CONFERENCE PROGRAM

(SUBJECT TO CHANGE - LAST UPDATED MAY 14)

Two conferences for the price of one! Maximize your learning potential by attending sessions and forums on issues and trends at the Financial Executive Conference, being held at the same location, and at no extra cost. By attending the conference you can earn up to 17 Continuing Education Credits. Download the CE credit claim instructions.

Attendee Checklist

 'CATCH ME IF YOU CAN' - THE STORY OF FRANK ABAGNALE

Frank Abagnale provides entertaining insight into his life as the notorious imposter and fraudster of the 1960s, a thrilling story told in the award-winning movie and Broadway musical, Catch Me If You Can. By the age of 21 Abagnale had the reputation as America's most gifted con man, successfully impersonating an international airline pilot, pediatrician, stockbroker, college professor and even an assistant attorney general all while cashing $2.5 million dollars in forged checks. Audiences experience an emotional roller coaster ride as Abagnale describes his con man escapades and reveals how he learned to live on the right side of the law.

FRAUD SEMINAR: THE ART OF THE STEAL

In this unique, two-hour seminar, former con man turned crime stopper, Frank Abagnale, provides the latest information to protect institutions, associations, and corporations from embezzlement, forgery, counterfeit currency, check fraud, identity theft, and Internet fraud. He discusses the latest sophisticated white collar crime techniques made easy by technology, as well as your organization's potential liability under the new Uniform Commercial Code. Abagnale describes ways to guard against check fraud and introduces the latest document features and equipment to gain an edge in this costly battle. Always insightful and timely, Abagnale combines his fraud identity theft expertise with anecdotes from his time as one of the world's foremost confidence men, producing an event that provides audiences with the knowledge needed to give your organization an edge in this costly matter

MANAGING RISK IN AN ERA OF UNCERTAINTYMANMANAGING RISK IN AN ERA OF UNCERTAINTY

The modern world does not wait for the uninitiated and the unprepared. The ability of organizations to react quickly to a crisis, adapt strategies to deal with unforeseen circumstances, and then choose the best course of action comes only from thinking through the unimaginable. Through preparation and leadership, Commander Kirk S. Lippold inspired his crew to act decisively in the ultimate crisis situation when terrorists attacked USS Cole in one of the seminal events in the war on terror. Commander Lippold's compelling and patriotic story shows organizations how integrating the principles of accountability and integrity into your team can make the difference between success and failure.

Commander Kirk Lippold USN (Ret.), Inspirational Leader and Commander of the USS Cole

THE FOOD MARKETING INDUSTRY SPEAKS        

Hear the latest research from FMI Speaks and Trends including an industry overview of economic, consumer and industry trends. Explore how key trends and emerging issues may develop and prepare to meet those challenges and exploit new opportunities for growth.                              

Pat Walsh, Senior Vice President, Education, Research & Industry Relations, Food Marketing Institute

ACCOUNTING UPDATES

Attend this session to get crucial accounting updates that affect your business and profession. Gain insight into and updates on:

• FASB pronouncements on revenue recognition, financial instruments and lease accounting.
• The SEC reporting process, including regulation S-X, S-K and other considerations for public reporting companies.
• Conditions in the current economic environment that affect the retail sector
• Current SEC requirements and comment letter trends
• Implications of the revised goodwill standard
• The key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act
• New income reporting and multi-employer standard requirements
• IFRS developments
• Enhancements to disclosures on short-term borrowing

Susan McPartlin, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Jarrod Trigg, Senior Manager, Retail Practice, PriceWaterhouseCoopers

THE BIG PICTURE: MACROECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE FOOD RETAIL INDUSTRY

Gain insight into key macroeconomic factors that financial executives in the grocery industry can incorporate into their strategic and financial projections calculus. Review macroeconomic developments since the 2008 financial crisis; get an update on the current state of the US and global economy and the potential implications for the food retail industry. Learn which key metrics food retailers should monitor and discuss the impact of current macroeconomic dynamics on your operating region and performance.

Scott Moses, Managing Director - Head of Food, Drug & Specialty Retail Investment Banking, Sagent Advisors

TAX UPDATE: CHANGES, TRENDS, IMPACTS

Join a panel of tax experts for an interactive and timely discussion about current and future tax analysis. Understand the proposed changes in rules, current trends in inventory taxation, new tangible property regulations and their operational impact, and learn how current budget restraints may impact future tax legislation. In expectation of a stimulating 2012-2013 legislative session and political demonstration, the panel will address practical applications for food retail professionals.

