Call for Presentations

Planning is currently underway for the 2024 CSMFO annual conference, which is scheduled for January 30-February 2, 2024, in Anaheim (Disneyland). The conference theme, May the Magic of Finance Be With You, acknowledges the joy and excitement of being in the “most magical place on earth,” as well as, ideally, the joy and excitement we find in our jobs and careers. We look forward to the opportunity to reconnect with you and your colleagues to learn from each other, and to share this joy and excitement!

At this time, we are seeking proposals for concurrent sessions. If you have an idea for a session, please let us know by completing the attached submission form. Note that these are NOT paid presentation opportunities.

We are planning for both an in-person conference January 30 to February 2, followed by a more limited virtual event roughly 4-6 weeks later. To accomplish that, we will be selecting some of our in-person concurrent sessions to be presented again for the virtual event. In order to make the virtual event as rewarding for our members as possible, and to also ensure that those sessions will qualify for continuing professional education (CPE) credits, we are asking that presenters for those sessions confirm that they will be able to fill the entire time allotted, including time for Q&A.

To confirm that we can accommodate both an in-person and a virtual conference, we ask that you indicate in your proposal if you would be available to participate in the virtual event 4-6 weeks following the conference.

Concurrent sessions cover all aspects of local government finance, including accounting and financial reporting, budget and financial planning, financial management, treasury and debt, information technology and innovation, leadership and management skills, and any other finance-related topic. Many of our members either have utilities, or are separate special districts, so we are always interested in session proposals that would be pertinent to their operations. We are especially interested in those sessions that provide information about technical subjects, best practices, and topics that are relevant in the current financial and operational environment. If you have an idea for a great session, please let us know by submitting a response to our Call for Presentations.

To help get your creative juices flowing, here are some areas in which 2023 attendees expressed interest for topics in 2024:

• Financial Data Transparency Act of 2022
• Technical accounting topics
• Cost allocation plans
• Forensic accounting and catching fraud
• Macro-economic issues and outlook
• Revenue projection and trend analysis
• Strategic planning
• Budget session specifically for accountants
• Entry level topics – bank recs, capital asset and inventory tracking, internal audit
• Federal grant management
• Banking
• RFPs, purchasing
• Financing projects
• Payroll staff development and promoting from within
• Recruitment/retention trends, employee morale

Topics should be educational, non-commercial, and provide value to a wide-ranging group of attendees. Sales pitches or marketing for products and/or services submitted as proposals will NOT be considered. Sessions should include at least one practitioner who is currently employed with a California public agency. If a public agency practitioner is not included, your proposal will not be considered. Because concurrent sessions are typically 1 hour 15 minutes in length, the number of speakers is limited to no more than three. If your proposal consists of a moderated panel discussion, your panel moderator is included in the maximum allowable number of 3. Please make sure everyone proposed for your session is available during the dates of the conference (January 30-February 2, 2024).

Scheduling of sessions will likely be determined before December 1, 2023. CSMFO will notify you if your proposal is selected.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE – THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2023

Contact Harriet Commons with any questions or comments.