Money 2020: The New Kid on the Block Grows Up Overnight
October 30, 2012
Ken Paterson
Mercator Advisory Group
The curiosity among attendees was palpable. Would Money 2020 become one of the payments industry’s must-attend shows, or would it become just another dusty milepost on the annual conference circuit? One data point may not be sufficient to document a trend, but the debut of Money 2020 definitely set a high bar for industry conferences—and for itself.
Most commendable was the mix of new entrants and incumbents recruited for the agenda, a formula which established a tone which was at once edgy and realistically grounded. Even regulators and attorneys were well-represented on the program. This mix ensured that there was plenty to discuss at the social events, as well as some new faces in the discussion. For those of us who use conferences to meet both clients and new organizations, the strong attendee list created the happy problem of multiple side meetings. If anything, the packed agenda might have benefitted from more breaks for meetings and networking.
The conference announced a repeat performance in the same time slot and same venue next year, a smart move to ramp up interest in the next program. Worth mentioning as well was the notable Aria venue, definitely a major cut above the usual Vegas conference fare.
With some 2,000 attendees at the inaugural show, it is hard to imagine year two. As one attendee put it, “What happens if they get 5,000 attendees next year? How will they manage that?”
That is the kind of problem you like to have.