The 2018 ACA International Fall Forum and Expo, a three-day conference presented by ACA International, will be held Nov. 7 – 9 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Ill. The trade event includes educational seminar sessions, expert industry speakers, an exhibitor showcase, and a variety of networking opportunities for credit and collection professionals.

The seminar sessions provide attendees with opportunities to learn new trends and strategies over a full range of industry knowledge while the tradeshow offers expert knowledge and solution-providers as well as innovative products and services to help stay competitive in today’s business world.

ACA International represents more than 230,000 credit and collection professionals who are affiliated with collection agencies, creditors, debt buyers, collection attorneys and debt collection industry services providers. The conference is open to both members and non-members of ACA International.

Each day of the conference is summarized below.

Wednesday, November 7

The first day of programming features the Advanced Compliance: Credit & Collections Compliance Attorney Workshop from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This event focuses on “threading the compliance needle through a colorful fabric of key compliance topics.” Compliance officers, compliance attorneys and operations managers tasked with managing operational, legal and compliance responsibilities are the primary beneficiaries of this workshop.

There will also be a Creditor’s Conference which will give attendees an opportunity to learn about credit and accounts receivable related trends, share trade-secret information, and take a close look into compliance strategies. Credit and collection professionals may attend this session online.

The day will end with an Opening Reception in the Expo Hall, providing an opportunity to network with exhibitors and speakers.

Thursday, November 8

Day two starts with a Continental Breakfast in Expo Hall, followed by the Opening General Session which will showcase a talk from Tom Phal, policy director for research, markets and regulations at the BCFP, who will review the bureau’s top priorities and current approaches to rule-making.

The day will also include a number of member-only workshops such as:

Exploring Agentless and Electronic Methods for Communicating with Consumers — Recognizing the Guardrails, E-sign and Other Considerations
Defense Tactics — From the Industry Defense
“Liking” How the Canons of Ethics Applies to Lawyers in Social Media
Coordination Between Counsel on State Legislative/Regulatory Developments, and Internal Investigations Associated with Litigation and Pre-Trial Discovery Tactics for Evaluating Risk

A number of workshops that are open to everyone, including Credit Repair Agencies: Prepare Your Line of Defense; Become a Ninja Collection Executive: What you Need to Know to Succeed; Training for Success: Tips and Tools for Developing a Dynamic Team; Industry Regulation: Agency and Client Critical Conversations; Is Staffing Up, Getting You Down?; Primer of Medical Debt Reporting — Focus on Rhone v. Medical Business Bureau pending in 7th Cir; Credit Reporting: Navigating the Turbulent Waters; and finally, Compliance in 2018: The Top 10 Ideas to Keep Your Complaints and Suits Reduced. These workshops help strengthen the abilities of credit and collection professionals while giving them new, innovative ideas.

Friday, November 9

Friday showcases more member-only workshops such as Making Sense from the ACA v. FCC Aftermath – Including a Q & A; Preventive Strategies for Communicating with Consumers — Lessons Learned in the Second and Third Circuit; and Disputes and Credit Repair Organizations — Trends in FCRA Litigation. These sessions are led by some of the leaders among credit and collection professionals.

Other sessions will include Profitability: We Yearn For It But How Do We Reach it?’ Insights on Hot Topics from a Health Care Provider; Insecure About Data Security?; Hospital Mergers: How to Survive the Cuts and Achieve Profitability; and Is Your Ringy Dingy a Contemporary Thingy? These workshops will showcase the changing medium for credit and collection professionals.

Networking with Credit and Collection Professionals

Networking is an integral part of success for credit and collection professionals. Meeting with peers presents an opportunity to collaborate, hear new ideas, and validate or change perspectives. Attendees may hear what others are doing and gain inspiration to implement something similar. They can find a mentor or become one, and even make connections to help further their own career.

Other Credit and Collection Professionals

Optio Solutions is managed by an executive team of credit and collection professionals having nearly 150 years of combined experience. The best-in-class agency was established on a foundation of financial services experience, compliance, data protection and collections technology with a commitment to delivering favorable returns on investments, brand protection and customer retention for clients in automotive, financial services, education, energy, retail and more.

About the author

Joe Gargiulo

Marketing and Communications Mgr. Joe Gargiulo has 25-plus years in copy writing, marketing and public relations. As a writer, he enjoys connecting story leads to all aspects of the human experience.