AI in Marketing: Why Human Insight Still Wins
Edwin Endlich, Wysh
Artificial intelligence is reshaping financial marketing—enhancing personalization, automating insights, and boosting agility. Yet the best brands use AI to amplify, not replace, human creativity. In this session, discover how to apply AI responsibly to strengthen brand trust, improve ROI, and connect across generations, while balancing automation with empathy, ethics, and authentic storytelling in modern marketing strategies.
Handout I Survey

The Digital Heist: How to Steal Market Share with Marketing
Bailey Ronnebaum, forbinfi
In today’s competitive banking landscape, growth demands bold, data-driven marketing. This session explores how to leverage digital tools, analytics, and modern marketing channels to attract and retain customers, boost brand presence, and increase engagement. Join us to learn practical strategies for executing a “digital heist” that helps your institution capture and keep a larger share of the market.
Handout I Survey

The Emerging Consumer: What's New? What's Next?!
Jim Perry, Market Insights, Inc.
Today’s emerging consumers are younger, more diverse, digitally fluent, and financially cautious — reshaping how banks build trust and loyalty. From Gen Z’s values-driven choices to Boomers’ growing digital engagement, consumer behavior is evolving rapidly. This dynamic session explores the demographic, technological, and behavioral shifts defining 2026, offering strategies to engage overlooked segments, harness AI-driven personalization, and strengthen relationships in an increasingly fragmented, fast-changing marketplace.
Handout I Survey

Supercharge Your ROI From Networking and Community Events
Joe Micallef, Grow UP Sales Consulting
Community banks invest heavily in their communities, but how can they turn that goodwill into real business growth? In this session, Joe shares proven strategies for maximizing return on community engagement. Learn his Networking Excellence framework - including his 4P Networking Planner - and discover tools to transform local involvement into lasting relationships and new business opportunities.
Handout I Survey

Rethink Checking Acquisition for Long-Term Growth
Ben Udell, Ben Udell Consulting
This Checking acquisition remains a cornerstone of sustainable growth—when done right. This interactive session offers real-world strategies, creative campaign ideas, and peer collaboration to help you attract and retain high-value customers. Learn how to design smarter offers, measure true performance through ROI and lifetime value, and avoid common acquisition pitfalls to make 2026 your most successful year yet.
Handout I Survey

Winning the War for Talent in Community Banking
Tom Blackwell, Angott Search Group
Attracting and keeping top talent is tougher than ever. This session breaks down hiring and retention trends, compensation insights, and creative strategies to help community banks compete with fintechs and remote employers. Learn to highlight your local culture, design modern career growth paths, and build a workplace where people feel valued, connected, and motivated to stay, turning your size and mission into strategic advantages.
Handout I Survey

Developing a Leaders Mindset: 5 Key Principles for Increased Leadership Success
Brian Hilliard, Agito Consulting
Why do some banking leaders thrive while others with the same training stall? The difference often lies in mindset, not adding new habits, but unlearning old ones that hold them back. This engaging session reveals how to remove those mental “brakes” and lead with clarity, collaboration, and confidence. Discover key mindset principles, leadership styles, and practical tools to unlock your full potential and inspire stronger teams and results.
Handout I Survey

2026 HR Survival Kit
Emily Bennett, Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC
HR continues to evolve, and 2026 brings major updates every bank should know. This session breaks down recent federal and Illinois employment law changes, including updates to the Human Rights Act, leave laws, severance rules, and compliance with AI in hiring. Attendees will gain practical insights to manage risk, strengthen policies, and navigate the shifting legal landscape with confidence and compliance.
Handout I Survey

The Leave Equation - Balancing Compliance and Compassion
Stephanie Dorning, HR Source
Managing employee leave goes far beyond sick and vacation time. From jury duty to blood donation, Illinois employers face a complex web of federal, state, and local requirements. This session breaks down how these laws interact, what rights employers have in administering leave, and how to clearly communicate policies, helping you ensure compliance while balancing business needs and employee well-being.
Handout I Survey

How Banking Professionals Can Unlock their Team's Full Potential: Without Burning Themselves
(or their team) Out in the Process
Albert Whitestone, Whitestone Leadership Coaching & Training
Feeling like your team has hit a plateau? You’re not alone. In a high-pressure, fast-changing banking world, traditional motivation tactics no longer work. Join leadership expert Albert Whitestone to learn how to unlock the untapped potential of your current team. Discover practical steps to boost engagement, profitability, and performance—without increasing budgets or headcount—by turning everyday employees into high-performing, purpose-driven professionals.
Handout I Survey

The Threat Landscape: Cyber and Fraud Risks to Financial Institutions
Steve Sanders, CSI
Cybersecurity and fraud threats are evolving faster than ever. This session explores emerging risks—such as phishing, ransomware, and insider threats—and examines how AI is reshaping both attacks and defenses. Drawing from recent high-profile cases, attendees will gain actionable insights to strengthen resilience, mitigate risk, and better protect their institutions, employees, and customers from the growing impact of cybercrime and financial fraud.
Handout I Survey

U.S. and Illinois Economic Update
William T. Chittenden, Graduate School of Banking at SMU
A slowing economy poses significant risks for community banks. This session examines how GDP trends, interest rates, inflation, and labor market shifts affect profitability, loan performance, and credit quality. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of the connections between economic indicators and bank performance, and learn to better anticipate how fiscal and monetary policy changes may shape the future of the U.S. and Illinois economies.
Handout I Survey

A New Era for Crypto: Opportunities for Banks and Financial Institutions
Robert A. Musiala, Jr., BakerHostetler
Digital assets have entered the financial mainstream with new federal guidance, legislation, and regulatory oversight shaping the future. This session examines what these changes mean for banks, highlighting opportunities, risks, and |compliance considerations in the evolving crypto landscape. Attendees will gain insight into the regulatory environment and strategies for safely navigating and capitalizing on digital asset innovation.
Handout I Survey

