Combating Margin Compression
Proving Functionality!
Why Should You Attend?
How can I best assist my organization in maintaining a competitive edge through its leasing applications? Should I be buying or building a new system, outsourcing, or optimizing my legacy systems? The answers depend on your ability to manage the company’s business processes. See how specific applications can help control costs, which applications best reflect your business processes, how to mine value from existing applications, and how to avoid unnecessary compliance costs.
This advanced application summit is for senior personnel. Actual lease transactions and business requirements will drive the demonstrations – no infomercials here! An open review of applications and how they assist lessors to stop margin erosion provide invaluable insights. An invitation-only policy for presenters and software providers will minimize distractions from outside third parties.
Who Should Attend?
The sessions are designed for senior personnel with responsibility for implementing, managing, and maximizing the value of company information systems and processes. This would include COOs, CFOs, CIOs, IT managers, portfolio/equipment managers, conversion specialists, auditors, and quality teams.
Who are the speakers?
Conference presenters represent experts from all aspects of the leasing industry, with hundreds of years experience in these topics. Come listen to speakers who have successfully made numerous conversions, achieved operational efficiencies, successfully met compliance requirements, and helped lessors account for and track tens of billions of dollars of equipment leases.
Schedule of Events
7:30 – 8:00Continental Breakfast
8:00 – 8:15Conference Welcome
Shawn Halladay, The Alta Group
8:15 – 9:30Determining an IT Strategy
What are the components of a successful IT strategy? How do I ensure that my new application delivers a competitive advantage? What are the technology trends influencing these decisions? This open forum will discuss challenges and outline how a contemporaneous implementation and process redesign approach to new applications delivers value to the business. The ELFF Business Technology Performance Index also will be discussed.
Mike Zoretich, Third Pillar
Joseph Franco, Oracle
Andrew Denton, CHP
Tom Matlon – Consultant
9:30 – 10:00Assessing the Impact of Inefficiency
How much can I really affect the overall profitability of my company? What is the effect on ROE of the cost savings I create? How does this affect the company’s ability to raise funds and its long-term outlook?
Shawn Halladay
10:00 – 10:15Break
10:15 – 12:00Functionality Demo
Oracle Lease Management (Invited)
Vendors will demonstrate how their applications create a competitive advantage by controlling costs, increasing productivity, assessing risk, supporting reporting and audit requirements, and maintaining operational flexibility.
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30Surviving in a Mature Industry
What lessons can I learn from other industries? What are the factors contributing to shrinking margins within the leasing industry? Where and how should companies be positioning themselves? What is the impact on business operations and IT?
James Johnson, PhD., Northern Illinois University
1:30 – 2:15 pmVendor viability
Should you be concerned about the consolidations and ownership changes going on in the market? What happens if a vendor changes business direction? This frank and lively format will discuss the potential risks and business consequences surrounding this issue.
Shawn Halladay
2:15 – 3:00 pmSolving the Toughest Business Challenges
What is the best way to avoid the challenges and flawed concepts that oftentimes get translated into code/software and/or operational procedures/flows? Join the panel in discussing lessons learned, potential operational solutions, and the manner in which these problems are typically solved, along with the models used.
Tom Matlon
Mark Belec
3:00 – 3:15Break
3:15 – 5:00 Functionality Demo
ALFA – CHP Consulting
Vendors will demonstrate how their applications provide a competitive advantage and reduce costs
Cocktail Reception
8:00 – 8:30 Continental breakfast
8:30 – 10:15Using Available Tools and Applications to Manage Risk
How does a data and process driven approach improve front-office ROE? How do I align my pricing with the attendant collateral and residual risk? How does the organization of asset categories, trees and attributes contribute to the improvement of operational efficiency and ‘better data’? Learn from the panel of experts how a fully version-capable document generation and management approach offers straight through processing benefits.
Mark Belec – Third Pillar
Charlie Stuard – Third Pillar
Mike Zoretich – Third Pillar
10:15 – 10:30Break
10:30 – 11:30Managing a Successful Implementation
What steps should I take? What are the pitfalls of which I should be aware and how are they best handled? What is the best way to control the process? What are the best practices that I can apply to optimize the process and maximize company ROI?
Deborah Reuben, Reuben Consulting
Larry Duer, US Bank BEFG
11:30 – 12:30Creating Higher Yields without Risk through Depreciable Assets
How can an LKE program improve my vendor business and relationships? How do I identify the appropriate assets? What is the value for lessors based on their portfolio/product mix? How will the new bonus depreciation affect my tax base?
Jeff Nelson, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Rick Reekie, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
David Fowler, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
12:30 – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – 2:45Aligning Software to Support Complex Contract Provisions and Lease Agreements
How do I approach issues such as income recognition methods, floating rate functionality, subsidies with vendors/dealers, and managing fees? How can I provide both a business solution and a simple operational solution in building out my applications? What is the best way to convince my auditors that my reporting aligns with the contractual agreements? What tools are available to provide audit/test libraries, etc? Is there a certification process available?
Tom Matlon
Mark Belec
Shawn Halladay
2:45 – 3:45 pmChoosing the Right Approach
Does it make sense to build/buy a new system, optimize my legacy system, or outsource the process? Learn the pros and cons from the experiences of those who already have made these decisions, including an examination of a recent white paper on Letting Go of Legacy Systems.
Andrew Denton
Tom Matlon
Deborah Reuben
Alan Zeppenfeld, Portfolio Servicing Company
3:45 – 4:00 pmConference Conclusion and Wrap-up
Registration Form
Fees:Early bird price (paid registration by July 20) – $1,295. Fees are $1,495 per person after this date.
To register:
Call us at 801-322-4499
Mail your completed registration form and check made payable to The Alta Group at:
The Alta Group
124 South 400 East, Suite 310
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Fax completed form to 801-322-5454
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Confirmations will be sent after payment is received.
Cancellation policy:Cancellations received 4 weeks or more prior to the conference will receive a 100% refund. Cancellations received 2-4 weeks prior will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be made for cancellations made after August 4, 2008.
Substitutions may be made at any time
For Credit Card payment:
Fax this form to Kaye Reeder at (801) 322-5454
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Hotel reservations: TheCombating Margin Compressionconference is being held at:
Chicago Marriott Oak Brook Hotel
1401 West 22nd Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-573-8555
A rate of $159/single or double is available to attendees. Reservations can be made by calling 630-573-8555 or Marriott Reservations 1-800-228-9290.
Hotel reservation requests received after July 31, 2008, will be based on availability at the hotel’s prevailing rates.