GFOA Visits Austin for 116th Annual Conference.

• Author: Mucha, Mike
• Position: EVENTS

June 5 to 8, 2022--GFOA's 116th annual conference, the first one we've been able to hold in-person since 2019 in Los Angeles. In attendance were representatives from nine countries, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five US territories, and seven Canadian provinces. In all, GFOA brought more than 5,400 people representing more than 2,500 organizations to Austin.

This year's conference also represented a return to normal after two years of virtual conferences. Attendees had their choice of more than 75 concurrent sessions full of case studies, best practice guidance, lessons learned, and innovations from 250+ speakers. They were able to attend three keynote sessions with recognized leaders in their fields; meet with more than 175 exhibitors providing information on products and services to support public finance; attend networking sessions hosted by GFOA, state associations, and vendors; and enjoy numerous opportunities to explore Austin, take in live music, and reconnect with old friends.

GFOA's annual conference also serves as the official business meeting for the association, and we were able to celebrate the last year's successes while preparing for new challenges, looking ahead to new initiatives, and ensuring the organization is best positioned to serve all GFOA members into the future.

CONFERENCE SESSIONS

The conference officially started on Sunday, June 5, but hundreds of people took advantage of the additional learning opportunities provided by seven preconference sessions offered on June 3 and June 4. Each of these four (or more) hour seminars provided information on ethics, debt management, basic budgeting principles, federal funds uniform guidance, single audit processes, and more.

GFOA's concurrent sessions once again gave attendees an unparalleled opportunity to hear from industry leaders, experienced practitioners, and recognized experts. These volunteer speakers make the GFOA conference the success that it is, and experience where--unlike other conferences--sessions are well attended and learning is transformed into better policies and practices back home, improving governments across the United States, Canada, and beyond. Conference session topics included core principles in public finance, industry trends and updates, innovative case studies, and leadership skills. Topic tracks allowed attendees to either focus on a single area for the week or get a mix of content relevant to each of the many hats worn in the role of...