Board to Hold Forum in Chicago on Auditing in the Small Business Environment

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will host a forum in Chicago to help bring important information concerning the PCAOB to the small business community. The Forum on Auditing in the Small Business Environment is a program for registered accounting firms and public companies in the small business community to learn more about the work of the Board, specifically the PCAOB inspections process and the impact of new auditing standards.

The forum will be held in Chicago at The W Chicago City Center on Thursday, March 10, and Friday, March 11, 2005. The two-day program will be hosted by Board member Daniel L. Goelzer and staff from the offices of inspections and standards-setting. The March 10 session will focus on educating smaller registered accounting firms about the Board’s work. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn continuing professional education credits. The March 11 session will concentrate on PCAOB issues impacting audit committees at smaller public companies.

Auditors from registered accounting firms with fewer than 20 issuer clients and the members of audit committees of smaller public companies are encouraged to register. The program is limited to those groups in the small business environment that are most directly impacted by the Board’s oversight responsibilities. The goal of such a format is to ensure that there is ample opportunity for discussion of PCAOB issues facing small business communities between representatives of this sector and Board members and its staff.

In addition to Chicago, the Board plans to hold five more forums in, New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida and Massachusetts. Pre-registration for the forum is required.

More information, including the forum agenda, is available at www.pcaobus.org. For forum registration questions please call (202) 207-9061 or email.