If your fintech or business deals with credit unions, the Credit Union National Association’s (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) should be on your list. Over 4,000 attendees made the trip to Washington, D.C. and hundreds of exhibitors were ready to share their technology, form meaningful connections – and finally, collaborate in person.

A few of weeks ago I attended VentureTech 21, advertised as a “fintech showcase for the entire credit union industry”. More than 200 people packed the room at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas to watch 14 fintechs give 15-minute demos, with the aim of securing funding from and/or partnerships with credit unions and CUSOs. The audience included representatives from 48 credit unions, 21 CUSOs, 17 credit union leagues and league service corporations, five venture capital firms and a few journalists. Some of the fintechs that demoed at the event were already operational and had a strong client portfolio, while others had just gone live or were about to in the coming months.

Much has changed in the world of business over the past 18 months and perhaps no particular sector of American business has been impacted as much as conferences and special events. What once were mainstays upon which budgets were set and the annual corporate calendar revolved, the financial services industry – like most others – saw an almost exclusive shift to virtual hosting of conferences, user group meetings, association events, etc. And while conference committees have been pushed to be creative in finding ways to still host events in a virtual environment (Zoom break-out sessions, anyone?), the reality is that most attendees and sponsors found something lacking.

HubSpot’s INBOUND 2021 Conference was an exciting three-day event where our team heard from some of the top industry leaders in marketing and business about current and future trends. Although still virtual, the insights and networking obtained from this experience mirrored the value of an in-person event. The sessions offered an understanding of topics ranging from email marketing, SEO, social media advertising and much more. Here are the key themes and takeaways from this year’s conference. 

Without a doubt, 2020 has been a historic year, and that applies to industry conferences as well. We made adjustments from walking trade show floors and shaking hands with old and new friends to making sure our camera angles are just right with the perfect lighting.

With the focus on social distancing, it is no surprise most events and conferences these days have gone virtual. While this transition can be fairly painless for some content, a major, often overlooked, component of in-person events is networking. Whether finding new sales leads and business opportunities or reconnecting with peers and colleagues, networking is a big draw for most industry events. Often the main reason to attend for many, there was a big rise in the number networking-focused events prior to the pandemic. Unfortunately, it is also the aspect that tends to get lost in the shuffle when events shift to the virtual world. However, with the right planning, you can create an effective, memorable virtual networking experience for attendees. Here are some tips and suggestions to help make your next virtual mixer a success.

HubSpot INBOUND , normally a multi-day conference held in Boston made the decision like so many others this year to make the 2020 conference virtual. Despite the change in format, this year’s event did not disappoint the thousands of attendees who sat in on the conference from the comfort of their homes and offices from around the world.

Like so much this year, Finovate Fall Digital was a departure from the norm, but still featured a host of cutting edge demos and thought leadership from some of the best that the world of fintech has to offer. William Mills Agency was again well represented with agency CEO, William Mills, Heather Sugg, and K.T. Mills-Grimes all in attendance, and while this was the first time as a virtual event, Finovate still showcased 1300+ key fintech influencers, 120+ expert speakers, and 25 demo companies.

With Day 2 of Finovate Fall Digital 2020 under wraps, William Mills Agency Vice President Heather Sugg was able to catch up with Finzly CTO, Terry Howell, in a virtual interview to discuss Finzly’s demo, his thoughts on the digital event, and predictions for 2021 in the fintech industry.

While this fall's event may be looking different from years past, Finovate Fall Digital 2020 is in full swing, with a week's worth of keynote addresses, demos, and online networking.  William Mills Agency Vice President Heather Sugg had the chance to sit down with Glia CEO and co-founder, Dan Michaeli, to get his thoughts on Finovate’s digital event this year as well as an inside scoop into what Glia’s demo at the event will look like.