By Samantha Hughes, Associate Director.
Xerocon returned as an in-person event this year after a two year hiatus due to the global pandemic. The conference was hosted in Sydney at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre (ICC) on the 7th and 8th of September. Lee Green provided the opportunity for two staff to attend, being me and fellow associate director Melissa Probert.
Xerocon is an event for both Xero and software partners and developers to engage with their end users. It is also a time where new product features are released as well as a great opportunity to speak directly to the app developers, some who fly in from overseas to attend. We find it valuable to attend Xerocon to gain knowledge about new and existing specialised apps and evaluate which ones may be a good fit for our clients. We also use the opportunity to look at the latest updates and best practice guides for accounting firms that we can incorporate internally to make best use of available technology while delivering exceptional service to our clients.
Xerocon is not all about products, or even about Xero itself! This year there was an emphasis on employee wellbeing and engagement. If there’s one thing we learned during the global pandemic, it is the importance of work life balance (or as I like to think of it, work life harmony). This balance was the topic of several sessions and keynote speakers at Xerocon.
The Xerocon main stage
The very first Keynote speaker was Kemi Nekvapil. Kemi is a life coach, speaker and author. She shared a lot of valuable insights into how to better manage harmony between our work life and home life. Some key points of Kemi’s presentation were:
- We cannot be our best or of service to others if we do not look after ourselves.
- You need to have joy in what you do, we all have things in our life that at times do not bring us joy, but we need to be able to balance what does not bring us joy.
Kemi is a leader for women in the workplace and acknowledging the challenges that women, and women with children face as they try to remain competitive in what was once a male dominated environment.
Other notable speakers were
- Matthew Okine – standup comedian who was the MC for the entire Xerocon event
- Adam Goodes – former AFL Sydney Swans player and Australian of The Year 2014.
- Chris Jordan AO – Commissioner of Taxation
- Anna Curzon – Chief Product Officer at Xero
During the afternoons on both days at Xerocon, we were able to speak to app partners about their products. These face to face interactions help us determine what types of products we could utilise to further provide our clients the best possible advice to grow or streamline their business.
The Xerocon conference hall
Xerocon has been an annual event for many years now and is a perfect way to bring together like minded individuals who are at the forefront of our profession and are always on the lookout to improve on current practices that will enhance and support our clients’ growing needs. It’s always enjoyable as well as helpful to be able to liaise with other accountants on how they manage their practices and discuss the common challenges we are all facing.
And what better way to end Xerocon 2022 than a post event afterparty at Luna Park, Sydney!
Stunning Sydney Harbour Bridge with Luna Park underneath, not a bad place for an after party!
