57th Annual Convention

October 14-16, 2018

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

Why Attend?

The ELFA Annual Convention is the primary forum that industry leaders turn to with assurance when it comes to addressing critical issues and trends. It is the largest, most important annual gathering of equipment leasing and finance professionals. Whomever you need to see is likely to be there.
 
This year’s convention theme—“Evolve, Emerge, Excel”—is all about positioning your company for success: evolving your business strategy and operations, emerging stronger than ever and excelling at achieving your goals.

Schedule at a Glance

All locations listed are at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa unless otherwise noted. Be sure to check out the Convention website at www.elfaonline.org/AC for the most up-to-date information.

Sunday, October 14

8:00 a.m.
Golf Tournament and Luncheon

9:00 a.m.
Tennis Tournament and Luncheon

8:30 a.m. – Noon

 

Community Service Project: Lending a Hand to Arizona Helping Hands
(pre-registration required, limited to 60 attendees)

8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Jim McGrane Charity Bike Ride
24-mile route – leaves from the hotel
(pre-registration required, limited to 40 attendees)

10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Convention Registration
(Attendees & Exhibitors)

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Pickleball Tournament
(on property)

1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Exhibitor Setup

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Community Service Project: Arizona Helping Hands: Build a Bed
(pre-registration required, limited to 70 attendees)
    
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
New Member and Leadership Reception

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
ELFA Women’s Council Reception

6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception (in Exhibit Area)

Monday, October 15

7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Convention Registration

7:00 – 8:15 a.m.
Group Breakfast

7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Exhibits Open

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
General Session
President’s Report and Keynote Address







RALPH PETTA
President and CEO, ELFA
        


 









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




    
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Break
Exhibits Open

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Issue Breakout Sessions
•    Diversity Impact: Creating the Circle of Trust Within Your Organization
•    Robots and Cobots and Finance - Oh, My!
•    Customer Centric Technologies: Transforming the Future
•    Independents: Banking on the Non-Banks

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Spouse/Companion Event: Desert Botanical Garden Guided Tour and Luncheon

12:15 – 2:00 p.m.



Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Luncheon






Speaker:
MARK ZANDI
Chief Economist and Cofounder
of Moody’s Analytics






2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Issue Breakout Sessions
•    Evolving Your Organization Through Leadership, Diversity and Empowerment
•    Balancing Growth, Regulatory and Competitive Pressures
•    Technology Innovation and Disruptions: Beyond the Hype
•    The Economy Is Great…So Let’s Talk Bankruptcy

4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
International and Former Directors’ Reception

5:30 p.m.
Individual Company-Sponsored Receptions and Events

Tuesday, October 16

7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Convention Registration

7:00 – 8:15 a.m.
Group Breakfast

7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Exhibits Open

8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
General Session
Chairman’s Address and Keynote Address






DAVID T. SCHAEFER, CLFP
ELFA Chairman
CEO, Mintaka Financial, LLC

      
    









LARRY SABATO
Election Analyst and Author,
Founder and Director of the U.Va. Center for Politics






10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Issue Breakout Sessions
•    Foundation Horizon Report: From the Past into the Future
•    New Standard: A New Way of Approaching Lease Accounting
•    Got Big Data? Make It Work for You!
•    Pioneers of the Sharing Economy: How to Engage and Compete
 
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Spouse/Companion Event: Wine Bottling Experience with Luncheon and Shopping

12:45 – 2:30 p.m.
Business Council Luncheon Meetings
• Captive and Vendor Finance
• Financial Institutions
• Independent Middle Market
• Service Providers
• Small Ticket
     
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Break

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Issue Breakout Sessions
• Inflationary Pressures and Rising Interest Rates: Forecasting the Future Possibilities
• Tax Reform Implications for 2019 and Beyond
• Making Business Move: Transportation Leasing and Finance

6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Closing Party

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.

Spouse/Companion Program

We encourage you to bring your spouse this year. ELFA has planned some terrific activities for spouses.

A spouse or companion attending any portion of the convention or social function must be registered and pay the appropriate spouse/companion fee. If he or she is employed in the equipment finance industry, the full member attendee registration fee is due.

For your enjoyment during the ELFA Annual Convention, we are offering different packages for spouse/companion attendees. Choose the package that fits into your plans.

Package #1
Full Convention Registration
This package includes all convention activities. Spouses or companions who register for the full convention package are entitled to attend all sessions and social activities, including the Sunday Opening Reception, the Tuesday Night Closing Party, special spouse programs on Monday and Tuesday, and breakfast each morning.

Package #2
Evening Events Only            
This package includes the Sunday Opening Reception and the Tuesday Night Closing Party.

Package #3
Special Spouse/Companion Activities
This package includes the special events planned specifically for spouses and companions, separate from convention sessions on Monday and Tuesday.

Descriptions of the special events planned for each day can be found on the convention website: www.elfaonline.org/AC/

If you are planning to arrive early, you might want to participate in these activities: Sunday, October 14

 

— To All Our Convention Sponsors —

(as of September 1, 2018)

 

— To All Our Community Project Sponsors —

(as of September 1, 2018)

— To All Our Exhibitors —

(as of September 1, 2018)

Alfa	DAT Solutions	Linedata Lending and Leasing
American Lease Insurance	Dominion Leasing Software	LTi Technology Solutions
Asset Recovery Services LLC	ECS Financial Services, Inc.	MB Financial Bank
Cassiopae Inc.	eOriginal Inc.	Monitor / monitordaily.com
Centurion Service Group, LLC	FIS	Moody’s Analytics
Cloud Lending Solutions	Fleet Evaluator	NetSol Technologies
Codix LLC	Garnet Capital Advisors, LLC	Odessa
Constellation Financing Systems	Great American Insurance Group	PayNet, Inc.
Copernicus	International Decision Systems	Sword Apak
Corporation Service Company	Ivory Consulting Corporation

 

Exhibit Hours

Sunday, October 14  •  6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Monday, October 15  •  7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 16  •  7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.