Trade Association News: Gearing Up for 2006
rade associations provide educational and networking opportunities to learn about the latest industry trends while building relationships with peers. The Northeast Acquirers' Association's Winter Seminar and Outing at the end of January will be the first major event of the year; others have announced conference dates and are busy with their plans.
Following are the latest news and updates from each organization. More information on the conferences, such as agendas and direct links for registration and hotels, is available on each association's Web site.
National and Multinational Associations
ATM Industry Assoc. (ATMIA)
www.atmia.com
One of ATMIA's goals is to build a foundation of 1,000 members. In 2005, membership grew to 696 members in 43 countries. Many have been with the organization for at least five years. Although the association had planned to increase dues by 5% in 2006, it will hold off until 2007 in consideration of the Gulf Coast hurricanes that affected many of its members last year.
ATMIA donated $13,000 to help Hurricane Katrina victims who are in the ATM industry. It also adopted four families who became homeless because of the devastation. ATMIA recently launched a chapter in Latin America and is looking for industry professionals to become involved at the board level to grow it. A meeting focused on this effort will take place at ATMIA's Seventh Annual ATMIA Conference East at Walt Disney World Swan Resort in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 15 - 17, 2006.
This year's keynote speaker (and a presenter during the Global Industry Awards banquet) will be Frank W. Abagnale, the subject of Steven Spielberg's film "Catch Me If You Can." Abagnale is a renowned authority on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and securing documents.
Additional Conference East highlights include:
- A Visa Key Management workshop (preconference)
- An ISO training workshop
- Global ATM Security Alliance Security Best Practice Workshop
- Two-track conference program for banks and ISOs
Update on ATMIA Committee Activity
ATMIA committees provide forums for discussion on areas of risk and lobbying efforts to help block state legislation disadvantageous to the industry (for more information, visit www.atmianortham.com/ResourceCenter/atmresourcecenter.asp).
Highlights of ATMIA committee work in 2005 include:
- Created a 50-state compliance portal that features state-level requirements addressing issues such as site requirements, fees and disclosures, licensing, security and taxes.
- Drafted legislation addressing international surcharging at ATMs that is scheduled to be filed in New York for the 2006 session; filed an international surcharge bill in Florida; and met with various New York retail trade associations to rally support for ATMIA's stance on ATM regulations.
- Published a map of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and TG-3 PIN security requirements.
ATMIA is the only international, independent forum for the ATM industry. For more information about ATMIA, contact Lana Harmelink at lana@mail.atmia.com .
Electronic Transactions Assoc. (ETA)
www.electran.org
ETA's much anticipated Annual Meeting & Expo, the industry's largest event that draws several thousand attendees and some wild exhibits, is just around the corner. The conference will take place April 18 - 20, 2006 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
ETA has added some new items to this year's agenda. One of these is Compliance Day, which brings representatives from all four major card brands (Visa U.S.A., MasterCard International, American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services) together to address data security, sponsorship issues, registration, due diligence and chargebacks.
"If you want a complete dunk in all things compliant, this is it," said Carla Balakgie, ETA Executive Director.
Other preconference events include six ETA University classes, two of which are brand new, and the annual golf outing. Some three-hour-long super sessions on emerging technologies also will be offered.
"You will hear a lot about data security at this year's annual meeting, which is reflective of reality," Balakgie said. "Anything that gets the attention of consumers, and as a result the attention of federal officials, you know it has saturated. It's permeating everything we do."
Back by popular demand will be a panel on the future of interchange, a presentation at ETA's Strategic Leadership and Networking Forum last year. This year's panel will include an industry analyst, representatives from the Federal Reserve, Visa, a large merchant trade association and possibly from one of the closed-loop card networks.
The opening and closing keynote speakers will be Visa U.S.A. President John Coghlan and CNN's Lou Dobbs, respectively.
No Expos?
"Last year we really emerged from the organizational transition that we went through," Balakgie said. "We were able to get down to some of the new work that we wanted to do, such as being more active in governmental and industry relations. She also said ETA took some risks and tried some new things, such as the
Expo Networks.
So far, no ETA Expo Networks are scheduled for 2006. "I'm hesitant to say we're not doing anything in that space because I don't know yet," Balakgie said. "The product itself was well-reviewed by those who consumed it, but we didn't get a lot of attendance. Now we're looking at, 'What do we do in this area?' We're doing some research to help determine our future direction on that space."
For more information on ETA, call 800-695-5509 or visit www.electran.org .
National Assoc. of Payment Professionals (NAOPP)
www.naopp.com
NAOPP held elections in December 2005 for several positions on its board of directors. Newly elected officers are:
- Ernie Crews, President-Elect
- Amy B. Garvey, Secretary
- Raymond Leonardi, MLSO Director.
NAOPP directors serve on rotating terms. All officers except the President-elect serve a two-year term. The current Vice President, Treasurer, MLS Director, Vendor Director and Director-at-large will serve through December 2006.
The board had two main goals at the beginning of 2005 and hired Vicki M. Daughdrill to act as Executive Director to help implement them. "Our two major goals were to shore up the financial and legal requirements begun by our founding members, and to increase our membership," Daughdrill said. "And we accomplished both of those."
During the course of the year, NAOPP filed for 501(c)3 (nonprofit) status with the IRS, created and had reviewed an official set of books (this information is available to any current NAOPP member by contacting naopp@netdoor.com), and filed tax returns for 2003 and 2004.
"We also had our Association bylaws reviewed by a professional parliamentarian, and then [we] reviewed, revised and updated them," Daughdrill said. She said NAOPP exhibited at all the regional acquirers meetings; created a new Web site; put out its first monthly member newsletter titled "NAOPPNEWS"; started a capital campaign; and increased its membership by more than 30%.
"We're positioned for an absolutely dynamic 2006," she said. A recent posting on GS Online's MLS Forum from NAOPP stated, "NAOPP has been extremely active ... working on behalf of members. While many of the activities have been behind the scenes, during 2006 you will see the results of the hard work of the board."
NAOPP is a nonprofit organization working to bridge the gap between MLSs and other segments of the payment processing industry. For more information, visit www.naopp.com or e-mail
naopp@netdoor.com .
Regional Associations
Midwest Acquirers' Assoc. (MWAA)
www.midwestacquirers.com
Get ready for another event in the Windy City this summer. The MWAA board is planning its fourth annual conference, which will be held at the Palmer House in Chicago, July 19 - 21, 2006. The agenda offers several new features, including a technology in bankcard theme for the general session, a merchant bankcard industry job fair and a two-track Field Guide seminar. Event registration will open at the end of March 2006. Vendor space is limited.
"The general session will highlight technology as it serves and changes the merchant bankcard industry," said Mark Dunn, MWAA President. "This will be an opportunity for leading bankcard companies to put their best technological foot forward."
The job fair will highlight sales, support and operations employment opportunities in the bankcard industry. Representatives from leading acquirers and ISOs
will be present, discussing their programs, earnings
and benefits.
The Field Guide seminar, an event independent of MWAA, will offer two parallel tracks:
- Track 1: "Success Factors in Bankcard Sales -A Guide to Greater Earnings Today"
- Track 2: "Grow Your ISO (and Sell It for Millions!)"
Finally, MWAA will recognize an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the industry with its Lifetime Achievement award. This year MWAA will also add a new distinction for merchant level salespeople.
"We will inaugurate the 'Sales Hall of Fame' with its first inductees," Dunn said. "Only the greatest salespersons in our industry will receive the HOF distinction in a special ceremony at the end of the day on Thursday." For more information about MWAA, visit its Web site at
www.midwestacquirers.com or e-mail Dunn at
mark@fieldguideforisos.com .
Northeast Acquirers' Assoc. (NEAA)
www.northeastacquirers.com
NEAA is in its 21st year as a regional acquirers' association. Just around the corner is its Winter Seminar and Outing, which will be held Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, 2006 at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel and Conference Center in Mt. Snow, Vt. The meeting offers educational speakers, forums, a vendor trade show (more than 85 vendors have committed so far) paired with a reception, giveaways, food, entertainment, a charity poker tournament sponsored by United Bank Card Inc., and, of course, outdoor winter recreation such as skiing, sledding and snow mobiling.
"NEAA is offering free registration for the Winter Seminar to those who register prior to January 20," said Jacques Breton, NEAA Treasurer. "This is being done through the continued support of the vendors." The organization is also planning the 2006 Summer Seminar and Golf Outing. Although no specific dates have been finalized, NEAA said the meeting will take place sometime during the first two weeks of June. For more information, visit NEAA's Web site, or e-mail Jacques Breton at jbreton@gcfinc.com or call him at 603-692-2408.
Southeast Acquirers' Assoc. (SEAA)
www.southeastacquirers.com
You're never too old to have spring break in Florida, although this time around you'll want to mix business with fun. SEAA will host its fifth annual meeting March 20 - 22, 2006 at the Bonaventure Resort & Golden Door Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Hurricane Katrina muddled plans for the meeting scheduled in New Orleans in October 2005.)
SEAA has transferred all vendor registrations to the new date and location. The Bonaventure offers more than 7,500 square feet of exhibit hall space. Event attractions will include a hospitality center, a cyber cafe and a massage center.
On March 21, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, there will be breakout training sessions with terminal vendors. Stay tuned for more details. The deadline for hotel registration is Feb. 17. The SEAA room rate, $159 per night, is available from March 19 - 22.
For more information about SEAA, visit SEAA's Web site or e-mail SEAA Vice President Audrey Blackmon at ablackmon@posportal.com .
Western States Acquirers' Assoc. (WSAA)
http://www.westernstatesacquirers.com" target="_blank"> www.westernstatesacquirers.com
WSAA's second annual meeting, held in November 2005 in La Jolla, Calif., attracted nearly 440 attendees (see "Trade Association News: Wireless Wins at WSAA Conference," The Green Sheet, Nov. 14, 2005, issue 05:11:01).
If you missed the meeting, or would like to review some of the presentations, many are available to download in .pdf format at www.westernstatesacquirers.com/html/news.html .
Many sessions during the 2005 meeting were standing room only, and WSAA is anticipating even more attendees in 2006. "We were extremely pleased with the success of our second annual meeting," said Sherry Friedrichsen, WSAA President. "We received a lot of good feedback. Based on the turn out of this conference, we will need [to hold the 2006 event] in a bigger hotel."
Although no date or location has been decided yet, WSAA is considering Northern California in November 2006. During a board meeting at the end of January, the association will make further plans.
"Our ongoing focus is education," Friedrichsen said. For more information, call Steve Eazell at 866-300-3376 or e-mail him at stevee@westernstatesacquirers.com .
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