I recently attended and spoke at my first national ICB conference, the ICB Australian Bookkeepers Summit 2024, held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Held over two days, it was a delightful event that I thoroughly enjoyed. It provided a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with long-term colleagues, meet new people, and learn about the latest developments in the bookkeeping and technology space.

I was very grateful for the opportunity to speak at the summit. I delivered two packed sessions, both focused on technology. The feedback was lovely, with one attendee telling me my session was like a windscreen wiper, cleaning a dirty window and offering her crystal-clear clarity. What a thoughtful and heartening comment!

The Theme of the Summit

Bookkeepers: The Backbone of Business

Quality content is incredibly important to me, and the summit’s content was excellent. The event featured keynotes and three breakout streams. Several sessions stood out, and I was reminded of what an engaging and knowledgeable and funny presenter Matthew Addison is. I particularly enjoyed the final session, Bookkeepers: The Backbone of Business Compliance, hosted by Matthew Addison with panellists Anna Booth (Fair Work Ombudsman) and Sarah Vawser (ATO Assistant Commissioner, Risk and Strategy Intermediaries). This closing session was highly relevant and engaging for many in the audience.

Over the years, Matthew has made an incredible impact on our industry, championing the professionalism of the bookkeeping community and advancing the profession as a whole. In my opinion, everyone working in this space in Australia has benefited from his efforts, even if they may not fully realise the extent of his contributions. Much of Matthew’s work happens behind the scenes—serving on boards and cultivating vital industry relationships.

For over five years I sat on the Australian Taxation BAS Agents Advisory Group alongside Matthew Addison. I learnt a lot from him, and the other members during that time! I was representing ACCA in the BASAAG group, and had to pay all my own travel expenses and additional costs to attend. I thought it was something important to do, but it eventually became untenable, so unfortunately I had to drop off. You do what you do for as long as you can do it.

The Layout

The event had a straightforward and easy-to-navigate layout. The breakout rooms were just across from the keynote room, with vendors and the food service area in between. This ensured the vendors had constant visibility with attendees.

Breakout Stream 3 was set up with round tables, which limited the capacity. My session, Leveraging Chat GPT for Bookkeepers, ended up with lots of standing-room at the back, with some attendees turned away. I’m not sure if the round tables were necessary for all sessions.

The staff who shared emcee roles did a fantastic job. However, once the event logistics quietened down, it might have been nice for ICB staff to actively introduce themselves to attendees. I’ve been an ICB member for at least 13 years and know many names but not faces. While this is gentle feedback, overall, it was a well-run event, and a little extra interaction could elevate the experience.

The presentation set-ups in the breakout rooms were excellent, as were the video and audio for the keynotes I attended.

ROI for Attendees

The cost of attending started at $1309 early bird for members.

The summit delivered strong ROI for attendees, with 5.5 hours of CPE that felt even more substantial. Attendees received a comprehensive content pack and enjoyed ample delicious food over the two days. There were plenty of tables and quiet spaces for work when needed.

The event was also offered as a one-day roadshow in other capital cities and as an online session, providing flexibility to suit different preferences. Hosting the main event in Brisbane was a lovely touch – it’s such a great city for conferences.

ROI for Vendors

If bookkeepers are your target audience, this event is one to consider. Bookkeepers are agile and often early adopters of new solutions. With about 30 vendors, it was easy to have meaningful conversations and conduct market research in addition to generating sales leads.

The event wasn’t overwhelming or exhausting, which can sometimes be the case with larger conferences. If you find big conferences too intense, this smaller format is well worth exploring. The turnout was strong, with modern bookkeepers attending from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast, along with many who flew in.

The Food

The food was outstanding – possibly the best I’ve had at the Brisbane Convention Centre. There was ample delicious food and barista coffee available throughout the day.

Afterwards, ApprovalMax, Xero, and XBert hosted drinks, creating a warm and engaging community event.

The Best Swag

I try to avoid unnecessary materialism and prefer practical, environmentally friendly swag. That said, vendors invest heavily in these items, so highlighting a few standouts could be helpful.

Cyber Warden, a government-sponsored initiative, offered a $20 Prezzee gift card for enrolling in their CPD program. I also appreciated the boom box from QuickBooks and the insulated cup from MYOB.

As you’d expect, I did enjoy the dress up photo booth, a fun opportunity to capture photos with friends. I look forward to attending and hopefully speaking at the Melbourne National ICB event in 2025

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me here.