Rick Bailine, Managing Director, Washington National Tax, RSM McGladrey
Dustin Peterson, Partner, National Food & Beverage Industry Team - Retailer Sector Lead, RSM McGladrey
Natalie Tucker, Tax Director, Washington National Tax - Accounting Methods & Periods, McGladrey & Pullen LLP

THE VIEW FROM WASHINGTON: LAWS AND REGULATIONS IMPACTING THE FOOD RETAIL INDUSTRY

This year’s election could result in a change of control in the United States Senate. See what this means for you and your business. Get an overview of the current legislative, regulatory and political changes that will impact your operations for months and years to come and learn how critical issues such as tax fairness, LIFO, pensions, swipe fees and health care will play on the second session of this Congress.

Jennifer Hatcher, Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs, Food Marketing Institute

BUILDING THE RIGHT PAYMENTS STRATEGY WHILE LOWERING YOUR COSTS IN A POST-DURBIN WORLD

The Durbin Amendment has created anxiety around the future of payments, impacting every component of the payments value chain. Participate in a panel discussion to learn about new payments strategies that retailers are implementing as a result of the Federal regulation of debit card costs and new routing rules. Gain insight into bank and network strategies that could impact retailers in the grocery industry. Panelists will discuss the results of a new FMI member survey and compare retailer actions and perspectives to their own outlook on what is happening in the merchant community and across the payments industry.

Pat Morgan, Director of Marketing, National Payment Card Association
Beth Costa, Principal, Retail Financial Solutions

IS YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS? SECURITY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY CONSIDERATIONS - BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER EMBRACING CLOUD COMPUTING.

Cloud computing has both financial and time-management benefits, but can also increase business risk unless correctly controlled and monitored. Whether a convert or skeptic of this emerging technology, attending this session will provide you an overview of the cloud computing environment and instruct you on how to balance the benefits with the risks associated with cloud migration. Learn how to identify key challenges and recognize how cloud computing controls need to differ from those of internal data centers. Hear how the core elements of information security (confidentiality, integrity and availability) are impacted by the cloud, discover simple changes that can make a big difference in assessing your cloud environment and learn where you can go for additional information.

Michael Gerdes, Director, Information Security Center of Expertise, Experis

OPTIMIZING VENDOR FUNDING VISIBILITY TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY

How do grocery retailers ensure profitable growth without the ability to pass price increases on to the consumer or reduce product costs? The answer lies in understanding the complex world of vendor funding and merchandising programs. Discover why finance and accounting departments are in a unique position to bridge the knowledge gap that exists when vendor funding, in the form of discounts, allowances and supports, is dispersed across multiple departments. See how financial managers can play a key role in ensuring the necessary transparency to better understand vendor performance by category. By looking through a different lens and learning from others, you’ll gain actionable ideas that will enable your organization to make better fact-based decisions, focus collaborative efforts with vendors and thus drive profitable growth.

Charisse Jacques, Principal, PRGX Business Analytics & Advisory Services.

IT’S OUR JOB TO GET IT RIGHT SOONER – BRINGING RECOVERY AUDITS CLOSER TO THE TRANSACTION

Rick Mills, CFO, Tops Markets discusses how and why his company adopted technology to bring recovery audits close to the transaction to improve financial statements and mitigate problems associated with old audit claims.  Learn how Tops migrated from traditional post annual recovery audits to ongoing monthly reviews. Understand how procure-to-pay transaction data flow into the audit process in the near real-time audit environment and see how payment errors are detected and corrected at the invoice level each month. Discover why getting it right sooner is timelier than ever as vendors push programs to discontinue recovery audits older than six months after payment.  

Rick Mills, Senior Vice President and CFO, Tops Markets, LLC

REBOOTING IT: CLOUD COMPUTING, MOBILITY AND THE IMPACT ON LOSS PREVENTION

Information is the retailers' key to competitiveness. But existing retail IT systems are becoming a barrier to innovation. In particular retail has been slow to capitalize on rapid improvements in mobile technology, virtualization, and social networking and risks falling further behind.  Discover how mobile solutions combined with cloud architecture are helping to boost sales, reduce IT costs, increase customer engagement and help fight fraud. 

Phil Belena, VP Sales and Marketing, Enfatica
Craig Moyer, Director, The Stores Consulting Group