5 “must-dos” at MBA Tech 2016

We’re less than two weeks out from Mortgage Bankers Association’s annual Technology in Mortgage Banking Conference and I’m really starting to get excited for the expo this year. The annual conference brings together mortgage technology experts, vendors and customers to discover, learn and discuss emerging technologies, trends and issues affecting the industry.

Clearly, there’s going to be a lot going on.

Over the years, I’ve really come to appreciate and value the information I glean from other experts and the great conversations we have about the evolution of technology for the mortgage industry. This will be my tenth time attending the expo, and as a veteran attendee/exhibitor, I have some crucial advice to share with new attendees and reminders for other long-time attendees, in order to properly prepare for the 2016 conference.

Here are my 5 must-dos:

• Prepare beforehand

Putting together a plan for the conference is crucial to gaining the answers and updates you need about industry trends. Make sure you take a look at the event schedule and vendor profiles in order to put together your plan for the sessions and training you want to attend and vendors you want to speak to ahead of time.

That way, when you arrive in Los Angeles and hit the conference floor you’ll feel prepared and ready to get the most from the conference.

• Attend the keynote and as many interesting sessions as possible

If you’re anything like me, attending the opening session gets you amped for the conference and sparks interesting and intriguing ideas that you can take with you throughout the event and in your work after. This year, Jerry Kaplan, Ph. D., will be presenting at the opening session Monday morning, discussing the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the mortgage industry and the benefits and pitfalls of this new technology.

The conference schedule is stacked with great sessions from industry professionals discussing security, compliance and emerging technologies.

And don’t forget to stop by Hyland’s live demo from 12-12:15 on Tuesday at the Side Stage (outside The Hub). Our financial services expert, Steve Comer, will showcase how integrating OnBase, a single enterprise information platform, with (any) LOS can help manage all documentation that goes through the lending process, ensuring originations, refinances and modifications are in compliance.

• Take notes

Or at least be prepared to take notes. Every session might not require in-depth notes or reminders, but you don’t want to be unprepared when you hear an interesting concept and you don’t have paper and pen to follow up. Notes can serve as a great reminder of what was discussed in a session. Even if it doesn’t directly impact you at the time, you can take it back to your office and have it available when the topic becomes more pertinent to your business.

• Network and ask questions

We all know conferences can be exhausting and sometimes at the end of the day you just want to grab a quick dinner and get some Zs. I’d advise you to suck it up and attend the networking events.

These events are perfect opportunities to talk with your peers and industry experts to gain additional knowledge and insight into what’s happening in the industry and how other financial services organizations have approached solutions to their pain points. And, since you took the advice from above about preparing for the event, you can take the questions you thought of prior, or issues you’re experiencing, and hear how other organizations implemented fixes. Or, you can at least get expert advice on finding and implementing a solution.

• Set action items

This might be the most important point I have. Be prepared to take all the information you gleaned from the conference and discuss how it can impact your processes or business. Have your notes available to present possible outcomes to your department or executives to embrace change.

By setting goals for yourself, not only will you get more out of the conference, you’ll be ready to make an impact when you return to the office.

I hope these tried-and-true pointers help as you prepare for this year’s conference. If you have any questions about how to streamline mortgage processes, stop by booth #516 and we’ll chat!