APPA's Business & Financial Conference is the nation's premier event for public power professionals in the fields of business and finance. The Conference provides an excellent opportunity to network with your peers from across the nation, get the latest information, and hear from experts in the fields of:

• Accounting & Finance
• Customer Accounting & Services
• Human Resources & Training
• Information Technology
• Pricing & Market Analysis

The Business & Financial Conference will offer conference attendees more than 45 concurrent sessions from which to choose, just a few of which include: 

• Accounting for Free Money! (Stimulus Funds) 
• Utility Finance 101
• Public Power Auditing and Governance Update 
• Utility Debt and Investment Policies 
• Customer Service Morale 
• How the Red Flags Rule is Affecting Customer Service 
• Succession Planning: What, Why and How? 
• Human Resources Legal Update 
• Practical Considerations for IT Outsourcing 
• Caught in the Web: Challenges With eDiscovery 
• Line Extension Policies and Economic Development Rates 
• Choosing Energy Efficiency Programs and Recovering Costs 
• Online Social Networking Sites and Other Electronic Communication Platforms

In addition to these and many more concurrent sessions, the Business & Financial Conference hosts several special events to allow you to reacquaint yourself with long-time public power friends, make some new ones and take advantage of the tremendous knowledge and information that will be shared during the conference sessions, including roundtable discussions, continental breakfasts, and evening receptions.

Additional Educational Opportunities

Conference attendees arriving early can make the most of their conference experience by also attending pre-conference seminars, which will be offered on Sunday, September 13. Pre-conference seminars that will be offered include:

• Demand Response and Its Impact on Your Utility

Demand response is a mechanism to manage the customer's electricity usage and to encourage consumers to reduce on-peak demand for electricity. Using demand response to change the customer's consumption at times when electrical systems are heavily loaded or struggling with a critical operating challenge can reduce utility costs and slow the need for new generation or additional energy purchases. Learn what demand response is and how it is applied, including pricing structures, direct load control, and other strategies to make the operation and utilization of an electric grid more efficient, including on-site and distributed generation.

• Making HR a Strategic Partner: What Does that Mean?

What are the four critical mistakes HR professionals make in their organizations? What do CEOs value most in human resources? What do they value least? What does it really mean to be "strategic?" How can you directly measure the return on investment your organization is getting on its employee relations? How can you show how much profitability your HR function adds to the bottom line? What is your role as an internal human resource consultant? Learn the answers to these questions and how HR can become an invaluable strategic partner to your organization in this practical and entertaining seminar.

• Developing Emotionally Intelligent Supervisors and Motivated Employees

How do emotionally intelligent supervisors foster high motivation, high morale and high production in their employees? What is the number one employee demotivator? Which leadership styles promote high motivation and which are destructive? What specific steps should be followed when delegating, and how can this be used to increase production? Learn the answers to these questions and more and how to increase your effectiveness and influence by becoming more emotionally intelligent. 

• Russian Roulette and the Art of Technology Selection: Selecting New Technology Solutions That Work for Your Utility

Learn how to identify, manage and mitigate the various risks common in selecting technology projects, as well as the necessary steps for a methodical and successful evaluation and selection of technology solutions. Topics will include navigating the internal politics of selection, getting your project off the ground, picking a winning project team, requirements gathering, building a better RFP, maximizing the value of product demonstrations, how to research vendors, and scoring: selection by the numbers. Special attention will be paid to navigating the contracting process, with a focus on scope management, time-and-materials vs. fixed-price contracts, and how to build a solid implementation statement of work that is fair to both parties.

• Technology Project Management Explained in Real Words by a Real Project Manager

To ensure your technology projects are delivered on time, on budget and with the highest quality, utilities need a solid understanding of project management to guide them through the financial and political risk. Participants will hear a brief overview defining project management, review the critical areas of project management that are often overlooked, identify common errors that lead to runaway projects, and learn about indispensable tools for accurately anticipating and defining project scope. Specific topics include establishing project manager authorization and authority, building a stellar project team, the people side of project management, establishing a clear scope of work, managing workflow effectively, and essentials for measuring progress.

Pre-conference seminars require separate registration.

Accreditation and Certification Opportunities

Attendees of the 2009 APPA Business & Financial Conference can earn credit hours towards their professional certifications by attending qualifying sessions. Attendees can earn continuing education units (CEUs), Professional Development Hours (PDHs), Continuing Professional Educations credits (CPEs), or hours towards their Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) certification. 

APPA is pleased to offer conference delegates verification of attendance for up to 19 CPE credit hours, or up to 27 CPE credit hours for individuals attending both conference sessions and pre-conference seminars. 

Conference participants can also earn up to 1.9 CEUs or 16.7 PDHs for attending conference sessions, or as many as 2.6 CEUs or 23.2 PDHs for also attending pre-conference seminars.

By attending HR-related sessions, attendees can earn up to 11.5 credit hours towards their PHR or SPHR certification or up to 18 credit hours by also attending qualifying pre-conference seminars. 

Registration 

Conference fees are $645 for APPA members and $1290 for nonmembers who pay before the early registration deadline of August 23. After August 23, conference fees for APPA members will be $695 and $1340 for nonmembers. Pre-conference seminars require a separate registration fee. If you have any questions about whether or not you are an APPA member, please contact us. 

More Information 

The American Public Power Association (APPA) is the national trade association representing the interests of more than 2,000 community- and state-owned electric utilities that serve 45 million consumers across the United States.

For more information about the Business & Financial Conference, including the complete program or to register, please visit the "Events" page at APPA's web site, www.APPAnet.org, or contact businessandfinance@APPAnet.org or 202/467-2973. 

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