QuickBooks Connect is only 2 weeks away and I’m sitting at Method:HQ in Toronto thinking about how I’ll make the most of my 3 days at the conference.
I’m proud to say I’m a “QB Connect Veteran”… this will be my third time at the event. I’ve had the opportunity to see the conference from many sides… as a hackathon participant (and winner), an exhibitor and an attendee. Here are my 5 tips to maximize your investment of time at this world-class event.
1) Embrace the messages of the main stage speakers. Intuit has once again gone above and beyond with their main stage line-up. Malcolm Gladwell, Simone Biles, Shaquille O’Neal, Jillian Michaels, Michael Phelps and Tony Hawk (just to mention a few). It’s incredible to see this calibre of speakers on a single stage on a single day! The past years’ main stage speakers were engaging, inspiring and thought provoking. The main stage is an absolute must attend – I promise, you will walk away with nuggets for your personal and professional life.
2) Connect with others… business owners, accounting professionals and the Intuit staff. Intuit does such a great job organizing the San Jose conference center and agenda to allow for networking and socializing. Make sure you take the time to meet new people (or meet up with old connections). Your email can wait…use break times to strike up a conversation with the person beside you. You will make at least a few new connections that will last beyond the event. (Here is the Method team with Intuit Founder Scott Cook!)
3) Attend as many track sessions as you can. This year’s agenda is packed with both QuickBooks training and general business sessions. Try to attend a mix of both. It’s my intention to attend the developer and business owners/entrepreneurs sessions. There is an incredible amount of depth in these sessions – from brand to website conversion to hiring to legal advice to financing (and much more). I am certain you will learn valuable tips to grow and run your business.
4) Research QuickBooks integrated apps for your business. Full transparency, I will be spending a lot of my time at the Method CRM booth in the exhibit hall. The Intuit team does a great job creating a bright, lovely space for you to walk around and see QuickBooks and the 3rd party applications (like ours) that integrate with QuickBooks. If you’re having a problem that QuickBooks doesn’t solve (like keeping detailed contact info, tracking your sales leads, creating to-dos for your team, or giving your customers a portal to transact with your business) please stop by and say hi to myself and the Method CRM team. We would be delighted to give you a tour of our product and show you how it could solve these (and many other) problems. We are the #1 CRM for QuickBooks.
5) Wear comfortable shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking, standing around and maybe even dancing to Third Eye Blind. I hope to follow my own advice on this one!
Hope to see you in San Jose!
Barb