Check out the examples below of accepted sessions from past AFP Conferences with commentary on why they got the green light.

Why Finance Presentations Don't Work (and What You Can Do About It)

Proposal Description: Many finance teams struggle to make their presentations engaging, impactful and appealing, but it does not have to be this way. This session is designed to help finance leaders enhance their storytelling abilities and transform their presentations by diving into the five most common issues that plague finance presentations and providing straightforward, actionable tips to overcome them. Learn how to extract powerful messages from your analyses to ensure your audience leaves with clear, actionable insights. The world rewards people who are best at communicating ideas, and not the best ideas; making engaging presentations can help position Finance as an integral part of the business team.

Why is Topic Important for Finance Practitioners: Storytelling helps ensure that the work FP&A professionals dedicate so much time to translates into real, actionable impact. On a more personal level, it also elevates visibility within the organization—opening doors to greater recognition and, ultimately, more career growth opportunities within their current company.

Reviewer Feedback:

  • This is a strong and relevant topic that is especially important for FPA professionals to implement. 
  • Highly valuable for teams that are in the process of building or scaling.
  • Offers a solid foundation for growth and alignment.

Frictionless FP&A Reporting: You're Closer Than You Think

Proposal Description: Finance departments often have a complex relationship with reporting automation. While there's general agreement on the benefits of eliminating manual tasks, many remain doubtful, believing that “it would never work here.” This session looks at common sources of resistance to reporting automation and walks through a real-world case study of the implementation of automated reporting with a major healthcare distributor. Most importantly, leveraging our structured framework for setting up these projects, each participant builds a custom plan for leaning into a reporting automation opportunity in their own workplaces.

Why is This Topic Important for Treasury and/or Finance Practitioners: Business engagement and partnership is often what differentiates good FP&A practitioners from great FP&A practitioners. In an environment where we’re constantly being asked to do more with less, getting repeatable manual work off our plates is key to safeguarding capacity to do that truly valuable insight-generating business partnership.

Reviewer Feedback:

  • This is a relatable topic, as many are still navigating the automation phase rather than full-scale AI adoption.
  • The interactive approach really sets it apart— attendees are more likely to leave with a clear, actionable path forward and apply what they’re learning directly to their own company’s context.