Annual Convention Preview

57th Annual Convention

October 14-16, 2018

JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa • Phoenix, AZ

Why Attend?

If you’re in the $1 trillion equipment finance industry, you can’t afford to miss the 2018 ELFA Annual Convention. It’s the largest and most important annual gathering of industry leaders. You’ll enjoy unparalleled networking opportunities, high-quality educational sessions, a great lineup of keynote speakers and a first-rate exhibit.

Evolve, Emerge, Excel!

There’s nowhere else you can connect with so many industry leaders and discover new ideas to help your business Evolve, Emerge and Excel.

Evolve: To stay relevant and thrive in today’s fast-changing world, it is critical to evolve your business operations to tap into new opportunities. Whether you have been in business for years or are a start-up, your business is evolving to stay relevant. Learn strategies for success, from leveraging new technology to building a strong and diverse workforce to entering new markets.

Emerge: You’ll have the opportunity to examine and discuss a number of trends facing the industry—such as changing customer demands, the biggest tax code overhaul in a generation, implementation of new lease accounting rules, hiring and retaining the next generation of talent, the digital transformation of the industry and more—and position your business to emerge stronger than ever.

Excel: Business is revving up. The equipment finance industry is forecast to surpass $1 trillion in 2018, contributing not only to businesses’ success but also to U.S. economic growth. Prepare to win business in a competitive marketplace, deliver value to customers and excel at achieving your goals.

When you attend the 2018 ELFA Annual Convention, you invest in the success of your business, your staff, your industry and your career.

Keynote Speakers

LINDA BERNARDI
Technologist, Innovation Provocateur & Former IBM CIO and Watson Co-Lead

Linda Bernardi, a former co-lead on the Watson team at IBM, shares her passion for enabling disruption and bringing critical innovation and technologies into companies around the world. A leading technologist, entrepreneur and disruptive thinker, Bernardi is widely regarded for helping transform the IoT and big data analytics landscape. As the former chief innovation officer at IBM for IoT and Cloud, her focus was integrating Watson’s cognitive capabilities into the IoT and new product offerings, enabling IBM’s Fortune 100 customers to introduce IoT, AI and cognitive capabilities into their operations and thrive in the hyper-connected world.


DR. LARRY J. SABATO
Election Analyst and Best-Selling Author, Founder and Director of the U.Va. Center for Politics

Dr. Larry Sabato is a New York Times bestselling author, recipient of three Emmy awards, and one of the nation’s most respected political analysts. He is the professor of politics at the University of Virginia and the founder and director of the U.Va. Center for Politics. He is the author of the recent book TRUMPED: The 2016 Election That Broke All the Rules and a frequent political commentator on FOX, CNN and MSNBC. Dr. Sabato provides expert knowledge of what is coming down the pike politically, prepares audiences for the changing of the guard in Washington and across the nation, and showcases how politics and the American voting psyche come together to produce our nation’s next batch of leaders. Dr. Sabato heads up Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which the Pew Charitable Trust recognized as the #1 leader in the field of political prediction, and The Daily Beast designated as one of the top political sites on the web.


DR. MARK ZANDI
Chief Economist and Cofounder of Moody’s Analytics

Dr. Mark M. Zandi is chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, where he directs economic research. Moody’s Analytics is a leading provider of economic research, data and analytical tools. Dr. Zandi is also a co-founder of Economy.com, which Moody’s purchased in 2005. Dr. Zandi’s broad research interests encompass macroeconomics, financial markets and public policy. His recent research has focused on foreclosure mitigation policy and the determinants of mortgage foreclosure and personal bankruptcy; he has analyzed the economic impact of various tax and government spending policies and assessed the appropriate monetary policy response to bubbles in asset markets.