4 Can't-Miss Highlights from CUNA 2018

With an innovation-inspired agenda and strong takeaways from each session, this year's CUNA event left attendees ready to return to their credit unions with new insights around banking's future and strategies to execute.

If you missed out on all the fun in San Francisco (or just want to relive some of the memories), read on for the highlights you can't miss!

Highlight 1: Trends Matter

No surprise, trends topped the list of topics at CUNA 2018 — and it all began in Daniel Burrus' keynote speech, "The Anticipatory Credit Union: Turn Disruptive Change Into Advantage."

Burrus, an expert in technology forecasting and innovation, shared his methodology to separate trends with attendees — HARD trends (trends that will happens) vs. SOFT trends (trends that may happen) — and gave insight to how this perception of trends can help credit union leaders tap into everyday innovation, create solutions to challenges more quickly, and recognize previously invisible opportunities.

His methodology was created to help business leaders identify the hard trends that will happen in their industry, creating an easier path to predict disruption and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

So, what are the hard trends in banking technology that you need to know? We're glad you asked...

Highlight 2: Top 5 Banking Technology Trends

When we hear about the perfect blend of innovative solutions that promise to dramatically improve the member experience, taking on what's on-trend becomes tempting... but will trendy tech really address the issues the market needs solutions for?

In DBSI's session, "The Branch of Now: How to Deliver a Frictionless Member Journey with the Latest Technology Trends," we identified the top five trends in branch technology and answered:

• What impact does each trend have on the market?
• What works (and what doesn't)?
• Which key aspects should you consider before delivering in your branch?

Here's the top tech Credit Unions are considering to improve the member experience:

In addition to the top trends, here's what attendees took away from the session:

Highlight 3: Lightning-Fast Vendor Speed Rounds

Who doesn't love a little friendly competition on the latest Fintech innovations improving the member and branch experience? Even better, a competition that's quick-moving, hard-hitting and awe-inspiring?

Nearly two dozen entrants presented their unique Fintech products to a panel of judges, back-to-back, with only five minutes to demonstrate their solution before answering questions from the panel. 

(Five minutes, followed by rapid-fire questions, in front of a huge crowd? Doesn't get much better!)

We couldn't miss the opportunity to get in on the action — so the DBSI team showcased two of our latest innovations: Financial HealthCheck and Service Sidekick.

Financial HealthCheck (FHC) is a web application that allows your members to self-assess key financial indicators in under 90 seconds, generating an instant report of their overall financial assessment, valuable tips aligned to their aspirations, where they stand in comparison to their peers, and suggested recommendations to improve their financial health.

But they're not the only ones who receive insights — you'll receive real-time alerts notifying you of the members who have requested an appointment, plus their financial profiles!

Service Sidekick allows you to maximize the impact of the digital signage in your branch. The moment a member interacts with your digital signage, your staff will receive an alert to their wearable device, tablet or desktop (of course, you'll determine which alerts are most important to receive and act on).

Once received and accepted by your staff, they can engage your members with conversation personalized to the exact products and services they want more information on. Now, your will be empowered with real-time intel on products of interest to best serve your members.

With 23 solutions to enhance the branch experience presented at this conference alone, this exciting competition stole the show!

Highlight 4: A San Francisco Chinatown Experience

The fun didn't stop after the awards ceremony. Instead, attendees were treated to a Chinatown cultural experience, kicking off at one of the most-photographed attractions in San Francisco: the Dragon's Gate on Grant Avenue. 

Between new activities, food and beverage, and fun amongst new friends, this experience in Chinatown capped off an amazing couple of days spent at CUNA 2018.