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Why Two Meetings Annually?
The founding members realized early on that meeting once a year was not frequently enough to keep abreast the rapidly evolving technology and ever-changing regulatory requirements. Their bank and thrift customers demanded the latest and best products to stay ahead of the competition and they needed to comply with state and Federal regulations in the process. It was up to our member companies and their vendor partners to satisfy these needs.
AFT meets twice annually, in March and September, to present programs of vital, current interest to its members. Both meetings are usually 2 ½ days in duration, and are rotated throughout the country with an occasional conference in Canada.
The Spring Meeting & Workshops features general sessions as well as concurrent break-out sessions designed specifically for sales/marketing and operations/customer service managers. The Annual meeting is held in the fall and consists primarily of top financial industry speakers addressing the latest trends and techniques. This conference also serves as the organization’s annual business meeting and election. Many member company CEO’s choose to attend this meeting and participate in a unique CEO Forum.
Both meetings include lively interactive sessions where the topics are selected by the attendees and discussed in depth. Most meetings attendees rate these sessions as the most valuable and production of the entire conference, and consider the information exchanged as worth many times the cost of attending. It is also these sessions the spawned the term “coop-etition”, an AFT-coined word combining cooperation and competition.
Both meetings also include receptions, luncheons, special evening events and spouse/guest programs, which take advantage of area attractions.
Looking for information, networking and peer interaction? Check us out!
Event Strategy
AFT plans its semiannual meetings according to a time-proven formula for success.
The meetings are held in the spring and fall, almost exactly six months apart, in order to keep members informed of the very latest technology trends and techniques, key regulatory issues and other time sensitive topics.
The meetings are two and one half days in duration, again following a proven pattern, which allows attendees to arrive on Sunday evening and depart at midday on Wednesday. Our meetings are cost-effective and packed with information, interaction and networking.
The programs are a blend of industry experts addressing topics of vital current interest, lively interactive sessions in which participants set the agenda, panel discussions featuring bankers, regulators and consultants, workshops focusing on sales/marketing and operations/customer service topics. Frequently, members present some of our best sessions.
We plan a just-right social agenda including receptions and a popular, special evening event taking advantage of area attractions and providing the perfect setting for more networking opportunities. We also offer a special Spouse/Guest Program that is very popular with many members.
Finally, we meet in nice places and warmer climates, which adds to the attraction of the meeting and affords opportunities for recreation before and after the conferences. Why not?
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