01 January, 2003
category: Biometrics, Education, Library
For anyone fortunate enough to have money in their budgets for attending educational seminars and trade shows this spring, you can pick from a variety of events and vacation spots. This season’s crop of card technology-related shows have selected some great locations to complement what we hope will be great agendas. The following article highlights five upcoming events that you may wish to attend.
Smart cards and skiing
in Salt Lake City
The Smart Card Alliance will host its Mid-Winter Conference at the Salt Lake City Center Hilton on February 12-13, 2003. The topic for the event is “Identity: Technology and Policy Issues of Trust.” The conference will be preceded on February 11 with the organization’s popular Educational Institute courses. Both the Smart Cards 101 and 201 courses will be offered, providing attendees with the very best short-course on chip card technology. For more details on the conference or the Educational Institute, visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.
Procurement Cards
in the Southern CA sunshine
The 6th National Cards on Campus Conference, presented by the Professional Development Group (PDG), will be held in San Diego, California on February 16-19, 2003. The conference focuses on the utilization of cards for internal payment transactions. Unlike many card technology events, Cards on Campus examines ways in which the technology improves faculty, staff, and administrative transactions. Specific areas of focus include purchasing cards, travel and fleet cards, credit and debit cards.
The fee to attend the conference is $500 per person, with most meals included. The conference will be held at the Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel in the heart of downtown San Diego. The conference room rate is $139. For more information and to view the conference agenda, visit http://www.prodev.com/welcome/.
NACCU 2003 goes to Mardi Gras
How many conferences can combine a great card technology education with one of the world’s greatest parties? The 10th Annual Conference of the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) will take place on March 5-8 at the New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans, LA. Each year, this conference is the focal point for campus card technology. The best new applications are unveiled, the most robust campus card-focused educational tracks are presented, and a crowd of 1000 card enthusiasts attend. Both members are welcome ($420 per person) as well as non-members ($520 per person).
And talk about a party–attendees can come early to experience Mardi Gras, they can join colleagues on a Bayou tour to see alligators and swamplands, and they can eat some of the world’s best food.
More than 32 vendors will showcase their products in the exhibit hall. Exhibits will be open on Wednesdayduring the kickoff reception in the hall; Thursday from 9:30 to 12:30 and 1:30 to 4:00 ; and Friday 9:30 to 11:00. According to Ron Pierce, NACCU Executive Director, “a few booth spaces are still available–contact us quickly at 334-808-4258.”
The conference program is separated into five tracks to enable attendees to best plan the sessions they will attend. Tracks include: Technology; Business; Marketing & Innovations; Beginners Sessions; and Gold Corporate Member Presentations. To view the conference schedule online, visit http://www.naccu.org/conferences/2003/schedule.htm.
The Tuesday prior is Fat Tuesday, the climax of the annual Mardi Gras celebration. Parades and partygoers line the streets in what is truly one of the world’s greatest parties. Says Ron Pierce, NACCU Executive Director, “Try to avoid traveling in on Tuesday. Come in early on Wednesday or if you want to join the festivities come early.” Rooms at the New Orleans Marriott are available at the $189 conference rate.
“Beyond the basics”
at the Beach in Florida
In May, the National Association of College Auxiliary Services will again host its successful “Advanced Campus Card Workshop: Beyond the basics: Your campus card as a management tool.” Last year, the event drew a large crowd to Burlington, Vermont to spend three days discussing card-related issues such as payment processing, disaster recovery, pay-for-print systems, web-based card offices, and more. The event will be held in conjunction with the association’s southern regional conference (SACAS) which takes place May 2-7, 2003 at the Sundial Beach Resort in Sanibel, Florida. Visit www.nacas.org/index.html for more information.
CardTech SecurTech 2003
among theme parks in Orlando
North America’s leading conference and exposition on advanced card technology is CardTech SecurTech. This year the event returns to Orlando, Florida’s Orange County Convention Center on May 12-15, 2003. With a theme of “Building Foundations for Trust,” the educational sessions will have a definite focus on secure credentials, identification, and authentication. Each year the leading companies from around the world display products including magnetic stripe, barcode and chip cards as well as biometrics, radio frequency products, and network security offerings. For campus card administrators, this is a great opportunity to find new products to integrate into your program or just glimpse into the future. For more information, visit http://www.ctst.com.