Monday, July 12, 2021
"The 2021 MWAA Conference will be the largest ever attended conference in our history as we celebrate the 19th Annual Conference," Katzfey said, adding that in October 2020, the MWAA board of directors began a series of monthly strategic planning sessions with Marriott corporate and the Chicago property and put a plan in place for hosting the on-site event.
Katzfey further noted that MWAA surveyed potential sponsors and exhibitors to gauge their interest, feedback and concerns regarding attending or sponsoring the MWAA 2021 Conference. The surveys also asked for guidance on best practices and topics of interest related to the show. Katzfey added that the board was pleased by the supportive feedback: sponsors, exhibitors, companies and attendees expressed excitement at the prospect of face-to-face networking, reconnecting with colleagues and friends, and most of all, getting back to business.
MWAA is proud to support the city of Chicago and "Reopening of Chicago," an initiative launched on June 11 that is enabling the MWAA 2021 Conference to take place, Katzfey stated.
Esther Pochron, chief sales and marketing officer at EPNA, a Chicago-based ISO, agreed, stating that EPNA is looking forward to attending this year's MWAA conference and appreciates the show's networking opportunities and educational value.
"At EPNA, we pride ourselves in never being satisfied with what was cutting-edge yesterday," Pochron said. "We continually search for better ways to help our clients grow their business through innovative solutions and additional payment acceptance channels as well as reduced processing costs, resulting in more profits for our merchants."
Adrian Talapan, president and chief executive officer at Fee Navigator, stated that he and his team are excited to be able to meet in person again. "Our co-founder Ion Craciun is looking forward to raising a glass with many of you to celebrate life, health, and prosperity!" he said. "And if you're looking to accelerate your merchant acquisition or expand into digital customer experiences, he'll share the latest capabilities of our Fee Navigator platform."
Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. on Wed., July 21, with exhibitor set up from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wnet will host a networking event led by Emily Smith, founder and board president of Female Strong. Katzfey will officially open the show at 3:30 p.m. Following him will be a keynote presentation by Kirk Miller, global clients and sales strategy director at the Ariel Group, and an industry achievement award presentation to Juan Ortiz, industry consultant and motivational speaker. The exhibit hall will open at 5 p.m. for the opening reception.
Scott Goldthwaite, president at Aliaswire, observed that the MWAA audience has dramatically increased in size and diversity over the years, providing a great venue for his company to extend market reach. "MWAA offers a great platform for Aliaswire and other companies to facilitate deep-dive discussions, offer learning, and create potential collaborations," he said.
Thurs., July 22, will offer a full day of networking and exhibits, with a cyber café where attendees can meet with clients, make calls, get work done or just relax, event planners stated.
For additional information or to register for the event, visit www.midwestacquirers.org. 
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