I say to those cynics that there is nothing wrong with receiving this ancillary benefit, especially when it was patently clear that attendees came to the AICPA Tech+ Conference to sincerely learn about the newest technologies and best practices that can help their practice. I noticed that most attendees had the staying power to endure the entire day's activities from 7 am to 6 pm, and even longer if they wanted to enjoy the evening mixers. Perhaps "endure" is not the right word when they were truly motivated by interest and desire to learn. "Endure" is definitely the wrong word when you consider the speakers at the show, and then it becomes clear why attendees rushed off to make certain sessions. I was able to attend sessions from David Cieslak, Randy Johnston and Chris Spivey. The attendance for each session was full, with standing room only and some sitting on the floor in the back. I am happy to report that I now know a little something about ETL ("Extract, Transform, Load"), some basics about setting up my own virtualized desktop, and the latest and greatest security technologies.

Here at LeapFILE, we seek to develop our customer base with the same approach. Focus on education and consultation. Knowing our customers and their business contexts and the nuanced work flow problems that arise. Provide suggestions on best practices and provide expertise on security compliance. 

Substance. Expertise. What a novel marketing concept.