
• Determining which services to offer as your practice evolves
• Recruiting the right people and building the team needed to support CAS growth

With hundreds of tools claiming to “revolutionize” your firm, it’s increasingly difficult to separate meaningful efficiency from shiny distractions. This session focuses on how to intentionally build a tech stack that actually drives productivity, profitability, and operational sanity. You’ll learn how to evaluate technology strategically, implement changes effectively, and create a sustainable system that supports both internal workflows and client delivery.

• Framework for Clarity: Learn a step-by-step approach to assess and select technology that aligns with your firm’s goals and workflows.
• Change Without Chaos: Discover strategies to manage adoption, overcome resistance, and keep your team engaged through implementation.
• Stay Focused Amid the Noise: Gain criteria to filter out “tech hype” and identify solutions that deliver measurable ROI, not just buzzwords.

Every firm owner knows the challenge: you want higher-value clients, but identifying a niche—and actually becoming known for it—is easier said than done. This session offers a practical, repeatable framework to identify profitable niches, validate their real-world potential, and position your firm as a true authority without sounding like every other “specialist” on LinkedIn. This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building a focused strategy that scales.

• Find the Right Niche: How to identify industries ripe with opportunity, not just popularity.
• Validate Before You Specialize: Use simple metrics and market research to avoid dead-end niches.
• Position Yourself Like a Pro: Learn how to establish your presence, build authority, and become the trusted name in your space.

Sustainable growth doesn’t happen by accident. This panel discussion will focus on how firms are intentionally aligning pricing models, client strategy, and operational execution to support profitable and scalable growth. Drawing on real firm examples, the discussion will explore how leaders evaluate service mix, standardize and streamline operations, and make disciplined decisions around talent and capacity. Participants will leave with a host of best practices they can use to assess their current growth approach and identify actionable next steps.

Most accounting firms try to grow by adding more—more services, more technology, more people. Over time, growth feels less like momentum and more like complexity: inconsistent client experiences, burned-out leaders, and teams unclear on priorities. The firms that scale successfully take a different path.

They build a firm playbook.

In this session, based on the principles from The Simple Firm, Darren Root explores why a clearly defined firm playbook is the single biggest catalyst for sustainable growth, team alignment, and a consistent client experience.

• Why most firms struggle to scale and why growth without a playbook creates chaos
• What a modern accounting firm playbook actually includes (and what it intentionally leave out)
• How playbooks create clarity around roles, decisions, and expectations at every level of the firm
• The connection between standardized client service, technology adoption, and operational simplicity
• Why simplicity is no longer optional—and how it becomes a competitive advantage

This session is designed for firm leaders who want to grow intentionally without burning out themselves, their teams, or their clients. You’ll leave with a practical framework for beginning, or refining, your firm’s playbook and a new perspective on what it really takes to build a scalable, modern accounting firm.

As accounting firms face mounting capacity constraints, increasing return complexity, and pressure to deliver faster turnaround times, many are looking to AI for answers. But moving from experimentation to real-world deployment raises important questions around trust, workflow integration, and maintaining professional standards.

In this case study, leaders from Armanino, a Top 20 accounting firm, will share how they partnered with Accrual to introduce AI directly into live tax operations.

• Explain the rollout steps Armanino used to introduce AI in live tax work while keeping reviewer accountability clear
• Identify the workflow steps where AI reduced manual preparation work and sped up review, especially in complex returns with heavy source documentation
• Understand how Armanino is using Accrual to improve client-facing steps in complex returns by making document submission easier and reducing time spent collecting and reconciling source documents

As client expectations evolve, many CPA firms are expanding beyond compliance into advisory services. This session explores how firms can build and grow an advisory practice—from identifying the right services and clients to aligning talent, pricing, and processes. Learn practical steps to develop advisory offerings that drive deeper client relationships and sustainable firm growth.

The profession is shifting from services to transformations. In this session, you’ll explore why the billable hour and “best practices” are dead—and how value pricing, subscriptions, and timeless best principles can turn customers into lifelong collaborators. Leave with fresh frameworks and the courage to lead the Transformation Economy rather than chase it.

• Identify the core principles of the Transformation Economy and apply them to rising customer expectations.
• Recognize that health, wealth, wisdom and meaning are universal aspirations that will foster new business models that create deeper, lasting value.
• Determine and design offerings that deliver meaningful personal transformation—not mere transactions.

This interactive roundtable brings CPAs and accounting leaders together for a candid, peer-to-peer discussion on today’s most pressing technology and AI challenges. Guided by a facilitator, participants will share what’s working—and what isn’t—across tech stacks, AI tools, automation, data management, and adoption strategies. Attendees will actively exchange ideas and perspectives on how to leverage technology and AI to better support their firms, their teams, and their clients.

Private equity continues to reshape the growth trajectory of leading accounting firms. In this panel, leaders from Accounting Today’s 2026 Fastest-Growing Firms share how PE has shaped their firm models, accelerated growth, and introduced new pressures and expectations. Panelists will discuss what PE has enabled, how it differentiates their firms, and what it really takes to manage rapid, PE-backed growth.

Accounting Today proudly recognizes firms that are redefining and advancing the accounting profession. One of the clearest measures of that impact is sustained growth. The firms honored here—those that achieved the highest revenue growth in 2025—embody the future of accounting and the next generation of firm leadership.

Kick off the event at our Opening Night Cocktail Reception honoring Accounting Today’s Fastest Growing Firms. This reception is designed for networking and conversation, giving attendees the opportunity to connect directly with honorees, firm leaders, and peers while building relationships that will carry through the rest of the conference.

Small and midsize CPA firms are under increasing pressure—from talent constraints and shrinking compliance margins to growing client demand for higher-value, strategic guidance. The firms that are scaling effectively are doing so by intentionally connecting three disciplines: AI-enabled operations, expanded and specialized CAS and advisory services, and a disciplined, client-centric service model.

In this keynote, Jim Bourke outlines how firm leaders can move from experimentation to execution. He will share how to identify and deploy safe, high-impact AI pilots that improve quality and throughput; how to strengthen and extend existing CAS practices by delivering new and expanded advisory services; and how to elevate client service in ways that deepen relationships and protect revenue.

Attendees will gain insight into how high-performing firms are using AI in day-to-day practice, why CAS continues to outpace overall firm growth when supported by clear strategy, niches, and dedicated teams, and how firms are successfully cross-selling advisory services and integrating multiple offerings to drive sustainable growth and stronger client outcomes.

In this 30-minute case study, an accounting firm leader and a technology provider will walk through a real-world partnership focused on solving a critical business challenge. The discussion will explore the problem the firm set out to address, how the relationship was formed, and what implementation and ramp-up looked like in practice. Speakers will share key challenges and lessons learned, measurable results achieved, and how this collaboration extends beyond a single engagement to support the broader accounting community.

Finding—and keeping—the right talent has become one of the biggest growth constraints for accounting firms. In this panel, firm leaders and HR executives share what’s actually working to attract top candidates, engage high performers, and retain talent in an increasingly competitive and evolving market. From modern recruiting strategies and career pathing to culture, flexibility, and workforce models, this session offers practical insights CPAs can apply to build resilient, people-first firms that scale.

Design an AI-first accounting firm using a clear, month-by-month roadmap. This session walks through how to prioritize high-impact use cases, evaluate tools responsibly, establish practical guardrails, and deploy durable automations that actually stick. We’ll also cover leadership conversation starters, core policy considerations, prompt fundamentals, training options, and a curated resource wall of trusted guides and tech stack ideas.

You’ll leave with a practical 12-month implementation plan, defined success metrics, and several quick wins you can activate immediately in Month One.

• Recognize the role AI-driven automation plays in firm growth and client value creation.
• Identify key criteria for selecting high-impact processes to automate.
• Describe a phased 12-month roadmap for successful automation integration.

