This spring the Southeast Acquirers Association's fifth annual meeting convened, the Internal Revenue Service granted the National Assoc-iation of Payment Professionals status as an IRC 501(c)(6) tax exempt organization, and the Electronic Transactions Association was gearing up for its Annual Meeting & Expo in Las Vegas.
This summer the Midwest Acquirers Association invited industry professionals to attend a job fair in Chicago, and the Northeast Acquirers Association played golf and held a Texas Hold 'Em Tournament for charity in Providence, R.I.
Trade associations provide opportunities to learn about the latest industry trends while helping professionals build relationships with peers. Following are news and updates from each organization. More information on all the conferences, such as agendas and direct links for registration and hotels, is available on each association's Web site.
National and multinational associationsThe ATM Industry Association, the only international, independent forum for the ATM industry, presented ATM Security in the Americas 2007 from Sept. 11 to 13. Speakers addressed topics such as the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS), today's terrorist threat, the impact of chip and PIN on fraud, and a legislative update. The ATMIA Conference East 2008 will be held Feb. 20 to 22, 2008, in New Orleans. For more information, visit ATMIA's Web site or e-mail Lana Harmelink at lana@mail.atmia.com.
The ETA held its 2007 Strategic Leadership and Networking Forum (SLNF) Sept. 18 to 20, 2007, in Palm Beach, Fla., at the Breakers Resort. SLNF's focus is completely different from the ETA Annual Meeting & Expo. SLNF provides a broad look at topics and trends that may shape the future of the payments industry.
This year's forum looked at globalization of payments and what one company, NOVA Information Systems Inc., is doing to become a player in the global economy.
Also, the legal and regulatory issues facing the industry were explored, along with some of the new technology that could potentially affect the future of payments. SLNF always features a distinctive keynote speaker, and this year was no exception. Todd Buchholz, CNBC commentator and former White House Director of Economic Policy, discussed the economy and its possible impact on the industry.
The next ETA meeting will be the 2008 Annual Meeting & Expo, which will be held April 15 to 17, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. For more information, visit ETA's Web site or call 800-695-5509.
NAOPP is seeking board members. These positions must be filled by merchant level salespeople (MLSs). All board members must be members of NAOPP. Board members serve two-year terms and devote one hour each week to board meetings held via conference call.
In addition, each member chairs a committee. Candidates must be able to share and implement ideas, and be dedicated to improving and shaping the industry.
Serving professionals in the payments industry, NAOPP comprises members throughout the United States and Canada. It is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by a group of industry leaders to help MLSs succeed and bridge the gap with other segments of the industry. For more information, visit NAOPP's Web site or e-mail naopp@netdoor.com.
Founded in 2005, Women Networking in Transactions (W.net) provides a forum to inspire and empower women in the payments industry through networking opportunities, mentoring programs and the overall promotion of women in the industry. W.net held a speed networking event on Sept. 18 at the Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Fla. For more information about W.net, visit its Web site.
Regional associationsThe Midwest Acquirers Association is a not-for-profit, nonmembership, independent forum dedicated to the MLS. Its mission is to educate the ISO and merchant service provider (MSP) community on the payments industry's constantly changing information landscape.
The next MWAA meeting is scheduled for July in St. Louis and will feature the popular Field Guide Seminar for ISOs, speakers addressing up-to-date educational topics, and the opportunity to network with vendors and colleagues. For more information, visit MWAA's Web site.
The Northeast Acquirers Association serves as an educational forum for financial institutions and ISOs, MSPs and MLSs in the acquiring industry. The NEAA is a not-for-profit association. Each of its events is funded through vendor sponsorship and minimal registration fees. NEAA seminars are open to all who want to attend.
The next NEAA annual meeting is in January 2008 at Mount Snow Resort in Vermont. Mount Snow offers some of Vermont's best skiing and snowmobiling. As usual, the event will be packed with informative speakers and networking opportunities. This is a popular show and fills up quickly, so be sure to register early.
For more information, visit NEAA's Web site, or e-mail Jacques Breton at jbreton@gcfinc.com.
The Southeast Acquirers Association is a not-for-profit, nonmembership, independent association for acquiring bank card profess-ionals. Founded in 2000, the SEAA educates the ISO and MSP community, and provides easy access to the payment processing industry's latest trends and regulatory changes. The 2008 SEAA Conference will be held March 23 to 27, 2008, at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans. For more information, visit SEAA's Web site, or e-mail Audrey Blackmon at ablackmon@posportal.com.
www.westernstatesacquirers.com
The founders of the Western States Acquirers Association recognized aneed to provide a forum for training, education and networking with financial institutions, sales agents, ISOs and MLSs.
The WSAA is a not-for-profit, nonmembership, independent forum dedicated to keeping acquirers educated and informed of the ever changing needs of the payments industry. WSAA events are funded through vendor sponsorship and minimal registration fees, and are open to all.
The WSAA held its 2007 conference Oct. 17 to 19 at the Sheraton Hotel in Anaheim. This year's meeting included a Field Guide Seminar for ISOs presented by Mark Dunn at no additional charge. The Field Guide addressed topics including lead generation, winning sales strategies and merchant retention.
For more information, visit WSAA's Web site, or e-mail Steve Eazell at stevee@westernstatesacquirers.com.
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
Notice to readers: These are archived articles. Contact names or information may be out of date. We regret any inconvenience.
Prev Next
