Oh, how time flies when you’re having fun. And solving complex problems for organizations. It seems like only yesterday we were discussing Amplify 2022. But here we are, another 365 days older and wiser, once again pointing our gaze at what’s sure to be a fun, exciting, and endlessly informative few days – Workiva Amplify 2023.
Of course, with so many fantastic sessions and speakers to choose from, it’s a chore just to narrow it down to a manageable few. So, as we do every year, we’re giving you a rundown on the sessions that really caught our eye. Haven’t yet registered for Amplify, you say? Well, there’s still time to fix that oversight. Just don’t wait too long because September 19-21 will be here before you know it. We’re looking forward to meeting you in Nashville!
1. Audit’s ESG Journey
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Environmental, Social, & Governance; Governance, Risk, & Compliance
Course Description: Join internal audit leaders as they discuss the importance of policies and controls to address ESG risks—and share proven models. They’ll discuss common challenges they’ve faced along the road to ESG assurance, practical ways to overcome them, and the importance of building relationships with key ESG stakeholders.
After this session, you’ll be able to:
- Identify common challenges in auditing an ESG program and how to overcome them
- Determine how you can help coach and prepare teams who have never been audited before
- Plan practical steps to prepare for (and get ahead of) global regulations
Why we want to attend: Is there a topic more pervasive, relevant, and timely than ESG? Probably not. And since ESG reporting is rapidly shifting from voluntary to more regulated and standardized, this session provides a golden opportunity to better understand forthcoming rules, regulations, and standards. This is a glimpse into the not-so-distant future of IA, one where sustainability-related information plays an absolutely essential critical role.
2. Embracing ESG Regulation
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Environmental, Social, & Governance
Course Description: Explore how to scale ESG globally by navigating SEC, CSRD, ISSB, and more. Discover how to get individuals on the same page, identify opportunities through compliance, and manage risk both globally and locally. This session is for anyone wondering:
- How do I add value in addition to complying with regulations?
- What does the regulatory future hold?
- How to manage varying local regulations?
During this session, you will:
- Define current regulatory trends
- Identify how leading organizations are managing for upcoming regulatory compliance
- Discover commonalities and convergence amongst regulatory movement
Why we want to attend: Zooming in even further on the previous session topic, this one will take a deep dive into approaching ESG regulations and how they’ll impact businesses. Given our position on the ESG frontlines, this type of information is vital to our ability to effectively guide our clients through the dynamic, ever-evolving ESG terrain and see how Workiva can play an instrumental role.
3. Exploring the ESG Tech Stack
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Environmental, Social, & Governance
Course Description: ESG finally has a budget for a tech stack, but how do you know what’s right for your organization? Join us as we discuss how to navigate the myriad of vendors and their capabilities while determining the best stack for your needs. Discover what types of software will help solve for ESG challenges – and where Workiva fits in the ecosystem.
During this session, you will:
- Define different areas of the ESG tech stack and how each area helps organizations
- Extrapolate how an organization goes about selecting software within the ESG
- Identify best practices for implementing the right ESG tech stack for your organization
Why we want to attend: In the third and final of the ESG-focused sessions we’re looking forward to, one of Workiva’s ESG specialists will be discussing how critical technology will be to efficient and effective ESG reporting. With so much non-financial information involved, automation tools, emission calculators, and reporting solutions like Workiva will be front and center, all of which will help our own ESG specialists better assist clients on their ESG journeys.
4. Generative AI: Changing the Way You Work
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Environmental, Social, & Governance; Financial Reporting; Financial Services; Governance, Risk, & Compliance; Government; Legal
Course Description: Learn how generative AI can change the way you work, what you can expect from Workiva's approach to AI – particularly in the areas of trust and security – and how businesses use it today.
During this session, you will:
- Discuss the impact Generative AI is having on the industry
- Identify how Workiva is bringing Generative AI into the platform to support you
- Examine how our customers are using Generative AI to solve problems and gain efficiency
Why we want to attend: We’d like to amend our previous statement on ESG being the most pervasive, relevant, and timely topic these days because Generative AI is obviously right there with it. A few months back, Workiva provided us with a sneak peek into its GenAI plans and, to put it mildly, we’re extremely intrigued. Specifically, we’re eager to see how this technology might help streamline client processes and enhance the solutions we provide.
5. Forget FOMO: Five A&F Features to Start Using Now
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Financial Reporting
Course Description: Afraid you're missing out on any of the coolest features the Workiva platform offers? We're here to keep you in the know! Join us to see five of Workiva’s latest efficiency-driving innovations for reporting:
- Digital tie-out with doc markup
- Certifications
- Integrated automations
- XBRL® review
- Proxy statements
After this session, you’ll be able to:
- Create binders for a single review package with digital tie-out, including the ability to mark up documents
- Identify how to save time with the improved certifications process
- Simplify workflows with our powerful new integrated automations
- Recommend how to reduce review time for tagging with XBRL® review
- Produce proxy statements that comply with all current regulations
Why we want to attend: Who doesn’t like a rock-solid, cheeky session title? Especially one that promises to give such a great look at some of Workiva’s latest and greatest features? This session is a perfect opportunity for our team to keep pace with Workiva’s evolving functionalities which, of course, we will parlay into the solutions we provide to our clients. Now that’s a win-win.
