Stay tuned for our 2009 agenda and session descriptions. 

Our 2008 event offered an agenda rich in content and full of networking opportunities.

Monday, May 5, 2008 

Golf Outing sponsored by NCBS, an optional event for those arriving early

6:30 – 10:00 Welcome Reception and Dinner on the rooftop of The Peabody

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

8:00AM – 9:00AM          Breakfast

9:00AM – 10:15AM        Welcome & Keynote Address

10:15AM – 10:30AM      Morning Break

10:30AM – Noon            General Session & Keynote Addresses

Noon – 1:15PM              Lunch

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1:15PM – 2:45PM          Breakout Sessions         1:15PM – 4:15PM One on One Sessions:

2:45PM – 3:00PM          Afternoon Break             Reserve your timeslot for these private sessions

3:00PM – 4:15PM          Breakout Sessions

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6:30PM – 10:00PM        A trip to Graceland:  Tour Elvis Presley’s estate; have dinner; and enjoy high-energy rockabilly with The Dempseys.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

8:00AM – 9:00AM          Breakfast

9:00AM – 10:00AM        General Session

10:00AM – 10:15AM      Morning Break

10:15AM – 11:45AM      General Session & Panel Discussion

11:45AM – 1:15PM        Lunch

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1:15PM – 2:45PM          Breakout Sessions         1:15PM – 4:15PM One on One Sessions:

2:45PM – 3:00PM          Afternoon Break             Reserve your timeslot for these private sessions

3:00PM – 4:15PM          Breakout Sessions

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6:30PM – 10:00PM        An evening on Beale Street:  Dinner at the legendary B.B. King’s Blues Club and his exclusive Itta Bena Restaurant.  Enjoy dance and blues music with Grammy Nominee Preston Shannon.

Session Descriptions

Loyalty Trends in the Financial Services Sector

Allison Cripps, Senior Consultant, COLLOQUY

COLLOQUY is the leader in proprietary research on defining the size, growth and success of loyalty marketing in the financial services industry. Its White Paper, “Choosing the Right Tools for Your Relationship Banking Strategy,” defined that we are living in the Golden Age of financial services rewards programs, with 239 million rewards members in financial services, second only to airlines.  Be among the first to see COLLOQUY's most recent research and its implications for existing and emerging rewards strategies.

Key Trends in Debit Activity, Rewards and Loyalty

Chris Allen, Director, Dove Consulting 

Dove Consulting has been the industry leader in tracking the growth of debit card activity and rewards.  Come hear from the experts the latest trends in card usage, competition, merchant-funded rewards and the uncoupling of the debit card from specific bank accounts.

Client Performance and Metrics in the Business Case for Rewards Strategies

David Furnace, Consulting Partner, Furnace, Giltner & Associates 

Against the backdrop of overall industry trends, we provide the latest peer performance metrics from specific clients.  You'll get industry and peer performance strategies, statistics and financial payoffs to maximize your results for debit card, account openings, cross sales and retention not available from any other source!

Winning at the Front Line with Fun!

Dave Martin, EVP, Chief Training Consultant, NCBS

There are few traits as beneficial to a sales and service culture as humor in the workplace.  Dave Martin, noted author, speaker and trainer in Retail Banking, illustrates with his own great sense of humor how many organizations stifle energy, morale and customer engagement.

Rewards Q&A with a Panel of Peers

Moderated by:  Bob Giltner, President, Furnace, Giltner & Associates

Panelists:  Ann Durr, President, Valley Savings Bank

    Barry Planch, Senior Vice President, Trustmark Bank

                Donna O’Keefe, Vice President, Trustmark Bank

    Dianna Reinhart, VP Retail Sales and Marketing, Busey Bank

    Michael Sadofsky, SVP, Marketing, Republic Bank

    Sandy Richardson, VP, Republic Bank

    Beverly Carter, First Vice President, Retail Banking, Flagstar Bank

                Bob Colalella, SVP, Marketing, ESB Bank

We've organized several executives who have implemented successful rewards programs to serve on a panel for your questions.  They'll share with you stories of their efforts to generate results using rewards.  Networking with other financial executives is always the main benefit of conferences, and this general session offers a formal setting to supplement the informative discussions you will have throughout the symposium.

