MFOA's 2019 Annual Conference
is Open for Registration!

"When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life." - Eckhart Tolle

       

Join your colleagues at MFOA's 2019 Annual Conference & Trade Show at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario on September 18 – 20. We have built our conference based on the topic priorities you submitted to us. Our theme this year is “Navigating Through Uncertainty”.

Find out what strategies are most effective and discover how your peers are tackling similar issues you're facing. The MFOA Annual Conference is the must-attend conference for today’s municipal finance professional.

2019 Conference Highlights Include:

• Leading Edge Case Studies
• Annual General Meeting
• Valuable Networking Opportunities
• Discussion Forums
• Industry Experts at the Exhibitor Tradeshow
• Gala Dinner and Live Entertainment
• .. And much more!

Continued in 2019!

• LIVE STREAMING – register an individual or a group and attend the conference virtually!
• TUESDAY SESSIONS – maximize your travel budget, extend your conference and benefit from the additional professional development opportunity
• MOBILE MICROSITE – customize your conference program, access session information and materials, connect with the exhibitor experts and network with your colleagues

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Pre-Conference Brochure	Keynote Speakers	Current Exhibitors	Session Abstracts & Speakers
Hotel Accommodations	Live Stream	CPD Hours	Discussion Forums
Entertainment	Professional Headshots	Mobile Microsite	Convince Your Boss Toolkit

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Pre-Conference Brochure:

Click Here to view the Pre-Conference Brochure

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Keynote Speakers:

Ben Wells & Lee Kagan

Cyber Security Talk for Governments and Municipalities As both the sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks increase, it has become more and more imperative for organizations of all sizes and complexity to comprehend how they present themselves to the public and the web. A recent Canadian big bank breach brought to light not only the gaps in specific security programs, but also once again highlighted how the 3rd party malicious actors on the web will take advantage of an already dire situation. Subsequent to the bank breach itself, phishing emails were circulated by a variety of malicious entities to both the bank, and non-bank clients alike, urging them to check their accounts and credentials. These fake emails redirected users to spoofed sites that further exploited an already perilous situation, and greatly compromised bank accounts and more critically, public trust. Trust is currency itself in business, and when it’s lost, it’s very difficult to regain. Municipalities are a treasure trove of data and information to sinister groups, (Electrical grids, Tax information, emergency services) and as such, need to be vigilant in their protection of that data; and that protection needs to extend well beyond their digital borders and the 9-5 work-day. Not only do municipalities need to curate defensive strategies for themselves internally, but they need to develop resiliency and partitions to the attacks that will only increase as time goes on. There is no silver bullet to quell cyber attacks completely. But, if more municipalities took on a holistic and maturity-based approach to cyber security, encompassing all members of the team - not just the IT department - the fallout and consequences of such a breach would be considerably less damaging.

Denise Donlon Media Trailblazer

If Darwin was a CEO: Lessons learned from the music business meltdown Denise Donlon became president of Sony Music Canada precisely at the moment the recording industry began to reel from massive digital disruption. Her observations from the frontlines of an industry under fire, told with insight, humour and a dash of celebrity, illustrate why agile adaptation in the face of rapid change is the only way to evolve and survive in any business.

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Current Exhibitors:

Click Here to View Our Current Exhibitors (Check back often for new additions)

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Session Abstracts:

Click Here to View Our Session Abstracts (Check back for updates and additions)

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Hotel Accommodations:

Our Room Blocks are filling up quickly, with limited availability remaining. There is additional availability at Deerhurst Resort outside of our room block. You will need to call the reservations line directly at 1-800-461-4393 to access these rooms - the MFOA preferred rate will still be honored.

We also have availability at Hidden Valley Resort, located only 3 minutes by car down the road.

Deerhurst Resort
Call 1-800-461-4393, choose the option for Group Reservation and identify yourself as a delegate of the MFOA conference.

Hidden Valley Resort
Call 1-800-465-4171 and identify yourself as a delegate.

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Note: Hotel rooms fill up quickly. Please reserve by Wednesday, July 17 to ensure rate availability. 

NEW in 2019! Our room block at Deerhurst Resort includes a selection of two and three bedroom condos with a common living room, dining area and kitchen. A two-person unit contains two bedrooms and two restrooms; a three-person unit contains three bedrooms and three restrooms. 

