The traditional “Assessors Forum” by Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting Spain is back at the Barcelona Conference Centre. An event, held for the fifteenth consecutive year, that has already become a fundamental meeting point for professional firms, bringing together professionals and experts to discuss the main trends and growth strategies, including topics such as innovation, regulations in constant change, technology and new business models.
Following this line, Tomàs Font, Vice President and General Director of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting for the southern European region, highlighted in his opening speech the key role of the Forum in the transformation of professional offices, underlining the importance of digitalization and technological tools as drivers of change.
«In a constantly evolving environment, it is essential that advisors have the necessary tools and strategies to transform their businesses and offer added value to their clients; In this new edition of the Advisory Forum we focus on growth, digitalization and innovation in order to continue supporting professionals on their path to success,” he underlines.
“Advisors Forum”, for professional offices
The conference, presented by journalist Samanta Villar, also featured the participation of economist Gonzalo Bernardos, in charge of analyzing the impact of digitalization on the 21st century economy, who took the opportunity to encourage professionals to adopt these new opportunities. Likewise, in a round table, Macarena Alonso (Actium Consulting) and Miguel Querol (Querol Assessors) discussed strategies to boost growth in an increasingly competitive environment.
The event has brought together experts and professionals from the sector to discuss innovation, technology, regulatory changes and new business models.
Likewise, attendees had the opportunity to attend specialized sessions on labor and tax issues. María Luisa Segoviano, magistrate of the Constitutional Court, addressed the latest labor reforms, while Manuel Trillo, from the Tax Agency, explained the current fiscal control model. Other presentations highlighted the opportunities offered by legal changes in billing, such as Raquel Serón’s presentation on adaptation to new regulations in billing systems.
In addition to the conferences, the participants visited the Experiential Zone of the event, where they were able to learn first-hand about innovative solutions such as a3innuva Payroll and a3factura, and listen to advisors who shared their experience in optimizing business management, the transformation towards consultancies and the generational change in offices.
The event ended with an emotional talk by Gustavo Zerbino, survivor of the tragedy in the Andes, who shared lessons about managing adversity. Overall, the Advisory Forum reaffirmed its role as a reference space for learning and reflection on the future of the sector, offering professional firms the tools and strategies to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Consulting barometer 2024: the role of technology
Technology has become essential for advisors, allowing them to focus more on client guidance rather than administrative tasks. 49% of firms indicated that their biggest challenge is technological transformation, highlighting solutions such as payroll (74.8% use), electronic signature, accounting and document scanning.
- Cloud. The use of the cloud provides flexibility and efficiency, being valued for aspects such as mobility (77.8%), constant updating and access to data in real time. However, only 17.8% of offices fully use the cloud, while 48% adopt a hybrid model
- Collaborative model. 77.6% of firms believe that the online collaborative model is key to growth, but only 34.1% currently use it. Its adoption grows with the size of the offices, being more common in the largest ones
- Digitization. Digitalization remains relevant for 58% of offices, although only 19.8% consider themselves fully digitalized. The majority see it as important, but not decisive for all their clients.
