Futurist Mike Walsh Talks Strategy at ICMA EXPO

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Feb. 2, 2016 -- The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) and the Smart Card Alliance (SCA) are pleased to announce futurist business leader Mike Walsh as the 2016 keynote speaker at their newly co-located events at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Fla., from April 4 to April 7.

The co-located ICMA Card Manufacturing & Personalization EXPO and the SCA Payments Summit will showcase a significantly expanded conference covering card manufacturing and personalization technologies and processes, EMV chip migration, mobile wallets, NFC, contactless, open transit payment systems and FinTech.

"Co-locating these events goes a long way towards building relationships across our memberships," said ICMA Executive Director Jeffrey Barnhart. "ICMA EXPO attendees will have a new opportunity to connect and collaborate with participants across the full spectrum of cards and payments."

Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow — a consumer innovation research lab based in Hong Kong — advises some of the world's leading brands and corporations on what's coming next in their industry. Author of the bestseller Futuretainment: Yesterday the World Changed, Now It's Your Turn, he is a leading authority on the intersection of emerging technologies, consumer behavior, and fast growth markets. He publishes the blog Disruptive Future, read by thousands of professionals around the world.

"Everything is changing," said Walsh of the future while describing his personal manifesto. "How we live, how we work and how we play. But to understand the future you need to focus on anthropology (the study of human beings) not technology. After all, as interesting as it is when things change, the real magic happens when people do."

Always in demand for his fresh insights, entrepreneurship, and practical future-focused strategies, Walsh has advised the CEOs and senior management teams at multinational companies including the BBC, Fujifilm, Richemont, MSN, Star TV, Televisa, Philips, and HSBC.

Walsh's latest book, The Divergence, charts the rise of online consumers in these emerging markets and shows that tomorrow's web will be radically different than conventional Western models requiring entirely new engagement strategies. His views have appeared in a wide range of international publications including BusinessWeek, Forbes, and Wallpaper Magazine.

Additional speakers include Thomas Decker, of Smartac Technology Group, on the topic of "Fundamentals about contactless technology in ISO cards"; "The Technology Forest—Issuers, Stakeholders, and Manufacturers, Oh My!" will be presented by Barry Mosteller, of CPI Card Group and David Tushie of Magellan Consulting; Uwe Truggleman, of TruCert, will present on "New Interactive Card Products;" and Adam Wahler, of A to A Designs, will present on "Card Design and Marketing Strategies to Gain High Net Worth Clients."

Registration for this event is open and includes access to all sessions, the combined exhibition hall and networking events for the ICMA EXPO and Payments Summit.

Members may register through either ICMA to receive member discounts and other benefits. To register, visit www.icmaexpo.com.

For continuing updates on the ICMA EXPO, follow @ICMATweets and use #ICMAEXPO to participate in the conversation.

About ICMA

Based in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, the International Card Manufacturers Association is a trade organization of card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers and vendors. With more than 240 members globally, ICMA serves as a resource for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental aspects of plastic cards. More information is available via www.icma.com.

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