What a Difference a Year Makes.

• Author: Kennedy, James
• Position: Tax Executives Institute

As I write this column, I can't help but reflect on what was happening a year ago at this time. We learned that the COVID-19 virus had triggered a pandemic, we were uncertain of when or how we could resume working in an office or how children could attend schools, and we faced unprecedented uncertainty. Now, as more Americans get vaccinated, we are beginning to see signs of hope and can tentatively plan for a future outside of our homes and away from our screens.

At TEI, we continue our efforts to adapt. I want to thank all of our members who have attended our virtual events over the past year, including the recently completed 71st Midyear Conference. While we had hoped that we could meet in person for the Midyear Conference in Washington, DC, we were able to virtually bring together a plethora of impactful thought leaders on international, Canadian, and US federal, state, and local tax policy and procedure.

With every event, we learn more about the features that are critical to a successful virtual event, and incorporate them into our subsequent offerings. TEI's Tax Technology Seminar brought together a unique mix of live-stream content, interactive roundtables, and breakout sessions. Similarly, we continue to use these "lessons learned" as we transform our Federal Tax I course and Financial Reporting Seminar into a fully virtual Federal Tax Fundamentals Series and Financial Reporting Series (scheduled for June). We are also re-envisioning our Leadership Foundations Seminar to ensure that our incoming chapter and committee leaders are connected across the world and well-equipped to begin their service to TEI. Each of these events are being carefully planned to take advantage of features and approaches that will keep them engaging, interactive, and meaningful to our members.

While we are committed to delivering the best-possible virtual experience for these events, we are also...