At this year’s Midyear Conference, TEI introduced the Tax Lab, a new hands-on experience designed to move beyond traditional product demonstrations and into real-world application. Built for in-house tax professionals, the sessions gave attendees the opportunity to actively test tools, explore solutions, and evaluate how different technologies can support their day-to-day work.
In a collaborative, low-pressure setting, participants compared approaches across compliance, data management, automation, and AI, helping bridge the gap between tax strategy and execution. The goal was to enable professionals to engage directly with technology and assess what best fits their organizational needs.
The inaugural Tax Lab featured ten sessions covering AI-driven tax research, Excel Power Query exercises, indirect tax compliance tools, research credit automation, tax notice management, Pillar Two technology solutions, and more—each focused on practical, real-world application.
Early feedback underscored the value of the experience. One attendee shared, “Hands-on practice was so helpful. I am already incorporating new tools in my daily work.”
Another noted, “I liked that hands-on learning, since I haven’t had the time to work with AI much. It gave me an opportunity to try something and bring it back to my office.”
TEI extends its sincere thanks to the sponsors who hosted and led the Tax Lab sessions: Thomson Reuters, Accordance, GTM, Wolters Kluwer (CCH), Vertex, Notice Ninja, MASSIE R&D Tax Credits, RSM US LLP, Forte, and Forvis Mazars. Their expertise and commitment to creating interactive, practitioner-focused learning experiences were essential to the success of this new initiative.
With strong engagement and clear demand, the Tax Lab represents an important step forward in delivering more applied learning for tax professionals navigating an increasingly complex and technology-driven landscape. Based on the success at Midyear and overwhelmingly positive feedback, TEI plans to feature Tax Lab sessions at this year’s Annual Conference in Nashville, October 18–21.
