Why Navigating Payments?

• Angi: Of course, we are excited to welcome back many of our friends from financial institutions around the Midwest and around the country – both from banks and credit unions! We usually also have some folks from the corporate side of the house also join us, and we hope to see some of our affiliate members there this year, too.

• Jennifer: I’m so excited that we’re bringing in such a wealth of knowledge from our excellent speakers this year.  We have six speakers from the Federal Reserve Bank, along with speakers from The Clearing House, the U.S. Faster Payments Council, Nacha (including Jane Larimer, the CEO of Nacha), and so many other great organizations helping to serve the payments industry.

• Jennifer: We have several sessions covering a range of topics related to faster payments, including instant payments, designed to have something for everyone - regardless of your level of experience or previous involvement with faster payments. And, of course, I’m very excited to have Lee Wetherington back on the agenda – and back by popular demand (everyone wants to hear what Lee has to say)!

• Angi: Like Jennifer, I’m excited for the well-rounded faster and instant payments representation from various industry professionals – including from bankers banks, core providers, the U.S. Faster Payments Council, and financial institutions. Regardless of your experience level, I’m excited that we have sessions that will be a good fit for you. I also need to plug the reminder about how the conference is a fantastic opportunity to earn Continuing Education Credits (“CECs”) for all three accreditations we support – AAP, APRP, and NCP!

• Jennifer: Even before working at UMACHA, I used to attend Navigating Payments because it was local, easy to get to, and my employer would pay for it – why pass up a great opportunity for high-quality and low-cost education if your employer is willing to foot the bill?

• Angi: There are great networking opportunities to connect with your peers through general and breakout sessions, vendors, or even folks from the Federal Reserve Bank and The Clearing House – this is such an amazing opportunity to build connections that can help you down the road. Navigating Payments is also an opportunity for those who don’t regularly get exposure to UMACHA, including those who might not yet be members, to get a sense of who we are, what we do, and what we have to offer.

• Jennifer: You and your staff can get two days of outstanding education for about the same cost as attending a single workshop or a couple of webinars.

• Angi: Absolutely agree with what Jennifer said. It’s a no brainer for the value of education, connections, and experience of attending Navigating Payments!

• Angi: Not only the variety of sessions that are available to attend, but also the experience. We are really trying to create an experience at Navigating Payments where it doesn’t feel like “just another conference” – we want to bring folks together and not have you feel bored. There are great networking opportunities, including roundtable discussions, and even prize drawings! You will feel like you’re getting value for the time you invest in attending.

• Jennifer: We have 34 sessions with over 50 different speakers which will give attendees exposure to a wide range of experience, expertise, and payments-related topics!

• Jennifer: We have a couple of refreshment breaks, breaks for meals, and our end of day reception after the first day which are all great opportunities to chat with, reunite with, or connect with someone new you don’t know. We have also added roundtable discussions this year for some of the meals, which I think will be especially great for those who might be coming alone to get to talk to other attendees about specific payments-related topics (or about anything, really). In fact, it was at an event break once where I first met Peter Tapling (shout out), so you never know who you might meet!

• Angi: We can’t forget about gamification! Within the event’s mobile app, attendees can participate in gamification, which encourages mingling with vendors, exhibitors, and other attendees!

• Jennifer: After last year’s conference, we got feedback from attendees that they are not only looking to hear about the problem, but they also want help uncovering solutions to the problem. We are excited this year to not only discuss what challenges might be facing the payments industry, but we also have several vendors who are excited to help offer solutions to those problems.

• Angi: It also just so happened that last year UMACHA did a brand refresh with a heightened focus on being the answer key in your back pocket and being able to unlock solutions with a key. The brand refresh coupled with the feedback from last year’s conference really helped make Unlocking Solutions a natural fit for the 2023 conference theme!

• Angi: I just love Lee! Lee’s energy that he brings to the conference is unparalleled. Any year that’s a “Lee year” makes me happy!

• Jennifer: Despite the challenges that can often accompany planning for a conference like this, the conference always ends up going so well. The UMACHA staff and Navigating Payments committee always come together to work cohesively as one large team to pull off a fantastic event. I’m looking forward to seeing everything come to fruition with the conference this year!

• Angi: UMACHA Gives Back is something that is near to my heart. Now that we are back in person, we can partner with local organizations and charities who have a real impact on the areas in which we operate and serve, and that gets me excited. I love seeing these efforts take hold and our members embracing and participating by giving back to the community in this way.

• Check out our Navigating Payments homepage

• View this year’s conference agenda

• Review the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors