Forums
Global Concepts' Forums Are Not Just Another Conference…
What Are the Forums?
Global Concepts' Forums are symposiums for senior managers who want to discuss the latest industry information and trends. Forums comprise more than just a single meeting each year; they provide unequaled interactive discussion sessions and incomparable networking opportunities across several roundtable meetings a year. Additionally, Forums furnish members with written deliverables in the form of research reports and detailed summaries of each meeting. Much more than just industry conferences, Forums are the place to acquire the information that you need to make successful strategic decisions.
Interactive Meetings
Forum participants interact with speakers during presentations, resulting in lively debates and in-depth coverage of issues from multiple perspectives. Forums convene several times each year, thereby enabling continuing dialogues among the membership. Forum members don't just talk to one another at the meetings-they communicate with each other throughout the year!
Strategic Research Reports
Forums provide their members with a range of research topics; some reports incite discussion on industry forecasts, while others analyze survey data gathered by Global Concepts. These reports address the most current issues and provoke lively discussion and debate at the meeting. Like the meetings themselves, Forum research is driven by members' suggestions and interests. Forum research provides insight into those market trends and technologies that most affect members' strategic decisions.
Detailed Meeting Summaries
No other conference provides participants with a detailed report on every session. Summaries enable members to participate actively in the meeting without worrying about taking notes. These summaries, only available to Forum members, also provide valuable information to those who are unable to attend a particular meeting.
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What Forums Are Offered?
Global Concepts serves the needs of the payment system industry through the following Forums/Roundtables:
- Payments Operations & Strategy Forum (formerly the Check Forum)
- Cash Management Forum
- Implementations & Service Executives Roundtable
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How Are Forums Different?
Global Concepts has spent more than 14 years perfecting the Forum concept; our time-tested principles of Forum management remain the cornerstone of each Forum:
Open-Floor Discussions
The Forums are not a lecture series. Forum attendees are participants, and presentations are discussions. Speakers want to be questioned and debated. Attendees and speakers alike find this environment to be an invaluable learning opportunity and the greatest attribute of Global Concepts' Forums.
Global Concepts' Neutrality
All Forum members are treated as equal partners. Agendas are set and research is conducted in an unbiased manner. All members are encouraged to suggest topics of interest for upcoming Forum sessions and research. Global Concepts is an independent, objective consulting firm. We do not sell hardware or software, and we are recognized for our extensive work in the payments industry, including the annual benchmark studies, and the Federal Reserve check study.
No Vendor Booths or Sales Pitches
We encourage vendors to contribute to the open dialogue at the Forums. Their participation helps them to understand market needs and to educate our members about new technologies. Vendors are discouraged, however, from using sales tactics at the Forum. To that end, vendor booths, marketing materials, and sales presentations are prohibited at all Forums.
No Press Coverage
Global Concepts has found that members speak more candidly about their strategies and operations in the absence of reporters. Global Concepts does not allow press coverage of the Forums, nor do we publish Forum content to the industry at large.
Networking Opportunities
No other conference keeps all participants together for all sessions, meals, and cocktail receptions. Forums do not offer concurrent sessions because we believe they detract from the cohesion of the experience. All participants are privy to the same discussions and can meet everyone at the Forum. The relationships formed at the Forums transcend the Forum meetings.
Break-out Sessions
Global Concepts frequently offers break-out sessions at the Forums. These small group settings allow participants to discuss key issues with a more intimate group of peers. All break-out sessions culminate in a summary session where small groups report back to the group at large.
Panel Discussions
Often Forum sessions take the form of panel discussions. A group of industry experts are assembled to discuss the "ins and outs" of a particular subject, and all points of view are examined. Unlike other industry conferences, Global Concepts' panel discussions are never scripted and every member is encouraged to participate fully in the discussion alongside the panellists.
Value-Added Written Deliverables
Forum members have many opportunities throughout the year to participate in industry seminars and trade shows. No other program, however, publishes both original research and detailed written summaries of all presentations and discussions.
New Ideas
Global Concepts encourages the brainstorming of new ideas for the industry. While no policies or standards are set at the Forums, these groups are sounding boards that launch industry initiatives, prime companies to buy one another, and spawn new technology development.
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What Is the Forum Schedule?