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Mar 20, 2011

Timesaver's guide to the UPPO conference

Unclaimed property plays an important role in compliance and SOX.

Theory. Practice. Reality. Those three words sum up this year’s Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO) annual conference, which will be held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in San Antonio, Texas. For the 300 governance and compliance professionals attending the conference on March 6-9, a busy and educational event is in store. To take full advantage of this event, attendees need to carefully plan their sessions, roundtables, exhibitions and networking events, not to mention the after-work
social activities that are sure to keep all in attendance entertained, inspired and refreshed.

The event’s organizers hope to provide attendees with an array of networking opportunities that will aid in understanding the intricacies of the industry while enabling and fostering exchange of information between unclaimed property professionals.

The venue

The Grand Hyatt San Antonio is located in the heart of Texas. It is known as the most luxurious hotel in the area, with an environmentally friendly business facility. Adjacent to the hotel is the historic Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, the HemisFair Park and the Riverwalk, all of which give the atmosphere a modern yet historic twist.

Who’s who

The conference attracts a variety of attendees, from staff members to decision-makers and unclaimed property service providers. Darren LaCroix, the conference’s keynote speaker, once out-spoke 25,000 contestants from 14 countries to win the title of World Champion of Public Speaking. Since that victory, LaCroix has traveled the world and wowed audiences in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, China and Taiwan.

Hot topics

There is never a lack of interesting and controversial topics to discuss at the UPPO annual conference.

This year the organization has designed more than 20 educational sessions to equip attendees with updated, cutting-edge solutions to employ when an industry-related issue arises. The panels, which range from basic through intermediate to expert level, include ‘Foreign unclaimed property’, where participants will have the opportunity to learn what other countries are doing with unclaimed property and how it affects escheatment; ‘Asset recovery’, which will help attendees to track down their money and keep their bosses happy; and ‘Federal preemption: examining the regulatory tug-of-war over gift cards’.

A band of experts

Coupled with professional development, one of the essential reasons to attend the event is to meet and establish contacts with experts in the industry. The conference provides ample scope for networking opportunities, with a series of business meetings open to attendees and members on March 7-8, followed by updates and industry breakout sessions.

Aarti Maharaj

Aarti is deputy editor at Corporate Secretary magazine