TEI Region VIII holds 36th Annual Regional Conference.

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The 36th Annual Region VIII Conference was held on June 8-11, 2014 at the Westin Seattle. After two successful conferences in San Diego, the organizing committee opted for a change in venue and offered an urban setting with the many attractions of Seattle outside its doorstep.

The two and a half-day program included technical sessions in federal, state and local tax, international, income tax accounting, M&A, partnerships and mobile workforce. The second day of the conference featured half-day break-out sessions covering tax technology, featuring a panel discussion on tax technology and training on use of Excel, international tax, with topics including international planning, transfer pricing and BEPS, and SALT, featuring hot topics in state corporate tax. Over forty attendees participated in a half-day Chief tax Officers (CTO) session--a regional conference "first"--which was facilitated by Ernst & Young and included topics such as measuring tax department performance, Board and Audit Committee communication and tax strategy.

Attendees enjoyed a number of conference sponsored social events. An evening welcome reception featured drinks and hors d'oeuvres with relaxing guitar music in the background. A gala dinner reception with "A Taste of Seattle" theme, featured a wide variety of Seattle-inspired dishes, a selection of local Seattle beers and Starbucks coffees with dessert.

The conference was attended by 138 registered participants, a 20% increase over 2013. Thirteen sponsors supported the event, including The Ashland Group, Baker & McKenzie, Charles Rivers Associate, Deloitte, DLA...