QuickBooks® Connect in Las Vegas!

Bright lights, loud noises, people from all over the world.

And that’s just the Casino!

But once we enter the conference space, the spotlight is on each of us. The loud noises are the squeals of delight when you run into someone you’ve not seen in person since QuickBooks Connect 2019. The people are 3,000. QuickBooks ProAdvisors®, accountants, and bookkeepers.

The main focus this year is on accountants and bookkeepers. Intuit® wants to listen to us, celebrate us, and inspire us. And they’re doing a very good job of showing us how special we are.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program. There are now more than 600,000 ProAdvisors worldwide, and more than 40 of the original group of ProAdvisors were here this week. What a treat to recognize them at the Main Stage event in the full house.

Intuit is really glad to have us. They want feedback from the accountant community. They listen to us. And they take action. There was a great presentation of many new features that are being rolled out now and into the next few months. Revenue Recognition! Fixed Assets! E-commerce connections! There will be more details to come on the new features. The thing to celebrate now is that we rolled the dice, and Intuit gave us sevens.

QuickBooks Connect has always been inspiring. This year, though, Intuit has gone all in. There are QuickBooks’ rock stars teaching us anything we want to learn. Just spin the wheel and go wherever your token lands. Any session you choose is a winner. Want something more specific or personal? Check out the Brain Dates.

The high stakes were on the Main Stage:

• Serena Williams told us she hates to lose more than she loves to win. But losing always teaches a lesson. So embrace it.
• Simon Sinek talked about the danger of a finite mindset. If there is a winner, there has to be a loser. We shouldn’t promote one size fits all. The better gamble is one size fits one.
• Then we hit the jackpot. Malcolm Gladwell, the outlier, the David to Goliath, the tipping point of our adventures told us that the very best things in life take time. They take time.

Most of the sessions focus on growth—the growth of your firm, the growth or your QuickBooks knowledge, and most importantly, the growth of your personal well being.

The exhibit hall was full of players from dozens of apps, all of which had swag for us. The main ante this year seemed to be water bottles. Stay hydrated, take care of yourself.

We’re all tapping out now, but the big winnings are the relationships that were created along with those that were renewed. Maybe we sat together for lunch. Maybe we attended a session together. Maybe we talked in the hall. Whatever the circumstances, we met, we bonded, and we are forever friends because we are connected.

QuickBooks Connect is a brain-exploding, friend-hugging, knowledge-fulfilling experience. Double down, ProAdvisors! See you next year!