If you are interested in a two or three bedroom condo, and require split billing, please note the following steps in order to finalize your booking:
1. All names in the unit must be provided to the resort upon initial reservation.
2. Each individual who is in the shared condo must call the reservation telephone line listed below and will be required to provide payment information at this time.
3. Each individual will be provided with their own reservation number.

Scam Alert
Please note in past years we have had non-accredited organizations contacting individuals regarding the MFOA Conference. These companies may offer to help book your guest rooms for our conference at a discounted rate. MFOA is not affiliated with any of these groups. Please do not provide them your personal information or credit card details. MFOA has arranged room blocks directly with Deerhurst Resort and Hidden Valley Resort. You can book your room using the online link provided above or by contacting the reservation line directly.

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Live Stream Details:

You can now register an individual or a group and attend the conference virtually. NEW in 2019! This year, our Live Stream registration will include the broadcast of all main (plenary) sessions and all concurrent sessions. You will have the option to select the concurrent sessions you would like to attend upon registration. 

Click here to register for Live Stream.

What Our Members Have Said About the Live Stream Experience:

"Very Convenient for all of us. With this system, I am able to learn while saving travel time and able to be in the office with my colleagues."- C. Atman, Town of Richmond Hill

"Love this idea - I am remote and it is difficult for me to take the time or have the expense of traveling." - B. Coulson, Town of Atikokan

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Continuing Professional Development (CPD):

The MFOA Annual Conference 2019 qualifies for over 16* verifiable CPD credits. Simply request your certificate after the conference by email to abigail@mfoa.on.ca

*For delegates who register to attend the full 3 day conference in person + Tuesday workshop
*Delegates who attend via Live Stream can qualify for up to 7.25 CPD credits

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Discussion Forums:

NEW in 2019! Wednesday Discussion Forum
You asked for more time on the conference agenda for Discussion Forums, and we responded! Benefit from the additional opportunity to collaborate, discuss, and share ideas with your colleagues. Topics TBC.

Continued in 2019! Thursday Discussion Forum
Engage in meaningful discourse with municipalities in your tier class. Ask questions, share information, and discuss issues affecting your municipality. This is an information discussion designed to benefit you.

Forum 1 - Upper Tier
Forum 2 - Lower Tier
Forum 3 - Single Tier

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Entertainment:

The Debaters Live With Steve Patterson




Be it resolved that the Debaters Live is heading to Deerhurst Resort for a hilarious night of comics going toe to toe in a battle of laughs and logic and where you - the audience - picks the winner! This special live event, created especially for MFOA, features host Steve Patterson and two of his favourite comics performing stand-up and a hilarious debate, in a format familiar to hundreds of thousands of loyal Canadian fans of the radio show.

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Professional Headshot Photo Booth:

Need a new LinkedIn photo? Get your professional headshot taken, courtesy of MFOA's NPN (New Professionals Network) Committee.

The photo booth will be available for a limited time only and on a first come, first served basis.

Date/Time: September 19 from 11:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Location: Outside of the Peninsula Room, in the foyer area

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Mobile Microsite:

Once again in 2019, MFOA is going mobile! Bring your conference experience to a new level. See more, do more and get more value out of the conference - right from your mobile (tablet or computer) device.

Access the conference schedule, download presentations, connect with delegates & exhibitors, and much more...!

PLUS - Get in the Game! Earn points by competing in our third annual 'In It To Win it' mobile site contest for your chance to WIN great prizes! Stay tuned for more details.

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Top 5 Reasons to Attend MFOA's Annual Conference:

1. Meet and Learn from the Best - the MFOA conference speakers, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors are at the forefront of the industry. This is a great opportunity to learn about best practices from other professionals that can be applied to your municipality. 

2. Network - Make new connections with peers and find out how they are managing common challenges. Meet potential vendors who could help your municipality.

3. Develop - Get equipped with the tools, strategies and actionable insights that can be brought back to your municipality. Explore new ways to  engage, learn and connect. Need professional development credits? By attending the MFOA conference, you can gain credits towards your continuing professional development (CPD) certification. Simply request your certificate after the conference.

4. Stay Relevant - If we want to stay relevant in our profession we must embrace, understand and integrate changes, new ideas and best  practices to our municipality. There is no better place to learn how to do this successfully than at the MFOA conference.

5. Inspire Your Team - Take what you have learned and share it with your team which in turn will positively affect your municipality’s bottom line.

What Else Do You Need to Make the Decision?
Below are just a few tools we've put together to help you convince your boss—or convince yourself—that MFOA's Annual Conference 2019 is the most important event you'll attend all year!