New member benefits unveiled at Annual Conference.

• Author: Traubenberg, Neil D.
• Position: President's page

The next issue of The Tax Executive will contain full coverage of our recently concluded Annual Conference, but I want to take this early opportunity to offer my personal thanks to several groups for making the conference a success:

First, thank you to the more than 400 members and other tax executives who travelled to San Antonio for the 64th Annual Conference. TEI recognizes that the economic downturn has led many companies to reduce their travel and training budgets, and we very much appreciate the confidence that our registrants showed in including the conference in their plans. Onsite comments and a quick review of the written evaluations confirm that our Continuing Education Committee maintained TEI's tradition of offering top-notch educational and networking opportunities at an affordable price.

Second, the committee chairs who compose our Continuing Education Committee and the members who planned and moderated our technical sessions deserve our appreciation. So do our cadre of accomplished speakers, who took time away from their challenging schedules to prepare for the conference, to travel to and from San Antonio, and to demonstrate both their subject matter expertise and their support for the Institute. A successful conference does not just happen. It is the result of dedication and hard work, and I thank our volunteer leaders and our volunteer (i.e., non-compensated) speakers for making it possible.

Third, a tip of the cowboy hat is due to the members of the Institute's Texas chapters who established a hospitality committee that made everyone feel at home. The Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and Austin Chapters not only opened up the Lone Star State to TEI, but they opened up their wallets, adding zest and zing to our Welcome Reception and giving the lucky recipients of several door prizes even more reason to be pleased they attended the conference.

Fourth, TEI's conference sponsors deserve our thanks. Like our own companies, most if not all of the accounting, law, and other firms that support TEI's sponsorship initiative have faced staffing cuts and budget reductions because of the recession. While we have never taken their financial and other support for granted, we know that, like us, our sponsors must scrutinize their spending decisions more than in the past. It is primarily because of their ongoing commitment to the Institute that TEI has not raised its dues in nearly two decades, even while holding the line on conference fees...