ETA Wraps Largest Strategic Leadership Forum in 25 Year History
Exclusive C-List Event Includes Special Edition Economic Indicators Report
October 9, 2014 – The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), the global trade association representing the payments technology industry, announces that the 2014 Strategic Leadership Forum (SLF) at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida was the largest to date, attended by more than 400 top payments and technology executives.
“This is a tremendous time of change for our industry – new competitors, new technologies, and shifting consumer behaviors,” said Jason Oxman, ETA CEO. “This year’s Strategic Leadership Forum brought together hundreds of payments executives from traditional payment leaders to technology innovators, to explore the next generation of payments. ETA events deliver high–level intelligence and networking unlike anything else in the industry.”
Key ETA SLF 2014 Highlights:
Best-In-Industry CEO Keynotes
ETA SLF executive attendees heard from industry luminary key note speakers Tim Tynan, CEO of Bank of America Merchant Services, Diane Offereins, Executive Vice President, President – Discover Payment Services and a member of the Discover Financial Services Executive Committee, and Frank Bisignano, Chairman and CEO of First Data. Keynotes shared insights on this transformative time for payments, with the introduction of Apple Pay creating a domino effect propelling mobile payments into the mainstream. All three speakers stressed the important new role the payments industry must play as we lead merchants through the roll-out out of these new technologies.
Release of a Special Edition ETA/TSG Economic Indicators Report
The report, produced by ETA and The Strawhecker Group, examines the top five topics impacting the industry this year including: data breaches, PayPal’s split from eBay, Apple Pay, the competition between Amazon and Square, and EMV. The report then discusses payments indicators currently affecting the industry. One such indicator, the TSG Payments Index (TSGPX), compares payments companies to the S&P 500 and finds that a $100 investment in the TSGPX in Q1 2007 would now be valued at $286, as compared to $138 if invested in the S&P 500. Other indicators to follow include a look at the balance between merchant attrition and growth, and a review of 90 payments acquisitions from 2000 – 2014. To access the report, click here.
Exclusive Executive Networking
The more than 400 top executives representing leading and emerging payments and technology companies benefited from peer-to-peer networking in an unmatched atmosphere. ETA’s strategically choreographed agenda and ocean-side receptions hosted by Bank of America Merchant Services set the stage for powerful and productive connections among key decision makers.
ETA’s 2015 SLF will take place October 13-15, 2015 at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Cathryn Wanders, Manager, Exhibits & Sponsorships, at 703.964.1240 x26 or [email protected].
For media inquiries, contact Meghan Cieslak, 202.677.7406 or [email protected].
About ETA
As the only organization leading and representing the payments technology industry, ETA offers cutting edge news and information, facilitates business connections and growth, provides a standard of industry certification, and advocates on issues critical to their members’ success. ETA’s more than 500 members represent over $4 trillion in payments processed across the payments supply chain.
About The Strawhecker Group
The Strawhecker Group (TSG), founded in 2006, is a management consulting company focused on the global electronic payments industry. TSG clients include merchant acquirers/ISOs, issuers, the card brands, technology and mobile companies, processors, major merchants, bank specialty lenders and private equity firms, as well as banks and financial institutions. The TSG team consists of proven industry leaders with extensive experience leading companies through explosive growth periods, mergers and acquisitions, technology-driven strategies, and data-driven decision making within the Payments Industry.