ur industry's regional events continued at break-neck speed in June. The NAOPP, NEAA and ETA all held meetings as summer began. Here is a wrap-up of what was announced and accomplished during June, and notes on benefits programs and events to come. These announcements are presented in chronological order.

June 8: NAOPP Meeting

The National Association of Payment Professionals (NAOPP) announced at the meeting, held in New Jersey prior to the Northeast Acquirers' Association Summer Meeting and Seminar, that it now has members in 30 states across the country. The association has made great strides in providing the benefits the membership has requested, and directors unveiled several exciting programs at the membership meeting, including:

• Low cost legal consultation/representation. This service will allow MLSs to send contracts to attorneys familiar with the industry who will make suggestions and corrections for a nominal fee.
• 401(k) plan. This program is designed to accommodate one-man operations up to medium-sized offices. For all 1099s, it's the opportunity to put away money for retirement. The average MLS is usually so wrapped up in running the business this area is seldom given the attention it deserves and requires.
• Health Insurance. This plan allows participation of one person or 100 people. The lack of available health insurance coverage has concerned many MLSs. Members of NAOPP now have access to a comprehensive group and individual health benefits program. In addition, members are now able to access the program through a secure Web site anytime, anywhere in the world.

Administered by leading providers of national association benefit programs, the NAOPP health benefits program provides the members with comprehensive health insurance benefits at an affordable price.

Registered NAOPP members can navigate the Health Benefits portal on the Web site to learn more about specific features of the program, access health insurance resources, search for PPO medical providers, and request personal or small business proposals.

The NAOPP member self-service modules allow you to complete the following tasks at your convenience:

• Request group proposals and individual proposals
• Initiate personal benefits consultations
• Ask questions on benefits
• Search for doctors and hospitals
• View and visit benefit provider links
• View health insurance news and benefits updates

Additionally, NAOPP is offering the option to open health savings accounts (HSAs) that create unique tax benefits for both employees and employers. HSAs can reduce health insurance premiums and enable the insured to build up tax-favored funds to pay out-of-pocket expenses for small and routine medical expenses. Federally qualified HSAs are tax-deductible, tax-deferred and tax-free.

For more information about NAOPP membership and their benefits package, please visit www.naopp.com or contact Bill Paul at MerchTPS@bellsouth.net or Chuck Saden at csaden@poscardprocessing.com.

NAOPP will have vendor booths at upcoming ETA Expo Network events and regional acquirers' association meetings. Be sure to look them up when you attend these events.

June 8 - 10 NEAA

The Northeast Acquirers' Association (NEAA) Summer Meeting and Seminar, held in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, set a new benchmark for regional events. Three-hundred-and sixty people in all attended, including 64 vendors in the exhibitor hall.

The response to the show was great, with vendors and attendees alike commenting that it was well worth the effort and expense to participate. The vendors we spoke with said they were pleased with both the quantity and quality of traffic at their booths. The breakout sessions were also very well attended.

Everyone was invited to attend the opening Education Forum on June 8, "Understanding Interchange," presented by Linda Ford and other industry experts. Over 100 people attended the seminar. A cocktail reception for vendors and attendees wrapped up the first day; the networking began in earnest on this beautiful, warm summer evening.

Wednesday's schedule began with breakfast and the morning was dedicated to the opening of the vendor expo. All of the vendors we spoke with reported that the quality and quantity of contacts made during the expo exceeded their expectations.

Following lunch, the education sessions held that afternoon included presentations by Visa, Discover, and American Express. WRG Services gave a detailed presentation concerning the ATM market for MLS/ISOs. Hypercom and VeriFone each made a technology presentation. The day ended with talks regarding the FTC lawsuits and portfolio analysis.

As always, NEAA made recreational activities available at the event. The dinner and golf were excellent opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

NEAA's upcoming Winter Meeting will be held Feb. 1 - 3, 2005, again at Mount Snow Vt. Please visit the association's Web site, www.northeastacquirers.com, for further announcements.

June 24 - 25 ETA Expo Network

The first ETA Expo Network was held June 24 - 25 at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla, Calif., just north of San Diego. 249 people attended this inaugural event, including many industry veterans. The beautiful Southern California weather and the idyllic setting greeted one and all.

Two ETA University courses were offered on Thursday, and interest in the classes was so high that there was standing-room-only. The morning course, "Introduction to Electronic Processing," provided a history of the industry and defined the major players and their roles.

The afternoon course, "Habits of Highly Effective ISOs and Sales Agents," covered some industry guidelines and regulations and discussed best practices for the merchant level salesperson in risk-management, merchant set-up, fraud protection and more.

Both courses were taught by Donna Embry, ETA's Director of Education.

The opening reception in the Expo Hall followed a day of learning and gave everyone a chance to meet and greet and review the vendors' products and offerings.

