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Small Business, Accounting and App Development Experts Enhance QuickBooks Connect Lineup

INTU | October 20, 2015

Conference Agenda Includes Hands-on Sessions, Speed Mentoring and $100,000 Hackathon

Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU) announced a series of tailored breakout sessions featuring well-known entrepreneurs, authors and business experts at QuickBooks Connect, taking place Nov. 2-4 in San Jose, Calif.

QuickBooks Connect is created to unite thousands of entrepreneurs, small business owners, accountants and developers under one roof to connect, learn and grow.

The agenda features educational and inspirational breakout sessions across three target audiences, constructed to fit the unique needs of each attendee. Speakers from around the world – including profit improvement expert and best-selling author Mark Wickersham from the United Kingdom and Canadian business consultant Esther Friedberg Karp – will bring their expertise from a variety of industries and organizations and provide insights and tools needed to help the audience grow and succeed.

Small Business Owner and Entrepreneur Highlights

A Conversation With Eric Ries and Scott Cook: Going Lean and Growing Your Business: Intuit founder Scott Cook and Eric Ries, author and founder of the Lean Startup movement, will discuss how to transform the way products are built and launched in the marketplace, and will share lessons from their own entrepreneurial journeys.
Learn and Tell: Ask a Small Business Expert Anything: A panel of small business experts will share advice on a wide variety of topics, including marketing, law and accounting. Moderated by Bill Rancic, entrepreneur and winner of the first season of “The Apprentice,” the panel includes Google Entrepreneur in Residence Jewel Burks; USA Today columnist Rhonda Abrams; accounting influencer Dawn Brolin; and CPA and partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Jim Chapman.
Speed Mentoring, produced by Lean Startup Co.: Small businesses will be matched with expert mentors who will provide customized feedback on pressing business questions. Registered QuickBooks Connect attendees can sign up for 20-minute mentoring sessions online.

Accountant Highlights

Measure What Matters to Clients: Ron Baker, founder of the VeraSage Institute, will inform accountants how to approach value pricing in their own firms and bring strategic value to their clients. The institute is the leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals internationally.
Large Firms Talk Track: Gary Boomer, president of Boomer Consulting, Inc., worked with Intuit to create a series of breakout sessions focused on helping large firms save time, navigate technological disruptions and reimagine client services. Boomer has also been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today.

Developer Highlights

$100,000 Hackathon: The two-day pre-conference hackathon, starting on Nov. 1, will give developers a chance to solve big problems for small businesses in a creative and fun way. Whether they already have an app idea or are looking for a new challenge, solo developers or teams with up to five members are welcome to participate for about 36 hours of innovation and a chance to win up to $100,000 in prizes.
Get Your Head (and Your Code) in the Small Business Cloud: As the small business cloud reaches the tipping point of mass adoption, developers have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be first to market with innovative new solutions. Avi Golan, vice president of Intuit’s Developer Group, will be joined by Josh Reeves, co-founder and CEO of Gusto, industry analyst and commentator Ben Kepes, Emergent Research partner Steve King and other industry leaders to explain how to create game-changing applications for the small business ecosystem.

Registration Details

Attendees can register for a Nov. 3 main event pass for $149. Registration for the hackathon is free with a main event pass; those interested simply need to select the optional hackathon activity when registering. A full three-day pass, which is good for all accountant breakouts, certification preparation courses and an accountant-focused kickoff event on Nov. 2, is $449. Developers and others interested in multi-day passes should visit the QuickBooks Connect website for details and pricing.

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions that simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers and accounting professionals.

Its flagship products and services include QuickBooks®, and TurboTax® and Mint.com, which make it easier to manage small businesses and payroll processing; tax preparation and filing; and personal finance. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had revenue of $4.2 billion in its fiscal year 2015, with approximately 7,700 employees in major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.