June 10: Accountants Can Bet the House on Sage Summit 2014 to Help Strengthen Relationships with Clients

Accountants are all about the numbers: Las Vegas has 1,700 licensed gambling joints, it has 15,000 miles of neon tubing lighting the Vegas strip, and the beam from the Luxor hotel is 48,300 times brighter than the Times Square New Year’s Ball.* But in July 2014, the only Vegas-related number that will matter are the thousands from the Sage ecosystem gathered at Sage Summit 2014. The annual event – taking place July 28-31, 2014, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas – will be an immersive educational experience that will build on the impact of deep, meaningful connections and conversations to fuel accountants with the knowledge to transform their business models to become a trusted advisor to small and medium-sized businesses.

The accounting profession is experiencing a shift: Gone are the days of talking to clients once a year on tax preparation. Small and medium-sized businesses want an accountant to act as a year-round advisor and are looking for an accountant who is going to add value to their business. Sage Summit will equip accountants with the strategies and best practices necessary to overcome challenges and stereotypes of the accountant of the past and propel their business to the next level through powerful conversations and connections. Conversations and networking will take the form of insightful keynotes, sessions and panels.

Facilitated by subject matter experts and top accounting thought leaders, conversations will center on burning topics for the accountant, such as overcoming the fear when transforming a firm’s business model, understanding and implementing a business strategy, how to transition clients to the cloud, positioning new services in a cloud-driven world, and how to communicate with clients. Conversations include:

• Session led by Jason Blumer, CPA and chief innovation officer at Blumer CPAs, on how to make a business model transformation.
• Session led by Jennifer Elder, CPA, CMA, CIA, CFF and Business Learning Institute instructor, on how to develop and refine a business strategy.
• Session led by Doug Sleeter, founder of The Sleeter Group, on steps to moving to the cloud.
• Session led by Jody Padar, accounting thought leader and CPA, MST, and CEO & principal at New Vision CPA Group, on how to position new cloud services to potential clients.
• Session led by Peter Margaritis, CPA, MACC, and Business Learning Institute instructor, on how to communicate with different client types.
• Session led by Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA, executive director and CEO of MACPA, on surviving the shift change in accounting practices.
• Session led by L. Gary Boomer, CPA, CITP, CEO of Boomer Consulting, Inc., on packaging and pricing advisory services for accountants and bookkeepers in order to increase the value of these extra services.
• Sessions led by Sage experts on how to utilize Sage small business solutions to serve clients better.

For the full list of sessions and more information on Sage Summit, please visit: SageSummit.com

*BrandonGaille.com article, “31 Good Las Vegas Slogans and Taglines”

About The Sage Group, plc

We provide small and medium-sized organizations with a range of easy-to-use, secure, and efficient business management software and services—from accounting and payroll to enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and payments. Our customers receive continuous advice and support through our global network of local experts to help them solve their business problems, giving them the confidence to achieve their business ambitions. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and entered the FTSE 100 in 1999. Sage has over 6 million customers and more than 12,700 employees in 24 countries covering the UK & Ireland, mainland Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, Asia, and Brazil.

For more information about Sage in North America, please visit the company website at Sage.com. Follow Sage North America on Facebook, Facebook.com/Sage, and Twitter, Twitter.com/SageNAmerica.

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Press contact

Amanda DeFuria
Sage North America
678-280-5469
Amanda.DeFuria@Sage.com