With a keynote address from the noted Frank W. Abagnale, the ATM Industry Association expects its February conference to be a draw for industry experts and novices. Abagnale, the author of "Catch Me If You Can," is best known for his successful impersonations - impersonations that were brought to life in 2002 by Leonardo DiCaprio.

A high-school dropout in the mid '60s, Abagnale conned the clever and cunning, successfully posing as a doctor, attorney, history professor and airline pilot. Over a five-year period, he cashed millions in fraudulent checks in more than 20 countries.

Now Abagnale works with the Federal Bureau of Investigations as a recognized expert in the areas of identity theft, fraud and forgery. Who better to teach the industry about scams?

Abagnale will tell his story during ATMIA's banquet Feb. 16, when the association will present five global awards for excellence. During his fraud-prevention seminar Feb. 17, Abagnale will focus on the ways technology makes white-collar crime easier and how institutions and corporations can protect themselves from embezzlement, forgery, counterfeit currency and the compromise of customers' identities.

Security, not surprisingly, is a focus in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 15-17 at ATMIA Conference East. Security and multichannel optimization permeate both the financial and independent-sales-organization sides of the conference. And security and multichannel optimization are so intertwined - a point Fair Isaac Corp.'s Mike Urban is slated to hit Feb. 16 - they've been identified as themes for 2006.

"The whole theme of Conference East this year is maximizing multichannel business and security," said Mike Lee, the association's chief executive. "A more integrated approach by deployers will lead to such benefits as more streamlined customer service and better cross-channel marketing."

Cross-channel integration - I think that's what a lot of people are going to be talking about at the show. I think it's the next logical place for financial institutions to go as they continue to see transactions in their branches go down. -- Madhavi Mantha, Celent LLC

ATMIA's Global ATM Security Alliance is addressing security from a multichannel perspective in its best industry practices manuals, Lee said. The alliance also has hired a banking consultant who will interview banks about their current security best practices across all channels.

"GASA is intent on ensuring that seamless lifecycle security will be matched by equally seamless multichannel security."

At Conference East, Lee and ATMIA executives will explore those best practices during a training workshop Feb. 15.

"We are offering two introductory best practice training workshops - An Introduction to Integrated ATM Lifecycle Security and An Introduction to Corporate Governance for the ATM industry."

Citing recent headliners caught in corporate scams, Tom Harper, president of NetWorld Alliance (which owns this site) will walk through the need for corporate defenses and offenses for accountability and liability. As a member of ATMIA's newly formed Corporate Governance Committee, Harper is expected to outline how the association is working to set high standards for the industry. (Read more about the new committee.)

Madhavi Mantha of Boston-based Celent LLC said the demand for more secure transactions is a given. Consumers expect it, and they expect it across all channels.

"Cross-channel integration - I think that's what a lot of people are going to be talking about at the show. I think it's the next logical place for financial institutions to go as they continue to see transactions in their branches go down."

During her FI-geared presentation Feb. 16, Mantha will talk about North America's shift to multichannel solutions, citing some successful strategies used around the globe. In Europe, FIs are much more aggressive in their push to self-service channels, for instance.

Dividing the conference's workshops on two tracks was a strategy the association successfully launched at last year's event. And because Conference East is ATMIA's largest conference, conference director Dana Benson said the division makes sense.

Approximately 600 attendees and 50 exhibitors from throughout the world are expected to make their way to Orlando this year. (Learn more about the exhibitors.) And a substantial portion of those attendees will come from the independent side of the business.

While security and channel integration are likely to attract interest from both FIs and ISOs, this year's ISO workshops are geared more toward off-premise deployment opportunities and regulation compliance.

Sam Ditzion, president and chief executive of Boston's Tremont Capital Group Inc., will highlight new opportunities for independent deployers during Feb. 16's ISO-focused presentation, "The Past, Present and Future States of the ATM Industry: Implications for Consumers and Opportunities for ATM Deployers." By reviewing ventures that worked and didn't work, Ditzion will explore ways deployers can identify new streams for revenue.

"The ATM industry is constantly changing.  It's critical for everyone to stay ahead of the curve, and when appropriate, be willing to change with the times," Ditzion said.

Looking beyond North America, Level Four Americas LLC's president and CEO Jorge Fernandez, will review the scope of emerging off-premise markets during his presentation, "Facilitating ATM Deployment in Puerto Rico and Other Countries."

Segueing from growth, Lisa Hrabosky of First Data Corp.'s Star Network will host an ISO training session Feb. 14 that reviews Star's rules and general regulatory requirements. Hrabosky is expected to provide an overview of terminology, switching settlement and the difference between ATM, POS and POS scrip terminals and the regulations that govern them.

Visa International also will host a key management workshop Feb. 15. The workshop will include information about cryptographic key management at ATMs, PIN pads and hardware modules. And ATMIA's half-day ISO Training Workshop Feb. 14 is expected to prepare ISOs for new and proposed network changes, as well as review eligibility and participation, roles and responsibilities, network requirements, operational considerations, and compliance and regulations.

For information about the conference, please visit ATMIA's Web site or contact Amber Howell at (605) 428-5400.