PAYMENTS 2011 Call for Presentations

PAYMENTS 2011
April 3-6, 2011
Austin, TX

Submit your proposal online

Download a PAYMENTS 2011 Session Proposal Form (Adobe version)

Download a PAYMENTS 2011 Session Proposal Form (MS Word version)

Join us in Austin for what promises to be the most innovative and informative PAYMENTS conference ever. Technological and legal developments are driving significant changes to the competitive environment, opening the door to innovative solutions and new relationships. These developments are fundamentally altering how consumers and businesses use the electronic payment tools at their disposal. In the rapidly changing landscape of payments, knowledge is crucial to the near-term and future success of your business. Hear firsthand from expert practitioners in more than 130 sessions and specialized workshops. Not only will you gather information at PAYMENTS 2011 but you will also find many networking opportunities and special events. PAYMENTS 2011 offers seven extensive track offerings: 

PAYMENTS 2011 Tracks:

• Automated Clearing House (ACH)
• Card Solutions
• Check Electronification
• Corporate Payments Solutions
• Global Focus
• Risk & Compliance
• The Payments Biz   

For more information, visit the NACHA Web site or email info@nacha.org.

Call for Presentations

PAYMENTS 2011, the premier payments industry conference, will offer the most comprehensive, in-depth, and timely information on the issues, trends, developments, challenges, and opportunities confronting payment system stakeholders. NACHA strives to deliver the most value-rich program possible, featuring expert speakers representing organizations on the leading edge of progress and critical thinking. You will not want to miss this exciting opportunity to present your organization as a major presence in the electronic payments field. Proposal submissions due to NACHA by Friday, August 13, 2010.

HOW TO SUBMIT SESSION PROPOSALS 

Submit your proposal online. If you are unable to submit your session proposal online, please submit via email to conferences@nacha.org. If you submit by email, please be sure to include all required information as requested on the online form, and enter "PAYMENTS 2011 PROPOSAL" in the subject line. 

Download a PAYMENTS 2011 Session Proposal Form (Adobe version)

Download a PAYMENTS 2011 Session Proposal Form (MS Word version)

WHAT YOU GAIN AS A CONFERENCE SPEAKER

• Recognition of being associated with the premiere payments industry event
• Visibility and credibility within the industry for you and your organization
• A complimentary full conference registration
• Excellent networking opportunities 

PRESENTATION FORMATS

Concurrent Sessions - Typically 60 minutes in length; a limited number of sessions may be 75 minutes in length. Concurrent sessions allow speakers to present information on a wide variety of topics. Attendees are particularly interested in case studies and original research results. Proposals should offer tangible value to the audience including customer perspectives, lessons learned, best practices, and performance metrics. Financial institution and vendor/service provider submissions are expected to include an end-user/customer or an unbiased, industry expert as co-presenter.

Pre-Conference Workshops - 120 minutes in length; pre-conference workshops are offered on Sunday on a variety of electronic payments and eCommerce related subjects. These two hour workshops allow the speaker to reach a limited audience using a variety of interactive training techniques. Speakers are expected to provide meaningful, take-away value to the audience, such as checklists, resource papers, or other tools.

LEVEL OF PRESENTATIONS

The level of presentation is identified by the submitter(s) and is based on expected audience experience and knowledge. Session attendees evaluate the presentation by the appropriateness of the level and the ability of the speakers to meet the described objectives. It is very important to accurately identify the level of your proposal. The Conference Planning Committee reserves the right to modify the level and will instruct submitters accordingly so that they may meet audience expectations.

Fundamental sessions require little or no previous knowledge of the topic material by attendees and should emphasize the definition of terms and description of key concepts. These sessions take the "who, what, when, where, why and how" approach.

Intermediate sessions require a basic knowledge and some experience in the topic area by the attendees. Brief emphasis on terms is recommended. The focus should be on the practical use of the topic and the user benefits, and should include detailed examples. Some evaluation of alternative methods would be appropriate.

Advanced sessions require a working knowledge and considerable experience in the topic area by attendees and may further require basic or working knowledge in one or more related areas outside the specific topic. Examples and calculations may be fairly complex and only new technical terminology should be specifically defined. These proposals should be strategic in scope and focus on emerging trends or products.

CONFERENCE TRACK DESIGNATIONS

Concurrent sessions are assigned to one of seven program track designations. The track designations for PAYMENTS 2011 are as follows:

• Automated Clearing House (ACH)
• Card Solutions
• Check Electronification
• Corporate Payments Solutions
• Global Focus
• Risk & Compliance
• The Payments Biz

Submitters must designate the appropriate track when submitting session proposals. Please review a full description of the conference program tracks prior to submitting your proposal.

REVIEW PROCEDURES

Proposals submitted for PAYMENTS 2011 are reviewed by the Conference Planning Committee, which is comprised of payments professionals from across the industry, selected for their experience, areas of expertise, and organizational perspectives. The Conference Planning Committee members review and critique session proposals according to specific criteria, including:

• Relevance to the electronic payments industry;
• Originality of material;
• Overall perceived quality of session content;
• Timeliness of topic;
• A well-defined focus;
• Completeness of presentation proposal;
• Appropriate inclusion of customer/end-user or unbiased, industry expert co-presenter;
• Perceived take-away value for attendees;
• Speaking experience of presenters;
• Participant evaluations of presenter at previous NACHA events, if applicable;
• Uniqueness of subject matter

HOW TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF ACCEPTANCE

The PAYMENTS 2011 Conference Planning Committee will work from an extremely selective set of guidelines for reviewing and rating this year's session proposals. To ensure your proposal ends up at the top of the "accept" pile, please take a few moments to ask:

Originality - Is my focus on information that is not easily accessible elsewhere? Are the concepts being presented new or emerging thoughts?

Compelling Content - Am I offering a salient message, thought-provoking concept, or a controversial issues has great appeal to attendees.

Co-Presenter Recruitment - Am I able to bring a customer/end-user or un-biased industry expert as a co-presenter?

Educational Value Proposition - Is my session title clear and specific? Am I able to relate tangible benefits to specific market stakeholders and segments?

Direct, Bottom-line Implications - Can business relevance, ROI, metrics, and results be measured?

Use Clear, Concise Language - Are the focus and relevance of the proposal clear? Is the value of the proposal readily understood?

Avoid Sales Pitches - Have I ensured that I am not conveying commercial pitches for particular companies, products, or services?

Case Studies - Am I able to provide real-life examples? Sessions involving case studies are typically the best attended, and receive the highest evaluation scores. People want to hear lessons learned and insights from their peers.

Take-Away Value - Am I able to offer a concrete technique, tool, practice or information that attendees can take back to their organizations?

DEADLINE

Proposals MUST be received at the NACHA office by the close of business on Friday, August 13, 2010.

NOTIFICATION TO PRESENTERS

Submitters will be notified by October 29, 2010 about the status of their proposals. NACHA reserves the right to grant or refuse, at its sole discretion, speaking opportunities to any submitter. Compliance with NACHA's Code of Conduct, is a condition of presenting at PAYMENTS 2011. 

QUESTIONS?

Please call 703-561-1100 or email Stephanie Prebish at sprebish@nacha.org , Denise Foli at dfoli@nacha.org  or Bill Sullivan at bsullivan@nacha.org