ACA International’s 2020 Virtual Convention & Expo concludes with praise from attendees and insightful presentations from keynote Connie Podesta and 2020/21 ACA President G. Scott Purcell.
7/16/2020 15:30
The final day of ACA International’s Virtual Convention & Expo opened with remarks from ACA President G. Scott Purcell, president of Professional Credit. In his rousing speech, Purcell focused in part on the positive ways the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry benefits consumers and our communities.
He cited statistics from the 2020 State of the Industry Report by ACA International and Kaulkin Ginsberg, which found that in 2018, ARM firms helped save U.S. households $706 due to lower costs of goods and services.
He highlighted the Institute of Collection Leadership’s Collect the Truth campaign, which shares stories from consumers about how debt collectors have helped them.
He also gave a nod to the values emphasized in the Collector’s Pledge, which was introduced 10 years ago by 2010/11 ACA President Martin Sher.
Purcell encouraged ACA members to share these positive stories and more with legislators.
“We, members, are the constituents,” he said. “We are the ones that legislators need and want to hear from.”
He added, “We all have a role to play if we are going to thwart this bad legislation that continues to come to the table.”
You can read more about Purcell’s plans for the future, including his passion for technology and advocacy, in the August issue of Collector magazine (coming soon!).
What Shape Are You?
In her lively Thursday morning presentation, “Life Would be Easy, If It Weren’t for Other People,” keynote speaker, humorist and therapist Connie Podesta explored how the essence of your personality influences how you communicate with others.
A group of 16 volunteers—ACA staff and members—shared their screens in a Zoom call as Podesta guided everyone through a personality exercise based on four shapes: square, circle, triangle and squiggle. She showed attendees how the shape they most identify with reveals a lot about their personality, and how you can use this insight to develop stronger relationships with family members, coworkers and even consumers. You can learn more about Podesta’s personality exercise here: https://conniepodesta.com/shapes/.
The Social Wall
Throughout the event, convention attendees were able to communicate with each other via personal chats and messages, as well as on the Social Wall, a public board where members posted about their experiences at the conference. Here are a few posts we pulled from the Social Wall:
Mark S.
What a great day it was yesterday!!! Did everybody come away with something to "take home"? Oh wait, y'all are already home! It's been great fun catching with old friends and making new ones! Let's make it a great second day!
Courtney R.
Great job to ACA team for putting on this event! It is really awesome!
Nora G.
Really nice event!! Great job to everyone who made this happen.
Bonnie F.
The countless hours of hard work payed off. Great conference ACA Team!
Candye D.
Great job to all of ACA staff!! This is by far the best solution, next to being in-person.
Michael K.
Incredibly dynamic. Tons of great info.
Political Discussion with Congresswoman Ann Wagner
Wrapping up the convention Thursday afternoon was a political discussion with U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., who was joined ACA Board Members Roger Weiss, IFCCE, and Jack Brown, as well as ACA staff, for a fireside chat about the myriad of issues facing the ARM industry in the House Financial Services Committee.
The House Financial Services Committee has more than two dozen bills this Congress that could impact ARM industry operations, and the committee has held several hearings discussing debt collection issues. ACA members and staff were able to ask Wagner questions in a chat box.
What’s Next?
“We are thrilled at how ACA’s team, members, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors came together for our 2020 Virtual Convention & Expo,” said ACA CEO Mark Neeb. “I know we all learned a lot together this year about adapting to change and overcoming challenges, and I look forward to the future continuing to help members succeed. We have some exciting developments ahead at ACA.”
ACA’s mobile app is coming soon, and ACA continues to adapt our education and products to meet members’ needs and we appreciate all your feedback this week. Check out a demo of the Mobile App on the Expo Hall home page of our virtual convention platform. Don’t forget: Expo Hall exhibitors, including ACA Central, will be online through Sept. 30. Visit it here: https://www.acainternational.org/register/expo2020
Recordings of most sessions, with the exception of legal education, from the 2020 Virtual Convention & Expo will be available to registered attendees on the virtual platform through Sept. 30. On-demand sessions and additional resources are available on the resources tab. More details coming soon!
Thank you to all our speakers, sponsors and exhibitors for helping make the 2020 Virtual Convention & Expo a huge success!