2022 IFA Annual Factoring Conference Preview
The International Factoring Association will hold its 28th Annual Conference in Boston this year. To give a taste of what’s to come in the event, here’s a preview of the multitude of content and events to look forward to.
BY PHIL NEUFFER
It may still be icy in parts of the United States, but it’s time to start making plans for the spring, as the International Factoring Association’s 28th Annual Conference is set to take place May 4 to May 6 in Boston.
Shipping Up to Boston
Attendees to this year’s conference will convene at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, which is situated just a few blocks from the city’s famous Copley Square as well as Fenway Park, the vaunted home of the Boston Red Sox. History and art fans will have their pick of famous landmarks and museums to visit, including Trinity Church, the Old North Church, Faneuil Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, although some spots may require more than a quick walk.
For those content to stay put at the venue, there is plenty to do in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. In addition to the hotel’s own indoor pool, fitness center, spa and wellness areas and in-house restaurant, there are plenty of excellent restaurants to visit a block away on Boylston Street and shopping to do at the nearby Prudential Center.
For those who would like to see what Boston’s culinary scene has to offer in a more cultivated manner, attendees can register for a Boston Food Tour networking event which will include a leisurely-paced walking tour through some of Boston’s neighborhoods and the chance to try regional favorites at iconic Boston eateries. The food tour will take place on day one of the conference, but there is plenty more to do that day as well. For instance, the conference’s annual golf tournament will be held at the Newton Commonwealth Golf Course on the morning of day one. In addition, the first day of the conference will include a Factoring Essentials Training Course, an Idea Exchange networking event as well as the Chapters’ Reception, the Young Professionals Reception and the conference’s Welcome Reception, which is being sponsored by Triumph Business Capital and Triumph Commercial Finance.
Day Two Sessions
The real meat of the three-day conference will get started on day two, beginning with an update on the IFA and its lobbying arm, the American Factoring Association, from the IFA’s new executive director, Tania Daniel, and the AFA’s board of directors.
The rest of the morning on day two will be filled by a pair of exciting keynote presentations. The first will be from Doc Hendley, the founder and president of Wine to Water, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water to underserved communities around the globe. In the presentation, Hendley will inspire attendees by detailing the story and mission of his organization and other modern-day miracles.
In day two’s second keynote address, cybersecurity expert Theresa Payton, founder and president of Fortalice Solutions, former chief information officer at the White House and a star on the 2017 CBS series “Hunted,” will discuss emerging trends and techniques to combat cybercrime.
Following the keynote presentations and a quick break for lunch (which will include additional networking opportunities for transportation factors at a separate breakout lunch event), attendees will have their pick of a host of invigorating breakout sessions throughout the afternoon covering a range of topics, including fraud, transportation factoring, factoring basics, employee acquisition and retention and credit and collections.
In the afternoon’s fraud panel, Jay Atkins, president of Seacoast Business Funding, will moderate a discussion with Roger Allen, chief operating officer of Alterna Capital Solutions; Jerry Reisman, Esq., partner at Reisman Peirez Reisman & Capobianco; and Greg Salomon, president of Oxygen Funding. Meanwhile, in a separate session, David Jencks, Esq., of Jencks Law will lead the transportation factoring session by discussing industry trends and issues related to this specialty. In addition, Brian Center, CEO of Quasar Capital Partners, will lend his expertise to attendees in the conference’s Factoring 101 session, covering basic factoring terms, UCC’s, the five C’s of credit and more.
During the second block of breakout sessions on the afternoon of day two, Meg Roberson, senior vice president and national sales manager at Gulf Coast Business Credit, will moderate a panel focusing on employee acquisition and retention, a topic that is particularly important in the era of the “Great Resignation.” Panelists for this discussion will include Janice Fox, senior vice president of human resources at Triumph Business Capital; Trey Griggs, sales executive at Lean Solutions Group; and Tim Knight, vice president at ThinkingAhead.
As if that wasn’t enough, the other breakout sessions in the back half of the afternoon will include roundtables for senior executives and young professionals as well as a presentation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on credit and collections with Emma Hart, executive vice president of operations and senior credit officer at Sallyport Commercial Finance, and Brad Magill, Esq, managing lawyer at The Collection Law Group.
After the sessions conclude, attendees will want to stick around for Thursday’s event reception, which will include food, drinks and entertainment. In addition, Tax Guard is sponsoring a dessert reception that will feature refreshments and entertainment as well.
Day Three Sessions
The third and final day of the conference will also include a morning presentation detailing the Congressional viewpoint of the AFA as well as a keynote address on economic trends, global trade and labor from economic expert John Manzella. In the presentation, Manzella will do a deep dive on the changing dynamics of the global economy. To get an even more in-depth preview, make sure to check out our Q&A with Manzella.
The breakout sessions on day three will get started before lunch, with the first three options covering reports from the courts, the factoring climate in Canada and complementary financing for factors. More specifically, Ben Heuer, Esq., and Bob Zadek, Esq., of Buchalter will share recent lessons from court decisions that affect factors, while Oscar Rombolà, managing director of eCapital Freight Factoring, will moderate a panel about the current climate for factoring in Canada. Also, James Baugh, senior vice president and operations manager at Commercial Funding, will moderate the panel on complementary financing, which will feature insights from Bryan Ballowe at TradeCap Parters, Kristen Palmer at Iron Horse Credit and Tim Serritella at Belvidere Capital.
Breakout sessions will continue following a lunch break, which will feature a small factors networking event. In the next round of breakout sessions, Gustavo Grodnitzky, a speaker, author, consultant and psychologist, will present part one of his presentation on the importance of maintaining a nurturing and motivating corporate culture. Other options during this part of the conference will include a discussion of critical due diligence issues with Jared Ullman, Esq., and Mike Ullman, Esq., of Ullman & Ullman; a look at technology trends for factors; and an operations roundtable with Leslye Campos, vice president of operations at ENGS Commercial Capital, and Melissa Free, vice president of operations at Triumph Business Capital.
After one final break, the final sessions will take place, with Grodnitzky presenting part two of his presentation while parallel panels will include a roundtable for small factors and a look at participations, take-outs, assignments and re-factoring. David Jencks, Esq., will join Constance Fraley, senior operations manager at TBS Capital Funding, and Daniel Lozier, vice president of Primary Funding, for the small factors roundtable, while the presentation on participations, take-outs, assignments and re-factoring will feature insights from Tia Kavas of 5Star Bank, Jason Medley, Esq., of Clark Hill, Clinton Stanton of TradeCap Partners and Mark Tiggeloven of Advantage Business Capital.
You can learn about every session in more detail, read about the speakers, stay up to date on new sessions as they are added and register for the conference here.