BSA Mid-Year Meeting Making Waves
BSA Mid-Year Meeting Making Waves
If you attended the March 14 through 17 Mid-Year Bankcard Services Association meeting, then you are probably aware that some there were disappointed.
While the attendance was reported at 300, up from the previous 225, this meeting seemed to have more grumbling in the hallways than meetings past. We were told by one attendee, "There was just a weird vibe at this meeting."
The meetings, which can be cliquish, tend to separate the old-timer organizations which have survived more than a decade, from what are considered new- comers, and give some the feeling that "we don't belong here."
We also received "General Session" comments such as "The testimonial from the meeting floor during the Tom Hopkins presentation was embarrassing to the BSA (Chuckles, Chuckles), and time schedules were
pushed beyond interest for the Electronic Card Systems Presentation."
We were also told "Take a Closer Look at the Internet" (session C), was one of the Highlights of the meeting in terms of information.
On the Exhibitors' side, several companies were upset that the Exhibition area was so far from the General Session area. Additionally,
some thought that the traffic layout and food placement were poor, not giving the Exhibitors a fair shot at the Attendees. In the BSA's defense, we were told that the BSA staff attempted to fix the problems as they occurred, and it is certainly no easy job to breathe life into one of these events. At the outset of the Mid-year meeting, The Green
Sheet was conducting phone interviews for the April 15 article "A View from the Street." Each of those interviewed (assuming that we found them in their offices before March 18) were asked why they were not attending the BSA meeting. We were surprised by the fact that a number of people did not know what the BSA was about. While it is true that we were primarily trying to talk to ISOs who have been in business only a couple of years, WE were even surprised by the three consistent responses we received. These ISOs:
Sell for a bank who is not a member.
Are down stream ISOs and they fear the BSA will turn them in to VISA if they join.
Think that BSA membership is too costly for the value received.
Overall, both from the meeting response and after meeting calls, it would seem to us that the BSA has some real opportunities to increase its numbers, if perhaps a new class of member was created, and prospective members were assured that the BSA is not simply a policing mechanism for Visa or MasterCard.
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