Later this week, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will begin hosting a series of forums on auditing in small businesses. The first forum will be April 28, 2011, in Boston; subsequent ones will be held in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, and St. Petersburg, Florida.

The forums have been going on for eight years and “are designed to share important information about PCAOB activities with registered public accounting firms operating in the small-business community,” the PCAOB said in a statement. At the same time, they allow PCAOB board members to hear directly from auditors.

Along with several case studies, the speakers at the 2011 Boston forum will discuss the economic outlook, audit risk, risk assessment standards, internal control, and information technology. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission will provide an update and review of financial reporting issues facing smaller companies.

Past forums have addressed the PCAOB inspection process, auditor independence, and standard setting priorities, among other topics.

A member of the PCAOB board hosts each forum. They are open to firms registered with the PCAOB, who can attend at no cost. An online registration form is available here. 

The forums are coordinated by the PCAOB's Office of Outreach and Small Business Liaison, which was established late last year in response to the authority the PCAOB gained under the Dodd-Frank Act to oversee auditors, as well as selected practices and procedures of SEC-registered securities broker-dealers. The office serves as a point of contact to identify areas of misunderstanding and address questions about the Board's work.