More than 1,800 credit union representatives from across the world are expected in Vienna in July for the annual World Credit Union conference. The event will focus on three key topics: Millennials, cyber security and digital trends.
In addition to the keynote speakers, the conference will include over 30 educational sessions on the latest trends and best practices from top industry professionals.
Women credit union leaders can take part in the Global Women’s Leadership Forum run by the World Council’s Global Women’s Leadership Network. Young people below the age of 35 involved in credit unions were also able to apply to the dedicated World Council Young Credit Union People (WYCUP) programme and receive scholarships to attend the event. WYCUP aims to promote the new generation of credit union leaders while GWLNP was designed for women credit union leaders.
Pre-conference tours to Prague, Czech Republic, and Co-operatives in Croatia are also available to book for 18-22 July.
The conference will start on Sunday, 23 July with an opening ceremony followed by a welcome reception. The Global Women’s Leadership Network Forum and the World Young Credit Union People Program Forum also take place on the same day.
The event will continue on Monday morning with a keynote speech by Susan Etlinger, an industry analyst with Altimeter, which focuses on helping businesses thrive by using disruptive technologies. A TED speaker, she is also on the board of the Big Boulder Initiative, an industry organisation dedicated to promoting the successful and ethical use of data. The speech will be followed by a networking break and breakout sessions, as well as the World Council Annual General Meeting. In the evening delegates have the option to reserve tickets for a performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir.
The general sessions will restart on Tuesday with a presentation by Robert Herjavec, who best known for his role in ABC’s reality show, Shark Tank. At the conference in Vienna he will be exploring evolving technology trends and cyber security threats as well as reveal secrets from inside the Shark Tank, where he is one of the “shark” investors. Throughout the day delegates will have the chance to attend multiple breakout sessions as well as the Small Credit Union Forum.
In the evening they can also choose to attend a river boat cruise at an extra cost.
The final day of the conference will begin with breakout sessions followed by a keynote speech by Simon Mainwaring, founder and chief executive of consultancy We First. He will look at the mindset of Millennials and look at how credit unions must tell their brand stories to inspire them.
- More information about the sessions and the extras as well as the schedule are available on the conference’s website.
