Client experience, skill development, leadership and networking were top activities during the 2019 Operations and Technology Conference of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association.
Jennifer Martin, Senior Vice President of Leasing and Vendor Program Support at Key Equipment Finance, is chair of the ELFA Operations and Technology Committee that spearheads the conference and shared the conference highlights below as a recap for the Equipment Leasing & Finance magazine.
2019 Operations and Technology Conference kickoff
The 2019 Operations and Technology Conference, which took place recently in Chicago, started with a client experience pre-session, hosted by Deb Reuben of Reuben Creative. In the interactive forum, participants learned practical ways to stay on top of their clients' expectations in a fast-moving, ever-changing environment.
A keynote session followed featuring Dr. Robert Wescott, founder and president of Keybridge Research LLC. Wescott gave an informative talk previewing new research from the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation on the potential for various degrees of recession and the resulting impact on the industry.
New concepts and interactive sessions educated attendees
The keynote address was followed by two days of sessions that balanced the operational side of leadership with the practical application of full technology potential.
In an interactive session, "Who Moved My Cheese Again," audience members moved in and out of their comfort zones learning how various personality types handle change.
The "Dip Your Toe" series featured 30-minute burst presentations on cutting-edge topics, including artificial intelligence and blockchain. One session by Denis Stypulkoski of TIAA Commercial Finance Inc. included a digital journey that had participants thinking about how they could evolve to become “software companies that offer leasing products.”
In addition, an interactive session about the power of diversity opened dialogue and excitement around ways to improve organizations through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture.
During vendor lightning rounds, exhibitors described how they could provide for the future in a face-paced, three-minute challenge presentation.
2020 conference in the works
Martin noted that the committee is already planning for next year, when the conference will be in New Orleans Sept. 14-16, 2020.
See her full recap here:
