This year marked BankTech Ventures second annual Limited Partner Summit. BankTech Ventures is the first venture fund created specifically by and for key leaders in the community banking landscape. Launched in 2021, over 100 banks are now part of the fund, with 11 investments already made and over 100 companies in its current pipeline ready to continue fueling the innovation ecosystem for community banks.
Fintech Nexus completed its metamorphosis. In 2022, the show launched its transition from LendIt into a namesake focused on industry connections. The two-day show remained in New York, gathering a good crowd of fintechs, venture capitalists, banks, credit unions, media and influencers. While there were still strong lending echoes from the vendors in the exhibit hall, the agenda this year was balanced with a wider focus on payments, embedded banking, security, consumer data and more.
The first in-person edition of Fintech Meetup wrapped up—and what a show it was! The industry’s newest fintech conference, described by some as “the future of fintech events,” took place at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on March 19th-22nd. The event was organized by the team behind the original Money 20/20 and had 3,000+ attendees, 40% of which were fintech founders and C-level executives.
ICBA LIVE could not have been timed better. Thousands of community bankers and fintechs converged in Honolulu over the weekend of March 12, when the stability of our nation’s financial markets was being challenged (yet again). ICBA and its bankers reacted quickly, providing much needed communication about how community banks are different, the stability of their financials, and that we are not facing a systematic problem.
After a two-year hiatus of some shows and the introduction of virtual or hybrid models of others, we’re excited about the direction that events are headed in 2023.
At the beginning of November, I attended VentureTech22 in Frisco, Texas. The show aims to drive digital transformation and innovation in the credit union industry, giving fintechs a platform to present their technologies to an audience of credit unions, credit union service organizations (CUSOs), credit union leagues and league service corporations, as well as fintech investors.
HubSpot’s INBOUND 2022 was back in person for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, and our marketing team was excited to travel to Boston for the conference. Joining approximately 10,000 other eager marketers in person (with an estimated 60,000 attending virtually) we experienced an electric atmosphere filled with continuous sessions, numerous HubSpot vendors and unlimited networking opportunities.
Fall not only brings a new school year, cooler temperatures and the emergence of college football rivalries, but also the start of conference season. This is the first time in several years people are feeling comfortable enough to travel and gather in person again, so this trade show season is already shaping up to be a busy one.
During the NHL Playoffs, sports fans may hear a lot about the Stanley Cup – the trophy given to the winner in the best of seven series. Beyond a three-foot tall tower of metal, the widely recognized hockey trophy symbolizes the leadership, the competitive desire of the team and the long road it took to win such a distinguished prize.
The uncertainty over the past two years has changed how the financial services industry approaches events. For many, it contributed to the realization of the vital role that industry conferences and trade shows play in the marketing and sales cycle, highlighting the need for in-person events to support lead generation efforts outside of inbound marketing strategies.