27th One Stop Update for the Accountant in Business

About

I am delighted to be the Inaugural Chair because this is the premier event for many accountants in business from around the country.

The scheduled programme for May 2010 covers not only the current landscape and recent developments in business; but it also provides a view into the future. 

For those who have previously attended you will note quite a change in the conference format: this year there are more concurrent sessions and workshops so that you can personalise your One Stop experience and select topics that will be most suited to your needs. The topics include a variety of areas, such as strategic accounting, financial reporting, working capital management, accounting technology, cashflow management, governance and risk management, leadership development, project management and much more. These breakout streams will not only provide technical details, many of them will provide an opportunity for practical discussion.

The longest running conference of its kind, this is an event that delivers great value because you will be updated on relevant, topical matters by speakers who have proven track records of providing useful and relevant information.

I look forward to meeting you in May.

Mark Hucklesby

Win One of Two Luxury Trips for Two to Rarotonga

Conferenz is delighted to announce that the Pacific Resort will offer a fabulous prize draw to two lucky winners at each event in Auckland and Wellington! They have teamed up with Air New Zealand again to offer this amazing package:
 
• 2 x return economy airfares from Auckland or Wellington to Rarotonga with Air New Zealand
• 5 nights at Pacific Resort Rarotonga in a Garden Suite (with a complimentary upgrade to a Beachfront Suite subject to availability on arrival)
• Daily Tropical Breakfasts
• Return airport/resort transfers in Rarotonga
• Complimentary use of water activity equipment ie snorkelling gear, pedal boats, kayaks, sun loungers & beach towels.

Prize Draw Terms & Conditions:
• Prize not transferable or redeemable for cash
• Accommodations and flights subject to availability at time of prize redemption
• Winner must be present in room at time of Draw
• Travel for two for each prize must be taken at same time
• Travel validity – between 01Nov 2010-30Apr 2011 and 01Nov 2011-30Apr 2012
• Please contact Conferenz for full terms and conditions

Rarotonga’s leading boutique resort is nestled discreetly in one of the world’s most spellbinding spots. Stretching one kilometre along the south-eastern coast of Rarotonga, Muri beach is laden with glorious white sand, fringed by palm trees and lapped by the gentle waters of a shallow, safe lagoon. This boutique resort offers a perfect blend of modern comforts and traditional island hospitality. Dining at the resort is a fine experience. Be tempted by succulent fresh seafood, Pacific and international dishes, or be summoned by beating drums to an authentic Cook Island’s feast. No matter how you choose to fill your days and nights at this breathtakingly beautiful place that is Pacific Resort Rarotonga, one thing is certain. You’ll leave feeling rested, restored and renewed, and determined to return.
www.pacificresort.com

KEYNOTES

Richard Aitken, Chairman, Beca Group

Richard oversees the governance of the business and has ultimate oversight of the Executive team. He brings to the role his 40 years of experience in running Beca’s businesses, serving clients and playing a key role in growing Beca to the major consulting business it is today. Richard was appointed Chairman of the Beca group in September 2009 and previously was Group Chief Executive.

Peter Smith, Managing Director, Progressive Enterprises
Peter knows supermarkets from the inside out, having joined Woolworths in 1974 as a trainee in Western Australia. In late 2006 he moved to New Zealand to take up the position of Managing Director of Progressive, operators of Countdown, Woolworths and Foodtown supermarkets. Peter has overall responsibility for the organisation and forms the vital link with parent company Woolworths Limited in Australia. All of Progressive’s General Managers report directly to Peter, as do the Audit and National Security Managers.

Carolyn Wincer, Head of Astronaut Sales, Virgin Galactic
Nelson-born Carolyn Wincer joined Virgin in 2000 as Sales and Reservations Manager for Virgin Limited Edition, where she worked directly with Richard Branson on an exclusive collection of luxury properties. In 2006 she became Head of Astronaut Sales at Virgin Galactic, where she is responsible for sales worldwide. Her role involves setting up a global network of ‘accredited space agents’ and developing a place for space tourism within the tourism industry.

Masterclasses

MASTERCLASS A
13 May 2010, Wellington | 20 May 2010, Auckland
9.00am – 5.00pm: Log 6 CPD Hours
Financial Reporting Masterclass 2010
This Financial Reporting Masterclass is designed to provide participants with helpful and practical insight
on not only approved, but also proposed changes to New Zealand equivalents of International Financial
Reporting Standards (NZ IFRS).

If, like many accountants, you are too busy to regularly monitor the avalanche of financial reporting developments being issued, putting aside one day to attend this course will help bring you up to speed
with what is happening and will allow you to assess what actions you need to take in coming months.

A key feature of the presentations, case studies and exercises that will form part of the Masterclass course will be explanations of why the changes to NZ IFRS were needed and provide you with pointers on how best to deal with the potential application issues that surround them.

