The Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin of the Fintech World

It’s been a kick to see some of the Fintech Rat Pack come together for a panel discussion on the topic of Google Glass, AND, it’ll be in Las Vegas no less.  “Who’s  the Fintech Rat Pack?” you ask.

If your Twitter feed is geared toward fintech at all, there’s a group of consultants, bankers, technologists and journalists who relish documenting the industry, and have a strong point of view about it.

In particular you’ll see our own @seansposito; @jimmarous; @leimer, all of whom are speaking on the Google Glass panel. 

Credit goes to Sean Sposito, pack member, for coining the phrase. 

Speaker Tips: Moderating a Panel (or doing away with them altogether)

Our first installment of Speaker Tips, just as the kids are returning to school. 

“I’ve got a few jokes lined up” said one moderator to me as he was gearing up for the introduction of his session.  I thought to myself, “Well, at least he kinda prepared.”

More and more, conferences are leaning toward lots of panel discussions. They certainly have the advantage of being potentially more engaging than a lone speaker flipping through charts on slides.  But just like any session—panel or presentation—the key to engaging the audience is running a solid session.  “Duh?!!” you exclaim.  “Easier said than done,” I retort.

I’ve actually witnessed some great panels that had no bells or whistles. It didn’t have talk-show seating or stools or standing or interpretive dance. The moderator asked the right questions; the panelists had insightful things to say.  No one speaker dominated.  The panelists engaged with one another.  They engaged with the audience.  It ended on time. 

So to start off, at the very least be prepared with what information you want to cover and get acquainted with each other, and other speakers’ viewpoints.  

After that, there are varying approaches and I’ve listed some links here, meant to stimulate some thinking about your panels.  Some of the specifics I agree with, some I disagree with.  But I like that each advocate a migration away from canned slides from each panelists followed by rehearsed Q&A.  Prep is good, scripted is bad.

Check it out:

How To Moderate a Panel Like a Pro

Older, but still great post:

No More Panels

Harrowing Summer Vacation Stories – We only had a magstripe card!

As summer winds down, we’ll be hearing from many a returning sunburned co-worker about their vacations.  Along with stories of people returning from exotic birdwatching sojourns or seven magical/arduous days with the kids at Disneyworld, one in particular will be near and dear to the hearts of ATM, Debit and Prepaid Forum-goers.

It’s the travel story of Americans on vacation romping through the countryside of France, or through a small town in Germany, or anywhere in the UK, without an EMV card.  They have cards.  But they don’t have a card with a chip on it.  Which is problematic if you’re trying to buy something, and more problematic if it’s something essential.

Take the story of our marketer, Sasha Burgansky who traveled through Provence and needed to buy gas.  The story begins auspiciously enough.  She stopped at a self service gas station, and pulled out her Visa chip card.  Because she did her research, she knew before packing her bags that she had to be prepared to bring a smartcard since retailers abroad have migrated to this system.  But alas!  It required a PIN!  She only had a signature card!  And it was a Sunday, when there was no station attendant.  The best laid plans, etc…..

When I was shopping at Printemps in Paris, a large department store equipped to accept all manner of cards, I would pay with a US-issued credit card.  I got looks that I could only interpret as: “Your French is terrible, and your magstripe card is inferior.” 

 Can’t wait for my chip card if only to avoid feeling shame and/or helplessness abroad.

Vegas, Orlando, Miami, Phoenix, New Orleans

These are the cities I've done most conferences in, in order of frequency with more visits to Vegas than I can possibly count.

It’s inevitable that I get approached with a question like, “Why don’t you have these events in Charlotte?” says an attendee from a Charlotte-based company that offers financial services.  Or I’ll get asked the same thing, but instead of Charlotte, it’ll be Delaware.  And then it’ll be Cincinnati or Minneapolis. 

I live in NYC, so I wouldn't complain if all our conferences took place within easy commuting distance of where I lived.  The first time this happened, I was actually excited to go home after an evening networking reception and do a load of laundry.  Can’t do that on the road. 

But when it comes to conference surveys, it’s Vegas that routinely comes out on top as the preferred destination.  It’s easy to fly into from most major US cities, the airfares are reasonable, the accommodations are ample and also affordable, and there are a gazillion things you can do—shows, dinner, spas, golf, completely losing track of time in the casino until it’s time for that 8 AM session that starts in 10 min. 

So, for all of those who are bemoaning yet another conference in Vegas, know that most of the people in the meeting room around you love that it’s in Vegas, and some have told me, “Vegas?!  Sign me up!” 

I would suggest that these are the people who will show you the way to fun in Vegas, so maybe hang out with them.  That’s good networking.