Letter from the President: Original, Unbiased, Essential

From the December 2007 issue of Exchange magazine

Dear AFP Members:

While the AFP Annual Conference in Boston was a great success, we are already looking ahead to next year's conference in Los Angeles...

We continually strive to provide AFP members with best-in-class educational programs and speakers. AFP has always maintained a very distinct line between the educational sessions and sales activity. Accepted sessions must be original, unbiased and essential. That means speaking opportunities cannot be purchased, the program cannot be a canned presentation, and it must be relevant and timely.

We know AFP members prefer to hear from industry professionals who are proven leaders in their field, who have overcome obstacles and solved real problems, who have adapted and introduced new programs or practices, and who have managed budgets and controlled costs. That is why we look for speakers who are able to share their knowledge from a practical, hands-on perspective.

A task force of seasoned corporate practitioners reviews and selects proposals, or develops sessions on topics that have not been covered in the submitted proposals. This is a very involved process. It involves a lot of internal debate and results in a large grid being built on one of our office walls so that we can easily see whether we have the best mix of content to meet the needs of our members.

The overall program is crafted to ensure that all subject areas are equitably covered and that they will meet the needs of attendees who are in various stages of their careers--from entry level to the most seasoned executives. The deadline for proposals is in January. You can learn more about the process at www.afponline.org/cfp.

Our unbiased philosophy holds true for AFP's forums as well. These include AFP's Risk Forum in February, Payments Forum in March, Retail Treasury Forum in April, Global Corporate Treasurers Forum in May and Canada Treasurer's Forum in June.

We look forward to seeing you at AFP Forums in the future!

--Jim A. Kaitz
President and CEO
Association for Financial Professionals