From the President -- the 2023 MFM Annual Conference
It's Saturday morning in Los Angeles, the day before the MFM Annual Conference begins. Tomorrow more than 450 financial professionals from all sectors of the media and entertainment industry and dozens of representatives from audit, accounting, consulting, technology and risk management companies that support them will arrive from across the U.S. to participate in the most important meeting of the year for them.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is a day of greetings and gatherings as colleagues renew acquaintances, set-up exhibit booths, entertain clients and explore Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" just steps from the headquarters hotel. Attendees include CFOs, controllers, treasurers, CAOs, accountants, internal auditors, tax specialists and credit and collections managers -- a broad, diverse and impressive cross section of the financial infrastructure that keeps one of America's most important industry's up and running.
The Annual Conference kicks off with storm clouds hovering over the industry. The writers' strike, the debt ceiling debate that could trigger a recession, a weak ad market made more unpredictable by the increasing competition from tech giants and digital platforms, serious questions about what the future of streaming -- and television -- will look like, and the emerging and still largely unknown impact of artificial intelligence.
That's a lot to unpack. But all of it will be on the table this week in general sessions featuring top financial and advertising executives, industry trade group leaders, and one of the world's foremost business gurus, Jim Collins; 26 breakout sessions on finance, human resources and information technology topics; and industry sector roundtables where members will gather to informally discuss their common challenges and, more importantly, potential solutions to them.
When you read this the Conference will have wrapped up and attendees will be on their way back to their offices. But those that attended the Conference will have one major advantage over those that didn't: they will be armed with ideas, information, and connections that can sharpen their personal skills and boost their companies' bottom lines. And that, in a nutshell, is the value proposition of MFM membership.
Next year's Annual Conference is scheduled for May 19-22 in Jacksonville, Florida. Mark your calendar now and look for advanced registration information later this fall.
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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet.
Joe Annotti
Joseph Annotti is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Media Financial Management Association. He is responsible for day-to-day leadership of the organization, interfacing directly with the board to develop and implement its strategic plan. Annotti, …
