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15 ways to make the most of the 15th ATMIA US conference

You can't possibly take it all in, but you can take away what matters most to your business.

February 5, 2014

In 2000, the ATM Industry Association counted fewer than 100 members, all U.S. based. Fourteen years later, ATMIA can boast some 3,500 members in 60 countries, and a conference calendar that includes annual events in the United States, Canada, Africa, Europe, and as of 2013, India.

Without question, the ATMIA U.S. conference remains the largest and most comprehensive of industrywide events. The event has grown to encompass nearly 100 exhibitors, more than 30 workshops, breakout sessions and keynote presentations, and roughly 1,000 attendees.

In recognition of the 15th anniversary of the U.S. conference, we've chosen 15 happenings to highlight. These are by no means the only things to see and do. Rather, they're a random representation of an event that's simply too wide in scope to fully describe. Here's a quick look:

1)  Workshops — In all, five workshops address relevant issues from starting an ATM business to steering clear of lawsuits. A first this year is a full-day workshop sponsored by the Integrated Payments Alliance.

The morning segment will feature a panel discussion with high-level industry experts from NACHA-The Electronics Payment Association, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, law firm Patton Boggs, and Paymentcard Services Inc. Panelists will take up issues that include the Fed's U.S. Payments Improvement Project, the ATM Interoperability Framework for alternative self-service payments, and best practices for cardless transactions at the ATM.

The afternoon session will feature the "ATM-X-Games," a competition in which product and service providers demo their latest innovations. An audience vote will determine "bests" in a range of categories.

2) Opening reception — This two-hour evening event in the exhibit hall provides a venue where attendees and exhibitors can meet up, mingle and network with peers. It also offers a sneak peek at exhibits and product introductions.

3) Opening keynote — Day two kicks off with an address by Joe Theismann, whose stellar career as an NFL quarterback came to a crashing halt with a catastrophic injury. Theismann will describe how adversity evolved into opportunity as he took on the "Challenge of Change."

4) Keynote — A bank with a reputation for innovation, Spain's LaCaixa presents a case study describing how the bank implemented multi-functionality at its ATMs and integrated mobile technology into the fleet.

5) The exhibition hall — Nearly 100 ATM industry vendors will present a full range of product innovations and business applications that will shape the industry and assist employers in their efforts to become larger, more efficient and more profitable.

6) Wednesday session No. 3 — "Three essentials for a smart response to combat evolving ATM card fraud" couldn't be more timely. In addition to presenting new information about skimming techniques and safeguards, presenters will discuss how technologies, customer communications and pan-industry collaboration all serve to detect and prevent counterfeit card fraud.

7) Wednesday session No. 4 — A "Legislative and regulatory panel" comprised of Washington insiders and legal and policy experts will discuss legislation and regulations likely to affect the ATM industry in the future.

8) Wednesday session No. 6 — "EMV deployment in the United States" will take a close look at EMV deployment in the U.S. and related issues that continue to vex and perplex ATM operators.

9) Wednesday session No. 10 — "Why ATM operators should embrace alternative currencies ... " Virtual currencies are catching on; it's important for ATM deployers to understand how they complement and compete with cash.

10) Thursday keynote — "How FIs, IADs and merchants can benefit from serving the underbanked." This presentation reviews expected growth in underbanked populations and prepaid cards over the next few years and offers a blueprint for success in this burgeoning market. 

11) Thursday keynote — "Windows 7 migration: Challenges and opportunities" reflects on lessons learned from the OS/2 to XP migration, offers key considerations for Windows 7 migration and looks ahead to Windows end-of-life in 2020.

12) Thursday keynote — "Reinvent the industry and the ATM" addresses the imperative of modernizing payment methods, introducing cardless transactions and more, asks important questions about the value of EMV, and offers thought-provoking insights on how we need to "change the industry, not the card." 

13, 14, 15) Valentine's Day weekend at Universal Orlando — Conference planners knew just what they were doing when they scheduled this wintertime event in sunny Orlando, Fla. — and during the week leading up to Valentine's Day, which conveniently falls on Friday.

Registration is still open for the conference, which takes place Feb. 11–13 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Fla. Additional information about the agenda and registration can be found at the ATMIA website.

Read more about associations and conferences.

photo: todd hryck.

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ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)

The ATM Industry Association, founded in 1997, is a global non-profit trade association with over 10,500 members in 65 countries. The membership base covers the full range of this worldwide industry comprising over 2.2 million installed ATMs.

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