Press
Southeast Credit Union Conference & Expo sees record attendance, record silent auction, and sold out exhibit hall
BIRMINGHAM, AL/TALLAHASSEE, FL (June 30, 2015) — The Southeast Credit Union Conference & Expo (SCUCE) experienced record attendance and a sold out exhibit hall in 2015. With the theme, “Kickstart Your Focus,” SCUCE saw 1,120 attendees take in the two general sessions, 18 educational breakout sessions, and participate in the silent auction. CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle, NCUA Board Member Mark McWatters, Coopera CEO Miriam De Dios, and former Harley Davidson Executive Ken Schmidt addressed attendees during the opening and closing general sessions.
“The Southeast Credit Union Conference & Expo is growing into one of the premier credit unions conferences in the country,” said LSCU & Affiliates President/CEO Patrick La Pine. “Our attendance has grown by 200 over the past three years. This year we had 11 states represented by our credit union attendees. This shows us that our speakers and educational breakout sessions are meeting the needs of credit unions.”
Nussle told the General Opening session crowd that credit unions need to work together, not just CUNA and state leagues, but every credit union across the country. He said that credit unions need to be able to tell their story better to lawmakers for advocacy purposes. Every time he meets with a lawmaker, he said they want to talk about their credit union experience. With that in mind, he urged credit unions to bring their stories to their Hill meetings.
McWatters read from the Federal Credit Union Act on three occasions during his presentation. By reading from the act, McWatters illustrated why he often is the dissenting vote on the NCUA board on issues like risk-based capital and the board’s budget transparency. He said he simply wants the best ideas to be used and they aren’t necessarily always his. He prefers to debate the issues and to hear from those that are affected by the proposed rules from the agency.
Schmidt rode up on to the stage on a Harley Davidson. He was instrumental in helping Harley rebound from near bankruptcy in the 1980s. He said that you market to the heart, not the head. When you do that, he said you will make passionate advocates for your business. He told credit union attendees that they need to have a business model that the member can instantly remember and repeat. He urged attendees to be able to explain why they are unique in 15 seconds without using words that their competitors use. He finished by telling the crowd that humans are attracted to visibly passionate people.
De Dios pointed out that the Hispanic market is growing and underserved. She said that one in two Hispanics are unbanked or underbanked. She says that credit unions have a wonderful opportunity to fill the gap in the Hispanic market. Coopera has been working with credit unions across the country to help them bring services to the growing Hispanic population.
The conference had a total of 33 different speakers over the three days, June 17-19, at the JW Marriott in Orlando. The Governmental Affairs Luncheon featured David Wasserman. He is the House Editor of the Cook Political Report. He provided a preview of the 2016 presidential elections. Jenn Lee from the Work Creative Group spoke at the Global Women’s Luncheon.
The SCUCE Silent Auction raised a record $22,000 for the LSCU’s FedPAC with matching gift from LEVERAGE for the Children’s Miracle Network. The Southeastern Credit Union Foundation golf outing, held at the Ritz Carlton golf course, saw almost 100 golfers participate. The proceeds from the golf outing go to the foundation to help it be able to offer its many programs. For the first time, a Mad City Money Reality Simulation was held with 55 Central Florida students taking part.
During the League of Southeastern Credit Unions Annual Business Meeting, the membership approved the League’s proposed new bylaws. The League’s bylaws call for a review of the bylaws every five years. The new League bylaws allow for more flexibility for the future. Prior to the annual business meeting, the League held town hall meeting and webinars to solicit feedback from the membership on the proposed new bylaws.