Happy New Year!
As we begin what we expect will be another exciting year for TEI, its members, sponsors, and partners, let’s take a quick look back on 2021, which was very challenging—and very rewarding.
It was thrilling to return to in-person meetings in 2021, with many of our chapters reuniting to hold social and educational events throughout the summer and fall. We have also made significant strides with respect to hybrid events, at both the chapter and Institute levels.
TEI’s 76th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida—the Institute’s first fully hybrid Annual Conference—was, according to those who attended in person and virtually, an extremely successful meeting. More than 120 members attended in person, and more than 350 members participated virtually. The Annual Conference included dozens of plenary and breakout sessions, including a particularly informative roundtable discussion, which you can read about on page 18 in this issue of the magazine.
In 2021, TEI held almost 2,000 meeting and webinars. That’s right, 2,000 meetings, which included hours of instruction, education, and invaluable information and sharing. We hosted more than 150 chapter- and Institute-level webinars, accessible to all members, throughout the year. These events provide TEI members with a benefit most participants cite as extremely important—an ability to network and learn from other members.
Taking a look at 2022, you’ll see that we already have scheduled three terrific events for the first half of the year:
- TEI’s 72nd Midyear Conference, held as usual in Washington, D.C., March 20–23, a hybrid event using the Digitell platform we introduced at the Annual Conference;
- TEI’s 2022 Federal Tax Course – Level 1, which will return to its traditional immersive, in-person format at the Kellogg Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, April 25–29; and
- TEI’s 2022 Tax Technology Seminar, which will be held in San Francisco May 2–3. This event has grown tremendously every year as the intersections between tax and technology become more intertwined, so all tax practitioners should consider this a must-attend meeting.
I am also delighted to share that Todd Lard, formerly a partner at Eversheds Sutherland and general counsel at the Council on State Taxation, joined the TEI staff in January as a tax counsel. Todd will support TEI’s state and local tax and tax technology efforts. He will be a great addition to the TEI team and a tremendous resource for TEI’s members.
And, as I said in my last letter, all of this will be taking place as tax reform—both domestically and globally—continues to evolve.
Hoping to see you either in person or virtually in 2022!
Best regards,
Mitchell Trager
TEI International President
