Business & Financial Conference

Program

The Business & Financial Conference program offers four days of keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities from Monday to Wednesday, September 16–19. Preconference seminars on Sunday, September 16, are a great value-add. Learn more about each of these offerings.

• Preconference seminars
• Keynote speakers
• Breakout sessions 
• Receptions & meetings

Breakout Sessions

Benefit from engaging breakout sessions led by industry experts and public power colleagues — take home actionable ideas and tactics.

Breakout sessions are offered on Monday through Wednesday, September 18–20. Several breakout sessions run concurrently in each time slot and you can go to any sessions you like. Browse sessions below or download the program PDF for a listing by date/time that you can share with colleagues and use to plan your itinerary.

Sessions cover the following tracks or topic areas:

• Customer Accounting & Services
• General Accounting, Finance & Audit
• Human Resources & Training
• Information Technology
• Pricing & Market Analysis
• Risk Management & Insurance ^NEW!

Agenda at a Glance

Sunday, September 16

8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Registration

8:30 a.m. – Noon
Preconference Seminars:

• Simple Steps to FastTrack an ERM program
• Strategic Rate Design: Trends and Case Studies

1:30 – 5 p.m.
Preconference Seminars:

• How to Meet New GASB Standards
• How to Assess Your Cyber Health and Build Resilience

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception

Monday, September 17

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Conference Registration

7 – 8 a.m.
Networking Continental Breakfast

8 – 8:45 a.m.
Opening General Session

• California's Quest to Decarbonize and the Impact on the World (and You)
  Barry Moline, Executive Director, California Municipal Utilities Association, Sacramento, California

• Public Power Matters
  Coleman F. Smoak, Jr., General Manager, Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, South Carolina

8:45 – 9:15 a.m.
Break with Sponsors

9:15 – 10:15 a.m. 
Breakout Sessions:

• Grow Houses: High Demand, New Challenges
• Tax on Fringe, Don’t Cringe
• Utility Value: To Your Community and/or to Potential Buyers 
• Human Resources & Training Roundtable
• IT Kickoff Roundtable
• Rate Design: What’s New, What’s Right for You
• Insurance Basics: Part 1 - Fundamentals of Insurance

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Break with Sponsors

10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Engaging Customers in Energy Wellness
• Small Utility Roundtable
• Large Utility Roundtable
• Joint Action Agency Roundtable
• How to Become a Destination Employer, Part 1: Engagement
• Using Data to Meet Unspoken Customer Needs
• Customer Engagement in Rate Design
• Insurance Basics: Part 2 – Insurance 101

11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch on your own

1:30 – 3 p.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• A Safe Space for Customer Service
• Beyond Numbers: Budgeting for Success
• Behind the Ratings: Hear from the Big Three
• How to Become a Destination Employer, Part 2: Healthcare Costs
• ERP: Is It for Me?
• Value of Solar: A Spectrum of Approaches
• Risk Management & Insurance Roundtable

3 – 3:15 p.m.
Break with Sponsors

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Cross-Train to Retain: Future Proofing Your Staff
• Asset Management: Overcoming the Ten Sins
• No Advance Refunding: What’s the Alternative?
• Key Elements of an Effective Talent Acquisition Strategy
• Cybersecurity Roundtable
• Load Analysis for Rate Makers
• What’s Happening in the Insurance Market

4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Breakout Session:

• Resource Central: Association Benefits for You

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Young Professionals Happy Hour

Tuesday, September 18

7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Conference Registration

7 – 8:15 a.m.
Women in Public Power Networking Breakfast

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Networking Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 10 a.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Communicating with Customers, Beyond Outages
• Keep Calm and Comply with GASB
• No Utility is Too Big or Too Small for Solid Internal Controls
• HR's Fiscal Responsibility - Employee Financial Wellness and Retirement Plan Fees
• The Public Power Association Security Journey
• Charging Ahead: Special Rates for Electric Vehicles
• Managing Your Broker Relationship
  (Restricted to public power utilities, state and regional associations and joint action agencies)

10 – 10:15 a.m.
Break with Sponsors

10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Customer Self-Service 2.0: How Far Do You Go?
• Blockchain 101: Threats and Opportunities (Joint GAFA & IT)
• Expanding Your Talent Pool: Troops to Energy Jobs
• Don't Just Give it Away: Charge Something
• Risk Assessments and Loss Control Activities

11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch on your own

1:30 – 3 p.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Pay as You Please: More Options for Customers
• Internal Audit: Can Your Organization Afford to be Without It?
• Moving on Up: Investment Planning Tips
• Understanding Diversity and Inclusion with Emotional Intelligence
• Mobilize to Optimize: Gathering the Forces
• Flex Your Rate Muscles, Shape Your Load
• Anatomy of a Claim

3 – 3:15 p.m.
Break with Sponsors

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Improve Collections with AMI & System Integration
• ROI: Recruit, Onboard, Inspire your Accounting Team
• #What’s Up DC
• Ask the HR Attorney
• Shared Technologies, Multiplied Benefits
• Pricing & Market Analysis Roundtable
• The Damage is Done (Third Party Recovery)

6 – 7:30 p.m.
Reception
Join your colleagues for an evening reception. You are welcomed to bring a guest.

