Pub. 9 2020 Issue 2

l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s 18 2020 BANK TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS CONFERENCE & SHOWCASE O ver 260 bankers and vendors gathered Feb. 10-11 at the Wichita Hyatt Regency Hotel for the 24th Annual Bank Technology Conference & Showcase. Following opening remarks by current KBAVice Chairman Mike Ewy, Brad Smith with Cornerstone Advisors kicked things off with a talk on the top 10 emerging technologies that will impact financial institutions and their customers in the next five years. He stressed how so many aspects of banking have changed and how progressive community banks are successfully adapting to this shift. The annual conference included several concurrent sessions over the two-day event. • Downtime: How Will You Recover? • Online Account Acquisition Best Practices. • Into the Vendor Breach. • The State of Payments: Real-time and the Reboot of Everything. • Vendor Performance Management: The New Mandate. • Practical Security: Password Management. • Effective and Comprehensive IT Governance. • Vendor Performance Management. • Cybersecurity: Five Most Common Gaps. The conference included a facilitated peer group discussion period where bankers divided up based on the asset size of the bank. Discussion groups were assigned as $100 million and under, $101-$225 million, $226-$450 million, and over $450 million. “Better Than Before: How to Make Digital Banking More Personal and Meaningful,” was an enlightening presentation by the ever-popular Lee Wetherington, Director of Strategic Insight at Jack Henry & Associates. He shared that for over 50 years, technology has de-humanized banking by systematically replacing people with automation in the name of convenience and self-service: ATMs, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), online banking, mobile banking, and, now, chatbots. For community financial institutions who differentiate themselves on personal service and relationship banking, this trend poses an existential threat. The good news is that a new model of digital banking has recently emerged, one that uses digital technology to bring real people together at the moment of need — and its exactly what consumers want whenever they have a question or concern about their money. The conference concluded with a riveting presentation by former CIA operative James Olson, who shared stories about the men and women, including himself and his wife, who protect American citizens from international terrorism and defend American values. Mr. Olsen had folks on the edge of their seats as he described actual operations that he and his wife were both involved in, and how their employments affected family life, raising children and friendships. There was also a sold-out trade show with 54 exhibitors ready to demonstrate a multitude of products for the industry. Conference participants were afforded numerous opportunities to interact with showcase exhibitors throughout the course of the conference making them eligible for prizes. Thank you to our sponsors: GOLD: Apiture, KBA Insurance; SILVER: CalTech, Cornerstone Advisors, DCI, KBA/NBA Schools of Banking; BRONZE: Commerce Bank. The 2021 Bank Technology Conference and Showcase will be held Feb. 8-9 at the Wichita Hyatt Regency Hotel. Brad Smith, Cornerstone Advisors, shares the top ten emerging technologies that will impact banks and their customers in the next five years. As usual, the ever-popular LeeWetherington (Jack Henry & Associates) wows the group with another insightful presentation.