MAG Insights

Thank you to all who attended our inaugural rebranded MAG Payments Conference 24!  The event brought together a diverse group of payments industry professionals who were eager to connect, share insights, and learn about industry trends.

While the conference continues to grow, it remains an open and welcoming community where knowledge is shared, and critical industry relationships are created.

The thoughtfully curated agenda featured a range of topics such as open banking strategy, recurring payments, the importance of prioritizing payments policy, and more, ensuring that every attendee found valuable takeaways throughout the week.

Tech Forum sessions focused on advancing the conversation around payments technologies. Notable sessions included Orchestrating Payments and Simplifying Compliance with Cloud-Based P2PE Decryption and Contactless Payments Continued Evolution: Tap on Mobile and the EMV Contactless Kernel, offering attendees critical insights into navigating today’s complex payments landscape. The session Unlocking Payment Innovation: A Deep Dive into Network Tokenization highlighted one of the more recent advancements in transaction security.

Payments orchestration was a key theme throughout the conference, beginning with our Tech Forum kickoff session, Is Orchestration the Missing Piece in Your Payment Strategy?  This session featured industry leaders from Google, Inspire Brands, The Home Depot, and J.P. Morgan, who discussed the strategic importance of orchestration in optimizing payments processes.

With a dozen breakout sessions, attendees had the opportunity to explore various topics tailored to their specific interests. The sessions provided invaluable insights and networking opportunities for industry professionals dedicated to the future of payments. We look forward to continuing the education in 2025.

Long-time merchant attendee, Monica Gullickson with Best Buy, shared her perspective on the conference and its evolution over the years:

MAG: What drew you to attend MAG Payments Conference 24?

MG: Having attended MAG conferences since 2017, I can say that it’s the best way to network.  You can find people who have the same role as you and connect that way, but also those who do other things which helps you develop an understanding of all that goes on in the payments industry. 

I love the sessions. They get better with each conference making it hard to decide which ones to attend! Also, being able to bounce ideas off others and ask for best practices in the SIGs is always the best.  I’ve noticed a lot more people are speaking up in these sessions, which is great.

MAG: What changes have you noticed in the conference over the years?

MG: It’s gotten pretty big – and that’s a good thing.

The range of topics shows a big focus on education. In the past, the conference held education sessions on a particular day with sessions marked as 101 or 201. Now there are education sessions offered throughout the whole conference.  Biometrics is something I want to understand more about, and it was my favorite session this time.  I look forward to attending more Tech Forum sessions as well. There are just too many sessions to choose from!

This conference held the biggest exhibit hall yet. I really like that MAG now builds time into the schedule to meet with exhibitors, otherwise, it’s tough to get there. The exhibit hall is where merchants should be if looking for ideas and solutions.

MAG: What was your biggest takeaway from this year’s conference?

MG: That the payments industry has never been busier and experienced so much change. Legislation, biometrics, AI, real-time payments - if you want to know about all these pieces, the MAG Payments Conference is the way to go.  It hit on them all.

MAG: How has participating in MAG conferences changed or improved your role in payments?

MG: Definitely has expanded my knowledge. No matter how long you are in the payments industry, there is always something to learn.

MAG: Do you have advice for those new to MAG who may be attending the conference for the first time?

MG: Don’t be shy, just jump right in! It’s a very welcoming and friendly environment. Everyone is there to collaborate and work together and there are no dumb questions! 

 As we conclude MAG Payments Conference 24, we want to thank everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions. The enthusiasm from participants like Monica, highlight the MAG’s commitment to fostering a welcoming community focused on learning and networking.

With an agenda covering key trends and insights, the conference emphasized the importance of staying informed in the evolving payments landscape. We look forward to continuing this growth and learning together at Payments MAGnified 25, February 10-13.