Sunday, May 6: VEGAS, BABY!
I love to sleep. So, when my alarm went off at 5 a.m., I was less than thrilled. But that feeling went away quickly when I remembered that I was headed to Vegas for the Financial Brand Forum! If you are not familiar with the Forum, it’s a three-day conference for banks and credit unions. This event is packed with insightful sessions, keynote presentations and the ability to connect with hundreds of financial marketers from around the world. As a veteran attendee, I knew that the week ahead was going to be EPIC! No time to sleep—Vegas awaits! First stop: Dane County Airport.
Monday, May 7: 10, 20, 30
It’s SHOWTIME! Our first networking session was at 7:30 a.m., and it went great! My co-workers, Bryan Reichling and President Mark Whalen, are both here representing IW as well. We try to generate new leads and connect with current clients by exhibiting and sponsoring the Financial Brand Forum each year.
Our marketing strategy to drive traffic to the booth is our $1 mailer. Before the conference, we mail every attendee a one-dollar bill. If they bring their dollar bill to the booth, we check the serial number against our winner board—and if the number matches, we give them $100 on the spot! If not, they do not leave empty handed because they get to keep their dollar. I have checked 10 one-dollar bills already this morning, but no matches…we are still on the hunt for our first $100 winner.
The Forum always brings in the best and brightest keynote speakers for this conference. The first was Guy Kawasaki, who has served as Chief Evangelist at Apple® and a strategic advisor to Google™. During his presentation, Kawasaki shared lessons on branding and innovation. My biggest takeaway was about Microsoft® PowerPoint presentations. He said Steve Jobs believed that to make the biggest impact with your PowerPoint, it should be 10 slides and 20 minutes long with 30-point text. I am going to use this 10, 20, 30 rule in the future!
The day is flying by! I can’t believe it’s already time for our first sponsored event. We are hosting a cocktail reception for clients and prospects in the Cosmopolitan Hotel tonight, and I look forward to seeing everyone there.
Tuesday, May 8: Foodie Paradise
The 7:30 a.m. networking reception came early! We were mixing and mingling with clients and prospects until the wee hours of the morning. Thank goodness for Diet Pepsi® and popcorn! Today is packed full of networking breaks, concurrent sessions and another reception we are hosting later tonight.
We had our first $100 winner today—congratulations to Michael George of Kerns Schools FCU! We’re still on the lookout for the other 14 winners. I don’t want to jinx it, but it has been an AMAZING conference so far. We have been able to meet some fantastic financial minds and have had great conversations about the image.works difference. The hot topics are loan and deposit growth. We’re sharing what our clients are having success with and how our data solutions can provide results!
We had a full house at our dinner reception tonight. We hosted a four-course dinner at the Scarpetta Fountain Room. This place is a foodie’s paradise! From creamy polenta to short rib agnolotti to Nutella® bomboloni and more—we were all stuffed. EVERYTHING was amazing. A huge thank you to the clients who joined us! It was so much fun sharing this experience with you.
Wednesday, May 9: Connections Are Key
It’s sad to see this conference come to an end. We have just a few more hours of booth time before we tear down the exhibit and prepare to fly home. Conferences are so important to our team because we get to make face-to-face connections. This time is very precious, as most of our communication at the office is done via email or phone.
Being an exhibitor also allows us to connect with other vendors. We enjoy the opportunity to collaborate and innovate with other top experts in the industry—many of whom we see year after year and have built friendships with.
Thursday, May 10: What Happens in Vegas…
That’s a wrap! We had such an amazing time—but it sure feels good to be back in Wisconsin. Although, the 45-degree weather here is not very welcoming. (Take me back to the Bellagio Fountains and the 115 degrees!)
My favorite thing about the Forum is how open everyone is to share! Successes, struggles, how they overcame situations—you name it. We love the electric energy and the ability to learn right along with you. Hope you can join us next year and see how great this conference truly is!