This interactive roundtable brings accounting leaders together for a candid, peer-to-peer discussion on building a successful CAS practice, and taking it to the next level. Guided by a facilitator, participants will share what’s working—and what isn’t—across service design, pricing and packaging, technology enablement, staffing models, and client delivery. Attendees will exchange practical insights and real-world experiences on how to launch, grow, and scale a CAS practice that drives profitability, strengthens client relationships, and supports long-term firm growth.

This panel session will explore practical, real-world applications of AI currently being used across accounting firms. Panelists will discuss how AI is being applied to streamline workflows, automate routine tasks, enhance data analysis, and support client service and advisory work. The session will focus on actionable use cases, implementation considerations, and adoption challenges, providing participants with clear guidance on where AI can be used today and how to integrate it responsibly into firm operations.

Everyone has a number. For some, it’s what their firm is worth. For most, it’s what they need or want to earn — and that number quietly drives decisions at every level of the organization, from entry-level staff to the managing partner. Career choices, investments, staffing decisions, risk tolerance — all of it flows back to that single target.

But what happens when you look beyond the number?

In this session, firm leaders will learn how to expand their vision, challenge traditional assumptions, and rethink what’s truly possible for their firm.

• Expansion of alternative growth strategies.
• Deeper understanding of how to motive staff to change how they work with clients.
• Development of intrapreneurial thinking within firms.

Public accounting is in the middle of a talent reset.

In this session, we’ll break down the latest compensation trends, what candidates actually want, and what’s driving exits from the industry – all based on findings from a proprietary database with 21,000+ rows of crowdsourced data.

Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to attract, retain, and engage top talent, and to build a workforce model that supports sustainable growth and scale.

• How real-time compensation trends are shifting staff expectations across levels.
• Why firms are losing (or winning) talent, and the data-backed drivers behind it.
• Concrete steps leaders can take to align pay, roles, and career paths to today’s market.

Accounting firms are under sustained pressure to grow—yet many remain constrained by operating models built for a different era. Static staffing structures, peak-season resourcing assumptions, and linear growth strategies often create inefficiencies during slower periods, strain teams during demand spikes, and limit long-term scalability.

Drawing on new Accounting Today research—including survey insights from U.S. firms with 30+ employees and operational data from organizations implementing flexible talent models—this session examines how leading firms are rethinking work.

Panelists will explore how how aligning talent flexibility with intelligent automation, analytics, and workflow technologies unlocks measurable gains in efficiency, productivity, scalability, and growth, providing a data-backed framework for how modern firms can build a more agile, resilient, and future-ready operating model.

In this 30-minute case study, an accounting firm leader and a technology provider will walk through a real-world partnership focused on solving a critical business challenge. The discussion will explore the problem the firm set out to address, how the relationship was formed, and what implementation and ramp-up looked like in practice. Speakers will share key challenges and lessons learned, measurable results achieved, and how this collaboration extends beyond a single engagement to support the broader accounting community.

Who better to tell firm leaders why it’s so hard to recruit and retain young people in accounting than the young professionals themselves? In this candid panel, early-career accountants share what they love—and hate—about the profession, what drew them to the accounting profession, and the best ways to catch and keep their interest.

In our closing session, four well-known industry experts tackle the most pressing issues facing today’s firms—from keeping pace with technology and refining the right service mix, to optimizing client portfolios, attracting and retaining talent, and making the transition to advisory services. The discussion will also explore critical growth decisions, including how firms should think about capitalization and whether private equity is the right path forward.

This interactive session encourages direct engagement through live Q&A, with candid, unscripted perspectives from the panel. Come prepared with tough questions and expect thoughtful, real-world answers to close out the conference.

Wrap up the conference in style at our unforgettable karaoke party! Let loose and channel your inner rockstar as you choose from a wide selection of songs. Join fellow attendees for an evening filled with music, laughter, and celebration. Enjoy drinks and light bites while making lasting memories—the perfect way to end the conference on a high note!