Invitation Checking:  How Referrals Drive Acquisition of Customers

Doreen Rademacher, Director of Product Development, Furnace, Giltner & Associates

In a market where every competitor is trying to acquire new customers and core deposits, research clearly shows that the best driver of a sustainable competitive advantage for your organization is referrals from existing customers. This session offers fresh ideas about the best way to generate these referrals and the best practices to maximize results.

Banking 2.0:  Why You Must Compete Now to Acquire Accounts Online and How To Do It

Bob Giltner, Consulting Partner, Furnace, Giltner and Associates

By 2015, seven years from now, over half of all checking accounts will be opened online.  Further, the very marketing of checking accounts will change as tools on the Internet will increasingly displace traditional advertising.  See what many banks are already doing with online opening, interactive websites, tie-ins with My Space and other emerging marketing strategies.

Merchant Funded Rewards:  How Proper Segmentation Makes Magic

Mike Bender, CEO, My Rewards

Mike Triggiano, CIO, My Rewards

Merchant funding is one of the hottest topics in debit rewards and can provide higher revenue on a transaction to your bank than interchange.  Not all merchant funding programs are organized to maximize your results and service to your customers.  You’ll learn the best methods to drive merchant success, financial institution success and customer delight with this growing reward strategy.

The Decoupled Debit Card

Paul Tomasofsky, President, Two Sparrows Consulting, LLC

The debit card continues to be a checking account access device that consumers use from their primary financial institution.  Now, a new product, the “decoupled credit card,” threatens to tear apart that debit card relationship much like credit cards did years ago.  In this session, you’ll learn how the decoupled debit card works, how it is being marketed, how rewards play a key part, and what the threats and opportunities are for regional, midsize and smaller financial institutions.

Fee Income and Expense Management in the New Retail Banking Environment

Hank Thompson, BSG Financial

Nothing is more the lifeblood of retail banking than growth in fee income, but it is becoming harder to come by.  In this session, Hank Thompson shows that one quick source, not used by many in the industry, is collection of Returned Deposited Items for your business accounts.  Then, and equally as valuable, Hank shows how you can better manage your key branch costs with sale and lease back opportunities.  At a time when branch growth in the industry has created over four times as many bank branches as Starbuck's locations, learn how to be prepared for the upcoming branch cost shake out.

The Growing Success of Second Chance Checking

Tim Bode, President, Stratis Technologies

In the fight for checking accounts, many financial institutions are taking a more segmented approach.  One key segment is second-chance checking.  Tim Bode will give you specific results and metrics of this key segment strategy in today's marketplace, and best practices from the top performing players in execution.

Managing Your Debit Processor Relationship

Jerry Straessle, President, JLS Associates

If you could look at contracts from processors with all of their clients, you might not be surprised that some financial institutions have a much better deal than others.  Jerry Straessle has seen and negotiated contracts to know all of the opportunities.  Come here how to maximize your relationship with your processors.

Your Rewards Pro Forma

Jeff Petro, President, My Rewards

Russ Robinson, Senior Managing Director, Furnace, Giltner & Associates

Bob Sterner, Executive Vice President, My Rewards

Charles Baker, Managing Director, Furnace, Giltner & Associates

Sign up for a one-to-one session in which you will have a pro forma tailored specifically to your strategies and financial characteristics.  You will leave with the business case and a three-year pro forma, based on peer performance, ready to take back to your management team.

Rewards Compliance and Technology

Christopher Leonard, COO & General Counsel, Image Products, Inc.

Let us discuss with you the best strategies to address all of your compliance, regulatory, and tax issues with rewards.  We’ve developed a unique approach in the industry to address these issues.  Sign up for a one-on-one session where we can discuss the detail of how the right solutions and technology can address your specific needs.