This week, we attended our first ever conference in the United States, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) Live at the Gaylord Convention Center in Floridas. The exhibition was on a different scale compared to anything that we had attended before, and it’s also one of the best organised events we have been to. Normally, I would approach the first site of an exhibition booth with some trepidation — concerned that half the items we ordered won’t be there or that I would be dealing with some dodgy power outlets.
Not in this case; everything was just as ordered and in immaculate condition.
The smooth organisation of the setup was extended to every part of the conference and was only bettered by the people from the community banks themselves. Everyone I had the pleasure of talking to was courteous, friendly and welcoming. With our company name Azeus UK above our booth, I was surprised by the number of people who came up to tell me how pleased that they were that we had come to their event. This even included several people who use rival products but had no intention of changing! Fortunately, we also got strong interest from more than 30 potential customers and I am looking forward to following up with them over the coming weeks.
So it just remains to say thank you to the community of Independent Bankers for being so welcoming and also to the ICBA for organizing such a great event. We look forward to seeing you all again in New Orleans next year – if not sooner.
