his year's regional acquirers' shows have all been great successes, and the Southeast Acquirers' Association's (SEAA) 4th Annual Information and Educational Conference titled, "What's Your Game Plan?" was no exception.

More than 350 professionals braved the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne to attend the show, held Sept. 27 - 29, 2004 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta. The winds howled over the Southeast and both Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne contributed significantly to travel delays, especially for those flying to the event from Florida.

A few merchant level salespeople (MLSs) from the gulf coast of Florida came specifically to escape the post-hurricane clean up and for a few days of fresh produce and business networking. Their efforts at enduring any travel delays were well rewarded.

The SEAA Board organized a full program of educational sessions. The officers of SEAA's Board are Judy Foster, President; Audrey Blackmon, Vice President; John McCormick, Treasurer; and Margaret Jordan and Claudia Zane, board members.

More than 65 vendors filled the expo area. The show was so successful that some attendees suggested holding future meetings in a larger venue and extending it by one more day.

The SEAA board deserves a special commendation for juggling without a net. As the winds and rain blew into Atlanta, the hurricane nearly wreaked havoc with the carefully orchestrated agenda.

But as it became clear that a few of the presenters would be unable to attend, pinch hitters were called in, sessions were revamped or replaced, and the overall flow of the meeting never lost a beat.

The show opened on Monday night with a reception for both attendees and vendors. MLSs from all over the Southeast (actually from all over the country) were able to network with each other and touch base with some of their suppliers.

Tuesday morning began with a continental breakfast sponsored by VeriFone Inc. A panel discussion, "How to Choose a Processor" followed and was well attended.

The panelists included industry leaders John Martillo of Cynergy Data; Jim Fink of EVO; Kevin Smith of Pipeline Data; and Harvey Stone of iPay. They provided MLSs with insight into the details of choosing the right processor.

The Green Sheet was grateful to be referenced at least three times by different presenters during this discussion.

The highlight of the conference was the keynote speaker following lunch. Charles Mann of Alliant Merchant Services and a four-time NFL Pro Bowl player with the Washington Redskins offered inspiration by sharing his story of becoming successful both on and off the football field.

Mann recently joined the industry as an ISO and shared his insights into how professional sports prepared him for the rough-and-tumble world of payment processing sales. He had some very entertaining stories of what it's really like to be a professional football player.

In the first afternoon session, Wayne Damron of Lynk Systems discussed the outcome of the Wal-Mart class action lawsuit against Visa and MasterCard and how it will affect interchange in the future.

The next session taught MLSs how to find the ever-elusive sales lead. Sonny Wooten of American Express Co. provided audience members with ideas for scouting out merchant leads.

After a short break, shorter sessions were held. Amanda Rasche of POS Portal Inc. talked about the tools available to help MLSs manage their merchants once they are on board.

Next Gregg Gumbinger of Authorize.Net looked at the pros and cons of using IP vs. dial-up and Judy DeSomma of Visa discussed electronic check conversion.

Several board members of the National Association of Payment Professionals (NAOPP) held an open Q & A session with attendees. The discussion centered on the upcoming elections of the first representative board to be elected by NAOPP members. These elections are scheduled for November 2004. For additional information please visit the NAOPP's Web site at www.naopp.com or contact Bill Paul at merchtps@bellsouth.net .

After this very busy day, attendees relaxed and visited with the vendors at the cocktail reception. The remarks overheard included, "You guys did a great job," "I had a great time," "Atlanta is a great location," and "Have some breakout sessions so we can cover more topics."

Wednesday morning provided the final networking opportunity at the breakfast sponsored by TASQ Technology. Attendees compared notes and made plans to go to one or more regional shows next year.

SEAA was founded in 2000 as a not-for profit, non-membership independent association for all acquiring bankcard professionals. Its mission is to provide a regional opportunity for training, education and networking for the acquiring community.

SEAA provides an affordable forum for educating the MLS community on the latest technology and regulatory issues of the payment processing industry.

For information about SEAA visit www.southeastacquirers.com .