Tag Archives: conference

My Net.Finance results.

Net.Finance 2008I received my scores this week from Net.Finance. These are the accumulated scores I received from the people at my presentation on April 14th.

Highest possible score: 5
Content: 4.4
Presentation: 4.7

Comments:

  • Great presentation
  • Excellent concept, illustrative presentation, thought provoking
  • Very interesting. Would have liked a bit more info on how they built this channel
  • Great insight into social marketing
  • Great presentation, just a little fast at times

I’m really pleased, because it means people liked both my content and my presentation style (although I was called out for speaking too quickly, to which I plead guilty).

I now have results from three Net.Finance presentations: this year’s, last year’s and this past January’s Online Innovation conference.

Just as a point of reference, my scores from last year’s Net.Finance were:
Content rating: 4.72
Presentation style rating: 4.61

My results from Online Innovations were:
Content Rating: 4.5
Presentation Style Rating: 4.67

It’s nice that my results are fairly consistent, and people seem to like what I’ve been serving up. I look forward to the myriad of conferences that lie ahead for me this year.

Net.Finance reflections

Net.Finance 2008This year’s Net.Finance conference was the best yet. This was my third annual Net.Finance (not including their Online Innovations conference this past January).

The first year, I was new to financial services, and it was a great opportunity to learn about the industry from some of our leading thinkers and doers. The second year was great for networking, but the presentations were somewhat hit and miss. This year many of the presentations were strong, and the people I met were incredible. It was a great experience, professionally and socially.

The main takeaway I have from this year is that the online part of the financial services sector is at a healthy, natural plateau. Many of the things we’ve been exploring are now in place, and it’s time to execute, learn and improve. This includes metrics and analytics, optimization (A/B testing and multivariate), search engine marketing & optimization, website usability and core online banking functionality. We’ve gone from a period of doubt and experimentation to a period of adoption and execution.

I sense many of my peers are getting the respect they deserve within their organizations, and have roadmaps in front of them to follow. All the while they’re keeping an eye on some of the upcoming innovations, including social lending, personal financial management and mobile banking. I was amazed and heartened by how many more people were open to the Prosper and Wesabe models. A year ago, it was all so foreign, and many people I met at other FIs just didn’t have it on their radar. Not any more.

If you want to catch up on great blog coverage of the conference, my peer at Westminster Savings Credit Union, Ed Brett, captured it all on his new and valuable blog, Small FI Blog. Check it out.

Come on down to BarCampBank BC.

BarCampBank BCI’m excited to announce that on September 20, 2008 BarCampBank is coming to Vancouver.

Gene Blishen, Tim McAlpine and I are putting a stake in the ground, after talking about doing it for some time.

Now, some of you may be asking, what the hell is a BarCampBank. From the main BarCampBank page:

What if we changed banking and finance?
The aim of BarCampBank is to foster innovations and the creation of new business models in the world of banking and finance.

The first one in North America was in Seattle last July, and it was a truly transformative experience. For me, the ideas, relationships and bonds formed in those two days are invaluable, and the memories of it are strong and very good.

Lots of details to be worked out, like an exact location, but it will take place on September 20, 2008. The cost is always break-even (think $25 CAD), so its worth the travel expense for my East Coast readers.

Go to the wiki page to add your name to the list. It will not disappoint!

PS: Thanks to Morriss Partee, whom I credit for keeping BarCampBank alive and kicking in North America. Thanks Morriss, looking forward to seeing you here! Also, I believe it was his idea to create something with the acronym BCBBC. Who couldn’t love that!

NOTE: My original post accidentally said that this was on July 20th. It is, in fact on September 20th!