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We asked ChatGPT what it though of our Adelaide Conference
The Bookkeeper Event, the country’s best bookkeeper conference, wrapped up in Adelaide on the 12th of October. This year’s event (themed Doing It Better) was a nod to our great profession, which has been doing it better for some time now in the face of challenges from clients, government and the endless wave of new technology. We sought to bring you some of the best technology exhibitors and many great speakers featuring AI. The event was launched by world-renowned Keynote Doctor Adam Thompson who set the AI scene.
I was challenged to write this conference wrap, so I reached into my AI kitbag and asked my new AI friend Chad (that’s Chat GPT) to assist:
“Chad, please provide me a wrap of the ABN Bookkeeper Event in Adelaide in less than 30 words”:
Chad: The 20-year Bookkeeper Event in Adelaide delivered Doing it Better with inspirational speakers, great Expo, networking, fun and topped off with a memorable After-Party.
I then asked, “Can you do it in 10 words, Chad?”:
Chad: Great venue, speakers, exhibitors, After-Party that inspired happy delegates.
“How about 3 words Chad?”
Chad: Adelaide went off.
Chad asked in return: “you have a go Pete and use as many words as you like?”
I sit in front of my computer back from Adelaide, still catching up on lost sleep from what I thought was the best ABN Conference ever and reflecting on The Bookkeeper Event – Adelaide. With the “House Full” sign out, the Hilton Adelaide was at capacity with over 300 delegates and 30 exhibitor stands. Adelaide proved to be an excellent location for the Bookkeeper Event. The Hilton conference facility was ideal, and many delegates took a few extra days to see the sights, take in a wine tour and sample the best the Adelaide region has to offer.
The first day featured a very busy expo afternoon with 30 stands in operation. Exhibitors and delegates mingled in their hosted sessions and at their stands sampling the latest and greatest technology on offer. We finished the day off with our Taste of Adelaide event kindly sponsored by Go Cardless that gave delegates the chance to network and to taste some of Adelaide’s finest produce and wine.
Day two plenary sessions were ushered in by a magnificent keynote from world-renowned AI specialist Dr Alan Thompson. His session was a real eye-opener and set the scene for our conference theme, Doing it Better. Some excellent sessions from our day two and three speakers, including our major sponsors MYOB & DeJonge Read. Day two and three featured a nice blend of sessions from government, industry experts and the ABN and Australian Bookkeepers Association teams. Sessions deliberately included a balanced mix of technology (including AI) as well as technical, legislative and sessions focussed on you and your business.
Many of our sessions featured AI in some form or other. Many of our established software providers are progressively using AI to augment their offerings while others have developed new and innovative applications such as data capture/analytics, targeted client reporting, creation of advisory videos direct from your accounting file, enhanced marketing suites, creating checklists and procedures, even writing your own Tinder profile; the AI options seem endless. I think it is fair to say that it does not matter where you are on your AI journey; if you were at this event, you are now further advanced than when you walked in the door.
Day three was closed out by a truly inspirational keynote session from Janine Shepherd, who challenged us to “love the hills” because we can achieve so much more if we do. We than frocked up and headed off to the iconic EOS venue for the biggest After-Party ever for about 400 delegates and friends of ABN. The after-party was a themed Speakeasy style event with plenty of prohibition paraphernalia, even an AI generated Marilyn Munroe that jumped out of 20th birthday cake as part of the commemoration of 20 years of ABN Conferences.
We extend our thanks to everyone who chipped in to make this event what it was. A special thank you must go to 1e Groups events team, who made sure everything at the venue ran smoothly and organised a truly memorable After Party. We thank our exhibitors and sponsors who brought some great learning to the event and the Expo Day and for their financial contribution that enabled us to keep the delegate ticket price down at a level similar to prior years in the face of spiralling venue and hosting costs.
A special thanks to all the ABN Team; this event was the sum of all your efforts; for a small team you got a very big result. We thank the Australian Bookkeeper Association (ABA) directors Jo, Kerrie and Larissa for their support. All the ABA directors (Jo, Kerrie, Larissa, Kelvin, Darren and Kellie) worked tireless through the last year and achieved some notable outcomes on the representation front and I thank them.
Finally, and most importantly, we thank the delegates for supporting the event. Your smiles and shared gratitude tells us we hit the mark with the Bookkeeper Event 2024. For those of you who could not be with us, we look forward to you joining us next time as we attempt to raise the bar yet again at the next ABN - The Bookkeeper Event.
