Bridging the Gap vs Intuit Connect

Accounting Conferences
Written By Erica Goode

I started my firm in 2018, slowly, quietly, and watching every penny. It wasn’t until a few years in that I decided to head to my first accounting conference.

2020 was going to be the year I attended my first conference! (cute, right?)

…So in 2022, I attended my first conference as a firm owner ;o)

Three years in a row, I attended Intuit Connect (then QuickBooks Connect) and enjoyed it every year. This year, for the sake of trying something new, I put my conference budget towards Bridging the Gap instead.

If you’re looking into attending your first conference, I highly recommend it! I would recommend both Connect and Bridging the Gap based on personal experience, but you need to know what you’re after to pick the right one for you.

Here are my thoughts on each:

# of Attendees:

  • Connect - this conference is massive, think 2,000-3,000 attendees; you really feel part of something BIG when you attend

  • Bridging the Gap - if Connect is a state-school, BTG is like a private college with around 300 attendees; definitely a cozier vibe where you start to recognize faces over the course of the first day

Sessions / Learning:

  • Connect - by sheer volume, this conference just has way more; there always seemed to be more multiple sessions I want to attend at the same time

  • Bridging the Gap - far fewer sessions, but the heart behind BTG is the whole accountant as a person; every session seems to have a love-what-you-do, go-at-your-own-pace vibe

Exhibitor Floor / Vendors:

  • Connect - it feels like every vendor is there (and they probably are), which is actually one of my favorite parts of this conference; you can see demos of tech live, quickly, and without booking sales calls

  • Bridging the Gap - far fewer vendors, but a handful of the good ones - still enough to get some good swag for the kids

Venues:

  • Connect - Vegas, Baby! But seriously…if you like Vegas, this is a huge plus; I personally like all the restaurant options that I can get take out from, eat dinner in my room alone, and go to sleep by 10 ;o)

  • Bridging the Gap - this year it was in Denver, I don’t know if that’s the plan going forward, but the hotel it was held in was very nicely appointed and didn’t feel overwhelming

Fun Stuff:

  • Both conferences have pretty equal amounts of networking cocktail hours and a big party for attendees, included in your conference ticket price

Other Accountants:

  • Connect - in 2024, it felt like I was surrounded by owners of bigger firms or staff/manager of bigger firms - I assume this was an intentional sales tactic based on their launch of QuickBooks Enterprise that year

  • Bridging the Gap - it seemed like I was surrounded by many solo firm owners and a good variety of CPAs, EAs, and bookkeepers

All in all, I really do/did enjoy both conferences for different reasons. If you’re thinking about attending a conference in 2026, think about what you’re looking to get out of it (CPEs vs camaraderie vs easy-to-demo vendors vs a chill vibe), then pick the right one for you.

I can’t speak to it personally, but I’ve heard good things about Scaling New Heights as well. And fellow newsletter subscriber and Aligned Accountants member Erin Pohan just announced next year’s WAVE-Seattle, a micro-conference for women.

Conferences not in your budget? Check out Accounting Cornerstone Foundation for scholarships.

Cheers!

Erica

**Neither conference sponsored this email - just my own opinions and experiences.

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Erica Goode
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