A few months ago I had ranted and raved a blog post for Social Earth that I’d get the opportunity to attend Microfinance USA 2010. Needless to say, I’m thrilled that it worked out.  After six years working in microfinance marketing (I’ll leave you to judge whether I’m a newbie or a veteran), I’d been craving a crash course in the more academic side of the industry and the opportunity to mix and mingle with industry experts. Microfinance USA 2010 promises to provide just that.

The session that’s at the top of my agenda is Thursday’s “Growing Microlending in a Challenging Economy.” I started my career in the post-dot com boom—portfolios were growing, delinquencies were low, and small businesses were staying open. Things are different these days (to say the least!) and I’d like to see what tricks the experts have up their sleeves to keep pushing microfinance forward. As a personal side note, this food aficionado’s not going to miss the “Taste of Entrepreneurship” networking event, either!

If you’ll be at the conference, I’d love to hear what sessions are on your list and why. And if you’re not able to attend, I hope you’ll check in on the Webcast and the @mfusa2010 Twitter feed. (And if you’re just procrastinating wait no longer! There are only two weeks left to register, and you can still find a flight to San Francisco on a budget.)

Laura Kozien is communications director at ACCION USA—she’ll be live blogging and vlogging at the conference, and hopes attendees won’t be camera shy!