Taking technology to heart
I subscribe to The Green Sheet. I am looking for a forum and/or conference that will provide education on recent and emerging technologies in the payment card processing industry.
Can you help me find a good source. Also, what is the premier tradeshow for the payment card processing industry?
Tom Vicanti
BICA Solutions
Tom,
Given how important technology is to the industry today and how quickly it is evolving, yours is an excellent question.
One effective way to become educated about recently deployed and emerging technologies in the payments industry is to join the Electronic Transactions Association's technology committee. Each year the committee evaluates new technology used in payment products and services and showcases what it deems to be the best innovations of the year at the ETA Annual Meeting and Expo. Next year's annual meeting will be in New Orleans from April 30 through May 2. For more information about the organization and details about the upcoming show, visit www.electran.org.
In addition to the ETA , the industry has four regional acquirers associations we consider to be premier. Helping payment professionals stay abreast of developments in technology is integral to each organization's mission:
Midwest Acquirers Association: The MWAA holds its annual conferences each July at various Midwestern locations. Visit www.midwestacquirers.com for locations and dates.
Northeast Acquirers Association: The NEAA is the oldest of the regional acquirer associations. It puts on a show each winter at Mt. Snow, a ski resort in Vermont, and occasionally hosts a summer show. Visit www.northeastacquirers.com for dates and more information.
Southeast Acquirers Association: The SEAA provides education and networking opportunities at its annual conference, held in February or March each year at various locations in the Southeastern United States. Visit www.southeastacquirers.com for locations and dates.
Western States Acquirers Association: WSAA is the newest of the regional associations, but every bit as active as the others. It hosts a conference each year in September or October. Visit www.westernstatesacquirers.com for dates and locations.
Also, to keep up on implementation of the Europay/MasterCard/Visa global standard in the United States, visit the Smart Card Alliance at www.smartcardalliance.org. It holds conferences throughout the year, publishes up-to-date information on smart card technology, hosts webinars on timely topics, and offers education and certificate programs for professional development.
Another resource for information on the industry's technology is your ISO. Some ISOs have excellent training programs that include bringing in-house staff and merchant level salespeople up to speed on the latest technology. And those that do not have their own training programs can refer you to sources of training they endorse.
And why not post a question about good sources of information on the latest payment technology on GS Online's MLS Forum? Members are happy to share their knowledge with those posting sincere questions.
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