1: The current financial reporting landscape

Part 1 will consider all the recent changes in pronouncements that have been issued by the Accounting Standards Review Board (ASRB) in the 12 months leading up to the Masterclass. The focus will be on what has changed and when do the changes come into effect? This session will also explain on why the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) made these changes and outline some of the business implications resulting from them.

2: What these changes mean for NZ GAAP

Part 2 will look a how these changes will manifest themselves in NZ GAAP. Working through a current set of model financial statements we will point out disclosure requirements associated with all the new developments and take a closer look at areas where things can go wrong in financial reporting – particularly in relation to deferred tax and financial instruments. This Masterclass session will also draw upon comments made by various regulatory authorities about applying IFRS, using case studies to illustrate key matters.

3: Practical application issues

Part 3 takes a closer look at preparing financial statements and will provide answers to questions that are often put to accountants in business. Examples include:
• How do we go about disclosing how we have restructured our business?
• How do we go about identifying and valuing intangibles when a business combination takes place?
• To what extent, if any, can our borrowing costs be capitalised?
• How confident are we saying that our current and deferred tax amounts are fairly stated?

4: Financial reporting in the future

Having identified where changes to financial reporting are needed, how they should be reflected in financial statements and various application issues, Part 4 will step back from current NZ IFRS developments and look at further changes that are likely to be made in the next 12 to 18 months. This will cover not only what the IASB may do, but also changes being proposed by the Ministry of Economic Development and the ASRB.

This fast moving and highly interactive Masterclass has been designed and developed specifically for accountants and small practitioners in business by Mark Hucklesby and Anthony Heffernan. We are confident that attending this Masterclass will be a smart investment of your time.

Facilitated by:
Mark Hucklesby, National Technical Director, Grant Thornton
Many regular attendees of One Stop know Mark well. Mark joined Grant Thornton in 2009 having spent three years working in London. He brings with him more than 15 years of full-time experience creating, interpreting and commenting on internationally recognised standards in three financial reporting domains: IFRS, XBRL and audit.

Anthony Heffernan, Manager, Grant Thornton
Based in Wellington, Anthony has recently returned to New Zealand from a 14 month secondment to Canada where he was providing hands on IFRS conversion support to some of the largest clients in Grant Thornton’s Calgary office. With a strong audit background having worked on clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in both New Zealand and the UK, Anthony brings to the session insight from the role of the preparer of financial statements as well as that of a reviewer.

MASTERCLASS B
13 May 2010, Wellington | 20 May 2010, Auckland
9.00am – 5.00pm: Log 6 CPD Hours
Financial modelling, forecasting and analysis
Build the model, generate the forecast, analyse the data and drive the business

If your job requires a firm grasp of financial situations, then this hands-on comprehensive workshop is for you. Review proven models and tools and develop a keen understanding of how and when to use them to allocate resources, evaluate potential projects for maximum return-on-investment and ultimately improve your organisation’s profit picture.

What You Will Cover
•    Your role in corporate planning
•    Creating financial models
-    Developing models that are consistent with the principles of finance
-    Guidelines for preparing financial models
-    Key points necessary to create an effective model
-    Creating a new model to solve a complex business problem
•    Developing inputs into the model
•    Modelling statistics and forecasting
-    Calculate Mean and Standard Deviation of a Dataset
-    Presenting the data for manipulation
-   Analysing the data using simple techniques
-    Forecasting financial data using regression analysis
•    Modelling risk and uncertainty
-    Identifying uncertainty as it exists in the business world
-    Simple techniques to handle uncertainty
•    The nature of financial analysis
•    Evaluating capital investment proposals
-    Using financial forecasting to make accurate evaluations 
-    Developing alternative proposals
•    Measuring performance
-    Balance sheet analysis—DuPont formula, ROI, ROA, ROE
-    Evaluating profit margins, asset turnover (efficiency) and leverage
-    Income statement analysis
-    Past performance and project outcomes
-    Benchmarking company performance
•    Cash flow analysis
-    Cash flow from operations, investing and financing
-    Ratios and metrics you can use
-    Identifying patterns of value 
-    Cash flow performance indicators—profitability, liquidity and solvency
•    Interpreting and Evaluating Financial Information
-    What you need to look for

Facilitated by:

Jason Shoebridge, Founding Director, Aclaro Consulting Ltd
Jason has participated in and led consulting assignments across a diverse range of industries and disciplines, in New Zealand and overseas for a number of years.  Prior to becoming a consultant, Jason held a number of senior commercial and financial management roles in large corporates in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as roles within an international chartered accounting firm. This commercial management and consulting experience has allowed him to combine his deep analytical and financial management ability with a real world, pragmatic approach to determining where and how businesses make money.  Jason has an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Finance from the University of Auckland and is also a Chartered Accountant.

Agenda

Sponsors

Platinum Sponsor

Early-Bird Prize Draw Sponsor

Lunch Sponsor Day 1

Lunch Sponsor Day 2

Exclusive Procurement Update Sponsor

Exhibitors

Satchel Sponsor