Wednesday, September 19

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Networking Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 10 a.m.
Breakout Sessions:

• Customer Accounting & Services Roundtable
• Building a Culture of Credibility
• Becoming a Mindful Leader
• Cyber Alert, Shore Up Your Defenses
• Change and Challenge: Keeping the Lights On at Your Utility
• Fortifying Your Contractual Risk Transfer Program

10 – 10:15 a.m.
Break

10:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Closing General Session

• Failure is Not an Option: Leadership Lessons from Space
  Fred Haise served as the lunar module pilot during the ill-fated 1970 Apollo 13 space mission, for which he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Soon after, he survived another harrowing ordeal — in 1973, he was burned over 65 percent of his body following an aircraft crash during filming of the Pearl Harbor epic, Tora! Tora! Tora! But Haise went on to become one of the first astronauts to pilot the space shuttle in test missions. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on October 4, 1997. Come and be inspired by Haise’s courage and belief that that there is no achievement without risk. See why teamwork is a critical component of success in any undertaking, great or small. Discover the value of good communication, individual responsibility, and trust for strong leadership.
  
  Speaker: Fred Haise, Apollo 13 Astronaut and Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

11:30 a.m.
Adjourn

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Platinum Sponsors

  

Registration

Members receive substantial discounts. Not yet a member? Learn more and join now.

Member Registration Fees

American Public Power Association members, as well as lawyers who currently represent public power utilities, joint action agencies, or state/regional associations that are Association members, receive the member rate.

Through August 24

• $745 - Business & Financial Conference
• $325 - Half-day preconference seminars (each)
• $425 - Full-day preconference seminars (each) 

After August 24

• $795 - Business & Financial Conference
• $375 - Half-day preconference seminars (each)
• $475 - Full-day preconference seminars (each) 

Non-Member Registration Fees

Through August 24

• $1,490 - Business & Financial Conference
• $650 - Half-day preconference seminars (each)
• $850 - Full-day preconference seminars (each) 

After August 24

• $1540 - Business & Financial Conference
• $700 - Half-day preconference seminars (each)
• $900 - Full-day preconference seminars (each) 

Guest Registrations

Conference attendees are welcome to bring a guest to the receptions. Guests do not need to register.

Cancellation Policy

Registrants who cancel in writing on or before September 10, 2018, are entitled to a refund of their registration fee, minus a $50 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel after September 10 will not receive a refund, but attendee substitutions will be allowed for the 2018 Business & Financial Conference. Registrants and no-shows who do not cancel before or on September 10 are responsible for the full registration fee and are not entitled to a refund. Email cancellation requests to [email protected].

Preconference Seminar Registration:

8:30 - Noon

• Register
  Simple Steps to FastTrack an ERM progra
• Register
  Strategic Rate Design: Trends and Case Studie

1:30 – 5 p.m.

• Register
  How to Meet New GASB Standards
• Register
  How to Assess Your Cyber Health and Build Resilience

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Mobile App Sponsors

  

Hotel

The 2018 Business & Financial Conference will take place at the Hilton Anaheim.

Hilton Anaheim
777 Convention Way
Anaheim, CA 92802

• Group rate: $239 Single/Double (plus tax, 25%)
• Check in: 4 p.m. / Check out: Noon
• Main telephone: 714-750-4321
• Reservation telephone: 877-776-4932
• Group Code: APP
• Online Reservation Link: https://book.passkey.com/go/BF2018
• Reservation cut-off date: August 24, 2018

Reservations & Cancellations
The cut-off date to receive the group rate (plus tax) is Friday, August 24, 2018. If rooms remain in the block after the cut-off date, the group rate will be honored. If not, you may be charged a higher rate. The room block may sell out before August 24, so early reservations are encouraged. For individual reservations call 1-877-776-4932 and reference “APP,” or make your reservation online at https://book.passkey.com/go/BF2018. 

Cancelled reservations that are not resold may become a financial liability for the association, so please make your reservations thoughtfully. If you require additional assistance with housing please contact Meeting Services at 202-467-2941 or [email protected]

Scam Alert
Do NOT make hotel reservations through any third party that may contact you by phone or email. Use only the online reservation links, phone numbers, and discount codes available directly from the Association—in conference brochures and the website at www.PublicPower.org.

Assistance
For assistance making your hotel arrangements, please contact Meeting Services at 202-467-2941 or [email protected].

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Silver Sponsors

             

Frequently Asked Questions

Where and when is the next Business & Financial Conference?

September 15-18, 2019
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota

September 13-16, 2020
Hyatt Regency Savannah
Savannah, Georgia

What educational credits are available?

Academy events include the following opportunities for educational credits:

• Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
• Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as established by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
• Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Ccedits from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)

Is there international registration?

Online meeting registration is for U.S. and Canadian residents only. International registrants must provide a signed registration form — signed by the authorized cardholder — if paying with a credit card. Fax the completed registration form to 202-495-7484 or email it to [email protected]. 

Alternatively, you could send a check from a U.S. bank payable to American Public Power Association. Please mail completed form with full payment to our bank lock box:

American Public Power Association
P.O. Box 418617
Boston, MA  02241-8617

Are meals included?

The following food functions/meals are included in the registration fee:

• Sunday - Welcome Reception
• Monday - Continental Breakfast
• Tuesday - Continental Breakfast; Reception 
• Wednesday – Continental Breakfast

What is the conference dress code?

The attire for the conference is business casual. Meeting room temperatures vary, so prepare to dress for cool conditions.

How can I present at the conference?

We welcome your topic and speaker ideas for future conferences and events. To submit your idea for consideration, complete this form. Conference topics are generally determined 6-8 months before the event is held. Ideas will be kept on file for a full year, so if the agenda for the conference has already been determined, your ideas will be considered for the next year’s event, or in case any space opens up in the current year’s program. You will be contacted only if your idea is selected for an upcoming conference.