About the MD Biz Expo

June 17-18, 2008 • Baltimore Convention Center

Join us along with 1,000 CPA and business professionals from across Maryland and Washington DC for two days of outstanding education (90+ workshops), networking, and business-to-business meetings with 100 exhibitors and sponsors in the resource center. The Maryland Business & Accounting Expo (MD Biz Expo) is designed to provide up-to-the-minute resources and tools to help your company or organization deal with business challenges and find and seize new opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Keynote: Bestselling author, James B. Swartz of SEEING DAVID IN THE STONE and 10% OR DIE presents his most recent research and winning innovation and growth strategies.
• 12 nationally known thought leaders include XBRL International founder, Mike Willis (revolutionizing business reporting supply chain); Author and Shingo Prize winner for Operational Excellence, Jerry Solomon (leader on lean transformation); Internationally renowned pricing strategist and value builder, Ron Baker. Listen to podcasts about a few of these topics:
  • What does lean mean?
  • The road to XBRL
• 90+ Workshops breakthrough ideas, best practices, and opportunities that will change the way business is being done and help you advance your career. For CPAs, up to 16 CPE credits are available in one-day and two-day packages:
  • Tuesday, June 17, 8:00-5:10
  • Wednesday, June 18, 8:00-5:00
• 8 General Sessions presented by national and local leaders.
• 100 Leading-Edge Exhibitors share insights, tools, and techniques:
  • Tuesday, June 17, 7:30-6:30
  • Wednesday, June 18, 7:30-3:45
• Experience the Expo in Second Life: MD Biz Expo is the first business and accounting expo to be held concurrently in the virtual world of Second Life!
  
  Virtual Booths
  While the real-world Expo is conducted in Baltimore, the virtual world Second Life® CPA Island and exhibits will be running concurrently. Expo attendees can visit sponsors both virtually and in person. Expose your services and products to a wider audience. The first 25 sponsors who registered received a virtual booth.
  
  Virtual CPE for CPAs
  MD Biz Expo Virtual Education (Mixed Reality) Sessions:
  
  June 18, 2:15 PM EST: "The Virtual World of Second Life: Real-World Business Applications" presented by John Zdanowski, CFO, Linden Lab (creators of Second Life) AKA "Zee Linden," his Second Life "avatar."
  
  Other Virtual Sessions:
  “The Future of Small Business”
  The Future of Small Business: What it Means to CPAs
  The Virtual World of Second Life: What it Means to Business
  
  View PowerPoint slides simultaneously in the virtual and real-life expos. CPE qualifications will be at www.CPAIsland.com (the CPA profession's virtual presence blog).
• Swearing In Ceremony and Reception (special invitation to MACPA members, special guests, and families): Secretary Thomas Perez of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation administers an oath to newly licensed Certified Public Accountants.
• Free tickets to the exhibits and general sessions are available here: https://www.mdbizexpo.com/registration/attendee.aspx.

MD BIZ EXPO PURPOSE & THEME

Innovation & Growth: How to Find and Seize Great Opportunities

James B. Swartz, the bestselling business author of SEEING DAVID IN THE STONE, will kick off the expo with the keynote address, “How to Find and Seize Great Opportunities." Throughout both days, the expo will also feature special presentations; all open to the public. These presentations will address the six biggest challenges facing Maryland business: 1) Financing 2) Technology 3) Health Care 4) Workforce 5) Energy Costs 6) Taxes

To hear more about the MD Biz Expo, listen here.

MD Biz Expo has been designed by CPAs to help Maryland businesses and organizations make sense of the rapidly-changing world in which we find ourselves – the core purpose of the CPA profession. This past year, there have been numerous reasons for Maryland businesses to be concerned – rising fuel costs, credit crunch, increasing taxes, people shortages, keeping up with technology, and globalization.

There are no shortcuts to winning in this new environment. So what do you do? We need to “get real” about the challenges we face, find and seize new opportunities, and build sustainable organizations that grow profitably and create jobs. Business is fundamental to our society. The MD Biz Expo is about helping Maryland businesses and organizations of all sizes to experience the thrill of growth and innovation, over and over again. Visit with exhibitors and sponsors who provide products and services that will help your organization succeed. Attend special presentations about crucial business topics. Expand your professional knowledge by registering for the workshops. Collaborate with a number of CPAs who will be on hand to help you make sense of a changing and complex world.

WHO'S ATTENDING