How purpose-built technology supports the modern accounting practice - AI you can count on, workflows that work
AI is everywhere - but not every solution is built with accounting practices in mind. In this session, Paul and Eva take a practical look at what AI can genuinely help firms achieve, drawing on real workflows, real customer experiences and lessons learned since the first phase of MTD for IT. Expect an honest discussion of where AI adds value, what to look for in a platform, and how purpose-built technology can support the way practices work today.
Be the one they ask - Making AI part of how you and your clients work together
AI is already changing how accounting firms and their clients work. In this practical session, Kat Bond and Dale Reigate explore how to become the adviser clients ask first; not by chasing every new tool, but by starting with one client, one workflow and one better habit. Through practical Xero examples rather than a product-heavy demo, they’ll show how cleaner data, lighter admin and smarter financial conversations can create more time for advice. You’ll leave with ways to guide clients through AI, keep professional judgement at the centre and build confidence step by step.
Mimo Associate (AI)
Month-end close traps senior accountants in repetitive processing. See how Mimo Associate uses AI agents to handle the full close, from document collection to reconciliation, adjustments and review, including VAT and coding checks.
Meet BrightWorkers: Your AI Digital Workforce
See how BrightWorkers uses AI to take on the admin-heavy work that slows your practice. From employee onboarding and document requests to agentic prospecting and client onboarding, discover how BrightWorkers frees your team for higher-value work.
Redesigning the Accounting Firm for an AI world
The traditional model of the accounting practice is already been disrupted by AI – but will it be pulled apart entirely?
This panel brings together firm owners and AI experts to confront the uncomfortable questions: if AI absorbs the compliance work junior staff used to cut their teeth on, how do firms train the next generation? What does a leaner team structure actually look like, and which skills become essential when technical ability is no longer the differentiator? And what should employees now expect from a career in accountancy? This is an honest look at how firms may need to rebuild themselves.
Hype to hands on - Practical AI for Finance today
You've heard about AI in finance. But most of it is advisory, answering questions, providing insights. Agentic AI is different. It actually works.
It processes your invoices, catches your errors, routes approvals, and reconciles your books - 24/7, autonomously.
Your team focuses on strategy instead of admin. Discover what forward-thinking finance leaders are learning about deploying AI that executes, not just explains.
Why I quit accounting to fix it: Lessons from an accountant turned AI founder
While 80% of accountants believe they deliver exceptional client service, only 8% of clients agree. OUCH! In this candid session, Fi shares why she traded in accounting for tech, to tackle what’s truly broken: client experience. Fi will share how her close work with SMEs exposed a growing gap between how accountants operate and what clients now expect - and ultimately what drove her to build a better way forward. Expect honest lessons on where firms lose clients, how expectations have shifted, and what accounting must fix fast to stay relevant, valued, and human in the AI era.
Karbon (AI)
Get your first look at your firm's true AI operating system with Kai, the AI coworker that knows your clients, work and team. See how intelligent automation embedded into your practice management allows your team focuses on higher-value work.
I let AI do every role in my accountancy practice. I don’t recommend it
AI is advancing fast in accountancy, but it’s not always clear where it genuinely helps — and where it creates problems.
So Alexis decided to go too far on purpose, letting AI do every role in an accountancy practice to stress-test how it behaves in the real world of complex work, multiple teams, and client expectations.
Through funny failures and surprising successes, Alexis explores what this revealed about where AI shines, where it struggles, and why leaders often find change hard to embed — from fear of failure and unclear outcomes to change fatigue and benefits that never quite spread across the firm.
Finance joined up: Business Central and AI for growing businesses
It's 2026, and too many growing businesses are still holding their finances together with spreadsheets, workarounds and a lot of manual re-keying. Disconnected systems make it hard to see what's really going on - and harder still to make a confident call when you need to.
Join Elliott Poulter, SMB Business Lead UK&I - AI Business Process at Microsoft UK, for a session on how Microsoft is helping businesses sort this properly, with AI powered, cloud-based tools like Dynamics 365 Business Central that connect your data and your operations.
We'll look at how Business Central moves you beyond accounting-only software, pulling finance, sales, purchasing and operations (and plenty more) into one place. You'll see how it plugs straight into the Microsoft tools you already use every day - Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook and the Office suite - so nothing feels bolted on.
And Elliott will show where Microsoft's investment in automation, AI and Microsoft Copilot actually earns its keep: less manual work and forecasting you can trust.
Come along if you want your numbers joined up and your decisions a good deal easier to make with greater data insights.