From Deepfakes to Day-to-Day Controls: Takeaways from IOFM Spring 2026

Of the 24 sessions provided at IOFM Spring 2026, 17 were brand new. That number — representing 71 percent of non-sponsored programming — reflected a deliberate choice to build a conference around what AP practitioners need right now, and not what worked three years ago.

The Institute of Finance & Management (IOFM) welcomed over 400 attendees and 53 presenters for its Spring Conference and Expo, held May 11–13, 2026 at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Universal in Orlando, Fla. Two features debuted this year: a full rotating room of peer networking roundtables — giving attendees structured time to work through shared challenges across 15 topic areas — and a digital format for on-site certification exams.

Fraud prevention dominated the new content lineup, with six sessions dedicated to equipping AP professionals with modern defenses against an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. The Day 2 Keynote, “The 2026 Fraud Playbook: Defending the Ledger from AI-Powered Deepfake,” set the tone for the track.

Accounts payable consultant, speaker, and trainer Debra Richardson drilled into daily practice with “Internal Controls for AP Specialists: What You Can Do to Prevent Fraud Daily.”

“The best fraud prevention isn't a policy – it’s what AP practitioners do every single day,” Richardson said. “I hope attendees walked away with practical, daily habits and personal action plans to implement to better protect their organizations, their vendors and themselves from fraudsters.”

Artificial intelligence and automation were also prominent topics, with three new sessions exploring how AP teams can adapt and lead through technological change. “The Future-Focused AP Leader: Navigating AI and Automation” with Nicole Caley, Director of Accounts Payable Shared Services with The Aspen Group and Founder & President of Payables Solutions Partners, LLC, offered a direct look at what the shift means for AP leadership specifically.

“AI is here, and the question for AP leaders is whether you're driving the change or scrambling to keep up,” shared Caley.

Compliance and risk management rounded out the new session offerings, including three practitioner-focused sessions presented by Jason Dinesen, distinguished tax professional and founder/president of Dinesen Media Ventures. “Independent Contractor or Employee? A Deep Dive into Classification, Compliance, and AP Risk” was a highlight of his content, focusing on misclassification questions that carry real financial exposure.

Returning topic areas like process optimization and strategic operations were featured in four sessions, including “The Month-End Close Playbook for AP Teams” with Melissa Schmear, Accounts Payable Manager at Milwaukee Tools, and “Process Optimization Bootcamp: Mapping, Fixing, and Rebuilding Workflows” with Jamie Umpleby, Accounts Payable Manager at OhioHealth Corporation.

Leadership and strategy programming anchored the conference with the Keynote Panel, “The State of AP in 2026,” featuring Kat McIlvain, Vice President, Manager Corporate Accounting at First Citizens Bank; Luz Batista, Director of Global Business Services at Avis Budget Group; Dan Bonnyman, Director of Accounts Payable and Disbursements at MassMutual; and Randy Luck, Senior Manager of Accounts Payable and Travel at Ancestry.

AP teams left Orlando with six hours’ worth of powerful and practical fraud updates, a clearer picture of where AI fits into their day-to-day processes, and conversations and connections that can only happen in person. That’s the work IOFM Spring is designed to do.

Missed out at IOFM Spring? Join your peers at The IOFM Fall Conference & Expo, November 2-4, 2026, at JW Marriot Austin, in Austin, Texas. Visit the IOFM Fall website to learn more.