Featuring advice from last year's attendees and award winners We've pulled together the Ultimate Guide to making the most of Xerocon SF. We share strategies for choosing sessions, advice from last years attendees, networking, where to eat and drink near the venue and more! Tune in for an awesome webinar with our friends at Practice Ignition! You'll learn: - How to align your goals with sessions you attend - Do's and dont's from last years attendees - Networking strategies to meet the right people - Where to eat and drink near the venue Watch the full webinar here: https://youtu.be/1IE5SDnOedc

1. The Ultimate Guide to

2. #Xerocon
Yoseph West
Marketing Leader, Hubdoc

3. #Xerocon
Max Walsh
Territory Manager – North America, Practice Ignition

4. 1. Conference planning
2. What to see, eat and do near Pier 27
3. Maximizing the conference
4. How to leverage content & handouts
5. Questions and answers
#Xerocon
Agenda

5. Conference Planning

6. #Xerocon
Sessions at Xerocon

7. #Xerocon
1. Organize your list ahead of time
2. Be prepared to take notes
3. Attend sessions with a colleague so you can discuss
and gain different perspectives on content
Sessions at Xerocon

8. #Xerocon
• Hang out after sessions & ask speakers
questions
• Sit down next to people you don’t know and
introduce yourself
• Have fun life or accounting stories to keep
conversations going
Advice from the Experts
Scott Scharf
Co-founder, Catching Clouds

9. #Xerocon
• Go to the breakouts. This is (dare I say) one of
the most exciting accounting conferences out
there.
• If you don’t leave excited and ready to go home
and improve your business, then you missed
something
Advice from the Experts
David Emmerman
Partner, EBA LLC

10. #Xerocon
• Don’t be afraid to let go of old ideas. You are here to
become a better professional, be willing to make changes
to the way you serve the people around you
• Don’t forget to make a list of all the action items that come
to mind when meeting other professionals or while sitting in
a session. Come up with a killer idea? Write it down and
make a plan!
Advice from the Experts
Cristina Garza
Owner, Accountingprose

11. #Xerocon
• Attend breakout session based on your job
function. There is something for everyone.
• If you are in sales for a firm, attend marketing
and sales breakouts
• If you are a tech consultant, meet with the add-
ons
Advice from the Experts
Nick Pasquarosa
CEO, Bookkeeper360

12. #Xerocon
Networking at Xerocon

13. #Xerocon
Networking at Xerocon
1. Contact key people ahead of time
2. Set a defined time if possible
3. Use our list of places to meet
4. Set an agenda for your meetings (even if internally)

14. #Xerocon
• Make note of who won awards at Xerocon last
year. Find them using the Xerocon app and
invite them to sit down and chat.
• Successful people often like helping others
around them succeed. Rising tides raise all
ships. Ask for advice!
Advice from the Experts
Cristina Garza
Owner, Accountingprose

15. #Xerocon
Meeting Locations
• Breather – Uber for meeting rooms - $28-40/hour
• Walking meetings – you’re right on the pier
• A quiet corner of the conference hall
• Hotel bar or restaurant near the event site

16. #Xerocon
Packing List

17. #Xerocon
Packing List
• Comfortable shoes
• Notepad
• Laptop/iPad & charging cord/power pack
• Business cards (more than you think!)
• Backpack
• Uber/Lyft Account
• Download the Xerocon app

18. #Xerocon
• Plan on long days and get plenty of rest pre-
conf
• Set up and Uber account (great for SF)
• Map out your schedule ahead of time, figure
out which session you are going to attend and
block out lots of time for the vendor area
Advice from the Experts
Scott Scharf
Co-founder, Catching Clouds

19. #Xerocon
• Do download the Xerocon app so you can be in
the know about what is happening when. You
don’t want to miss any of the good stuff.
Advice from the Experts
Cristina Garza
Owner, Accountingprose

20. What to See, Eat and Do
Near Pier 27

21. #Xerocon
Dinner near Pier 27
• Hillstone – 1800 Montgomery St – American - $$$
• Don Pisto’s – 510 Union St – Mexican - $$
• Fog Harbor Fish House – Pier 39 – Seafood - $$
• Coqueta – Pier 5 – Spanish - $$$
• BIX – 56 Gold St – American $$$
• La Mar Cebicheria Peruana – Pier 1.5 The Embarcadero –
Peruvian - $$$

22. #Xerocon
Nearby Bars
• The Hidden Vine – 408 Merchant St – Wine Bar - $$
• Barbarossa Lounge – 714 Montgomery St – Cocktail Lounge - $$
• Comstock Saloon – 155 Columbus Ave – Cocktail Lounge - $$
• Coqueta – Pier 5 – Spanish - $$$
• BIX – 56 Gold St – Traditional + Live Music - $$$
• Bourbon and Branch – 501 Jones St – Cocktails - $$$

23. #Xerocon
Tourist Destinations
• Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
• Have lunch and see the seals at Fisherman’s Wharf
• Visit Alcatraz
• Take a cable car across SF
• Learn about accounting!

24. #Xerocon
• If you plan on spending time checking out San
Francisco keep times separate, block out time
for being a tourist and attending Xerocon
Advice from the Experts
Scott Scharf
Co-founder, Catching Clouds

25. Maximizing the Conference

26. #Xerocon
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are going to be around
so many people with different opinions and perspectives.
Gather all the wisdom that surrounds you and use what works
best for you. It’s not all going to stick but having an open mind
might change the way you run your practice
• Go to social the social functions and sit/stand/chat with people
you don’t know. You are surrounded by like minded go getters!
Make a friend and follow up after the event
Advice from the Experts
Cristina Garza
Owner, Accountingprose

27. #Xerocon
Advice from the Experts
Scott Scharf
Co-founder, Catching Clouds
• Don’t be shy. Introduce
yourself to anyone you
want to talk to
David Emmerman
Partner, EBA LLC
• Network with industry
thought leaders (where
else do we get together in
such a fun environment)

28. #Xerocon
Advice from the Experts
Jay Kimmelman
Founder, The Digital CPA
• My main tip is to loosen up
and have a good time,
making sure you make as
many new contacts as
Megan Gardener
Franchise Owner, ATAX
• Don’t dance in hailstorms
(Hail rumored to be sent
from competitors)

29. After the Conference
• Make a to do list of all of your action items
• Prioritize them, what needs to be done the Monday when you get
back?
• Get some rest!
#Xerocon
Advice from the Experts
• Don’t forget to follow up with all the people you
meet at Xerocon when you get back home. You
want to keep those great conversations going.
Cristina Garza
Owner, Accountingprose

30. Vendors – Events and deals
• Practice Ignition – Free implementation if you sign up at the conference, 30%
off before September 1st . Workshops at lunch both days.
• Hubdoc – Free VIP account for Xero accountants and bookkeepers.
• Spotlight – 3 months 50% off Super VCFO
• Gusto – Hosting breakfast at their office Wednesday the 17th, sign up here -
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breakfast-withgusto-tickets-26665868330 -
password = gustopartners
#Xerocon

31. Conference Handouts

32. Map
#Xerocon

33. Workbook
#Xerocon

34. Say hi at Xerocon!
#Xerocon

35. Thank You + Q & A
Yoseph WestMax Walsh