6. Integrated Fund Reporting: How Asset Managers Can Scale the Fund Modeling and Reporting Process
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Financial Reporting
Course Description: In this session, you’ll hear how Anaplan and Workiva's product suite can help asset managers streamline their fund modeling and report automation. Attendees will also learn how to create a connected architecture managed by the business, which can help asset managers easily scale their business by integrating source systems, Anaplan, and Workiva to transform the modeling and reporting process.
After this session, you will be able to:
- Extrapolate the value created by integrating source systems, Workiva and Anaplan
- Describe how the solution can reduce reliance on IT, eliminating bottlenecks to recapture time for analysis
- Identify and compare some of the key considerations when embarking on this journey
- Evaluate the components needed to transform the business through connected modeling and reporting
- Discuss how to optimize capacity by allowing controllers to spend more time analyzing instead of preparing data
Why we want to attend: This session’s description definitely puts a bounce in our step. With a focus on two of our favorite platforms, Anaplan and Workiva, we’re anxious to see how using the two in conjunction with each other will help unlock new functionality for our clients around capital allocation, valuations, and more. Exciting times.
7. Take Control of Your Data with the Data Management Suite
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Financial Reporting
Course Description: The Workiva Data Management Suite – Wdata, Chains, and Data Prep – is a powerful collection of applications in the Workiva platform. In this immersive workshop, Data Management Suite experts will guide you through best practices for using financial and non-financial data in the Workiva platform. You'll walk through real-world exercises for loading, enriching, and utilizing data, learning how to take control of your data rather than your data controlling you.
During this session, you will:
- Discuss how to load, enrich, and use data leveraging Wdata, Chains, and Data Prep
- Identify how to take control of your financial and non-financial data in your reporting processes, saving time and increasing reporting accuracy
- Review real-world data management use cases
Why we want to attend: As Wdata devotees, our entire team is looking forward to gaining deeper insights into data flow and management. After all, who wouldn’t be enthusiastic at the thought of improved efficiency, reporting accuracy, consistency, and perhaps most importantly, accelerating draft times by providing an effective response mechanism to late reporting changes?
8. Unlock the Power of Your Data
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Governance, Risk, & Compliance
Course Description: This session will discuss how you can expand your use of the Workiva platform to make your data management and reporting more effective. Join internal audit leaders as they walk through how they use the Workiva platform to track, monitor, and analyze data, including how they’re leveraging AI and machine learning.
After this session, you’ll be able to:
- Outline how to transform data into powerful insights that can be used to guide the business
- Determine ways you can accelerate report development and support strategic planning initiatives
- Recognize the benefits of adopting data analytics and using data-driven risk assessments and audits
Why we want to attend: Yes, this session seems similar to the previous one at first glance, but the focus is quite different yet equally intriguing. As you might know, our Business Transformation practice already focuses on helping clients fully leverage business data and advanced analytics. Therefore, we want to see how Workiva’s integration of AI and machine learning can drive data utilization and efficiencies for our clients. Once again – exciting times.
9. How Under Armour Optimized Record-to-Report Processes to Enhance Efficiency & Accuracy
- CPE credits: 1
- Field(s) of study: Financial Reporting
Course Description: In today’s complex and evolving world, efficient and accurate data is critical. As F&A demands rise, reliance on manual spreadsheet processes isn’t sustainable. Leading organizations make modernizing accounting a top priority. Through best-in-class technology, Under Armour streamlines and automates close and reporting with BlackLine and Workiva. Join this session to discover how 1,200+ Workiva customers, like Under Armour, use BlackLine’s leading solutions to create capacity for higher-value work.
After this session you will be able to:
- Identify how BlackLine and Workiva's complementary solutions enable finance and accounting teams to modernize their close processes
- Examine how Under Armour adopts best-in-class approaches to close faster and provide greater accuracy across Record-to-Report
- Discover top customer use cases including how BlackLine’s Financial Reporting Analytics solution helps finance teams prepare detailed and accurate variance analysis for reporting with Workiva
Why we want to attend: A streamlined, wicked-efficient record-to-report process is the brass ring for finance organizations. This session focuses on that very topic, discussing how Under Armour used two of our favorite platforms – Workiva and BlackLine – to transform its record-to-report function into an automated, value-driving marvel. And we’ll be sitting in the front row to soak it all in.