Friday began with a networking breakfast, then it was on to the educational sessions. The morning fare consisted of four choices:

• Industry Update: Mary Dees of Creditranz discussed new trends in the industry and presented ways to make sure your company stays on top of these changes.
• Legislative Update: Phil Taken shared his legal knowledge in this presentation on new national and state-level legislation affecting the industry.
• Interchange: Mary Winingham of TransFirst addressed the recent changes made to interchange and how these changes impact MLS/merchant relationships.
• Chargebacks: Kim Marvin of Cynergy Data described ways to control chargebacks and reduce losses.

After lunch, attendees chose from three more sessions:

• Merchant Contracts: Phil Taken defined best practices for merchant contracts.
• Technology: A panel consisting of Patti Murphy, The Green Sheet; Miles Paschini, EWI Prepaid; Dale Laszig, Hypercom, and Bob Ficarra, CrossCheck reviewed new technology.
• Relationship Management: Joe Kaplan of Innovative Merchant Solutions led a discussion on the importance of managing merchant relationships.

Attendees then had additional time to visit with the exhibitors before the closing reception on Friday evening.

The ETA Expo Networks are designed as a series of affordable, local tradeshows for ISOs/MLSs. The shows all follow the same format: they're two days and include two half-day ETAU courses the first day and educational sessions and expos the second day. Receptions open and close the events. Registration is $75 for members or ASPs (Affiliate Service Providers).

The next ETA Expo Network is set for Oct.14 - 15, 2004 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas. For more information visit www.electran.org or call 866-ETA-MEET.

MWAA Second Annual Conference, July 28 - 30

The Midwest Acquirers' Association (MWAA) announced that Paul H. Green, Chairman and Editor in Chief of The Green Sheet, Inc., will receive its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004.

Since he started publishing The Green Sheet over 20 years ago, it has become the most widely read publication in the payment processing industry, both in print and online. He will receive the MWAA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004 on Thursday afternoon, July 29, 2004, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Ill.

"Paul Green is a legend in our industry and we are delighted to honor him in this way," said Mark Dunn, President of MWAA and Senior Vice-President of Transaction Services with Universal Savings Bank, FA in Milwaukee, Wis.

"Paul is responsible for raising the bar in the payments industry with the outstanding quality and insight of his publications and Web site. He and his team at The Green Sheet, GSQ and Green Sheet Online have been responsible for educating thousands of salespeople and payments processing executives.

"On behalf of the MWAA, we are excited about presenting this award to Paul Green at our Second Annual Conference in recognition of his contributions and leadership in the industry," Dunn said.

MWAA also recently announced a Recognition Program for MLSs in conjunction with its Second Annual Conference. The program is meant to encourage the "feet on the street" salesperson to register for special recognition at the conference and reap some very significant benefits. For instance, each MLS or field sales manager attending the conference will have a chance to win one of 20 American Express gift cards worth $500 each at the closing reception.

"We wanted to do something special to put the spotlight on the great people who are out there selling merchant accounts every day," Dunn said. "We want our vendors and other attendees to know who the salespeople are. We see ourselves as a resource to the MLS in the Midwest and want them to come to our show. And as for the gift cards, well, when you sell on commission, it's nice to get a spiff, too."

The two-day Second Annual Conference will provide a regional opportunity for training, education and networking for the ISO/MLS community and is expected to draw nearly 500 payment professionals from the Midwestern area.

Jim McCormick, MWAA Treasurer, said, "We have already sold out on vendor space so we know there is a lot of interest in this show. Sixty-seven vendors representing every aspect of the industry will be on hand."

"We are very excited about the Recognition Program for MLSs because they have traditionally been the under-served players in our industry," said Caroline Marino, MWAA Vice-president. "We believe that putting our educational and networking resources at the command of the MLS will help everyone in the industry."

A special educational seminar will be offered the day before the MWAA conference. Called "Field Guide for the Developing ISO," it gives a detailed picture of what it takes to succeed in the ISO business. More than 20 ISO experts will provide unique insights and share experiences.

The MWAA conference itself will feature presentations by senior executives from Ingenico, Lipman USA, Thales, VeriFone, Hypercom, Fifth Third Bank, Visa U.S.A., First Data Corp., Total Merchant Services, Online Data, Profit Point and NPC.

Contributing sponsors include American Express, First Data, General Credit Forms, Hypercom, Ingenico, JR's POS Depot, NPC, Online Data, TenderCard, The Green Sheet, Transaction World and VeriFone.

MWAA is a not-for-profit, no-membership, independent forum. Its mission is to provide a regional opportunity for training, education and networking in the Midwest acquiring community.

Visit www.midwestacquirers.com for more information about MWAA.

For more information about the ISO Field Guide seminar, visit www.fieldguideforisos.com or contact Mark Dunn by phone at 414-220-8835 or e-mail at mdunn@usbankfa.com.

The Green Sheet, Inc. is a sponsor of each of the regional acquirers' association meetings and the ETA Expo Networks series. Look for our booth at these events-we look forward to meeting you. If you have an announcement regarding a trade association event, please send your information to julie@greensheet.com.