The Evolution of Check Fraud - Will it Continue To Increase?
Brian Hoffman, Finovifi
Despite declining check usage, check fraud continues to rise each year, posing a growing threat to financial institutions. This session explores current fraud trends, how criminals leverage the Dark Web to exploit vulnerabilities, and the latest detection techniques banks can use to safeguard assets and customers. Attendees will gain practical insights to strengthen fraud prevention strategies and protect their institutions in an evolving risk environment.
Handout I Survey

The Great Data Reversal - How Community Banks Reclaim Trust, Data, and Direction in 2026
Joe McMann, Verapath
After years of vendors pushing data outward, community banks are reclaiming control. In this era of AI maturity and clearer regulation, information is now flowing inward—governed, precise, and directed by the institutions that earned the trust to use it. This session explores how NIST, FFIEC, and GLBA frameworks are shaping trustworthy innovation and how banks can harness AI and data integration to restore ownership, strengthen oversight, and lead the next chapter of banking.
Handout I Survey

Recruiting & Retaining Gen Z and Millennials: What the Data Tells Us
Tom Blackwell, Angott Search Group
The next generation of banking talent values purpose, flexibility, and growth over traditional career ladders. This session explores how to attract and retain Gen Z and Millennial professionals by redefining development pathways, building mentorship and leadership pipelines, and showcasing authentic culture. Learn how to modernize your employer brand, leverage flexible work models, and communicate your bank’s mission to engage and inspire the workforce of the future.
Handout I Survey

Deposits Beyond Interest Rate: How Banks Gather More Deposits More Profitably
Neil Stanley, The CorePoint
Rising interest rates have ended the era of automatic deposit growth, ushering in real competition for funding. This session unpacks how the deposit landscape has fundamentally changed—and what banks can do about it. Learn why deposits are shifting, how to better engage rate shoppers, and practical strategies to design, price, and retain core deposits that strengthen profitability without sacrificing margin.
Handout I Survey

What Does a Falling Rate Look Like in Today's Uncertain Environment?
Brad Resnick, Curinos
As acquisition rates decline but portfolio costs remain high, banks face a new challenge in managing deposit growth efficiently. This session explores shifting CD dynamics, evolving customer behavior, and how smart segmentation and marketing can drive higher-quality acquisitions. Learn how retention strategies, rate management, and channel performance shape portfolio results. Brad will cover how to use CDs strategically to strengthen relationships, reduce costs, and improve deposit performance in 2026 and beyond.
Handout I Survey

Own the Room, Build the Trust, Earn the Business
Anne Schutt, Midwestern Securities
Confidence drives trust, influence, and results in every client interaction, team conversation, and leadership moment. This engaging session provides practical tools to strengthen self-assurance, enhance credibility, and turn presence into performance. Learn how to project confidence that inspires trust, build stronger relationships, and sustain composure under pressure—elevating both personal impact and professional success in today’s competitive banking environment.
Handout I Survey

State of the Retail Banking Industry
Rob Rempel, Haberfeld
Community banks are balancing rising interest rates, shifting customer behavior, and evolving non-interest income trends. This session explores key performance indicators across growth, profitability, and retention—offering actionable insights to strengthen strategy and results. Learn how to align digital and branch channels, adapt to regulatory changes, and apply proven tactics to attract and keep profitable customers while positioning your institution for long-term success.
Handout I Survey

PANEL DISCUSSION: How Community and Regional Banks Are Putting AI to Work
Ben Udell, Ben Udell Consulting
Artificial intelligence is transforming banking from concept to daily practice. In this lively panel moderated by Ben Udell of Marquis, leaders from INB Bank and State Bank of Bement share how they’ve integrated AI to improve efficiency, elevate customer experiences, and empower front-line staff. Hear real-world success stories from institutions of different sizes and gain practical insights to help your bank start small, scale smart, and unlock AI’s full potential.
Handout I Survey

Bank-Fintech Partnerships: A Guide for Sound Innovation
Dana Lawrence, Themis
Built on 20+ years of hands-on experience as a fintech operator, community banker, and technology aggregator, this training gives bankers a practical, real-world guide to bank–fintech partnerships. Participants will cut through the hype to understand what actually works, how to evaluate partners, structure governance, manage risk, and unlock growth while protecting the bank, customers, and community.
Handout I Survey

Banking on AI: Hype, Hope, or Help?
Will Mayfield, Aunalytics
Artificial intelligence is transforming how banks innovate, make decisions, and serve customers—yet many challenges remain. This session examines how financial institutions are applying AI today, highlighting what’s driving value, where risks emerge, and what opportunities lie ahead. Through real-world examples and actionable insights, attendees will learn how to adopt AI responsibly, meet regulatory expectations, and lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose in the age of intelligent banking.
Handout I Survey

Top 10 AI Threats Facing Financial Institutions
Savannah Richardson, CoNetrix
Artificial intelligence is transforming financial services—but it’s also arming cybercriminals with new capabilities. This session breaks down the top 10 AI-driven security threats facing banks today, from deepfakes to data leaks. Explore how AI is amplifying long-standing risks, exposing new vulnerabilities, and challenging traditional defenses. Attendees will gain practical strategies to identify blind spots, strengthen controls, and integrate AI awareness into cybersecurity and
risk management practices.
Handout I Survey

Data Governance & Security: Enabling Data First Decision Making Without Sacrificing Compliance
Sean Goodwin, Wolf & Company, P.C.
As banks expand their use of analytics, secure and well-governed data integration has become mission-critical. This session explores how to build a strong data governance framework that defines ownership, ensures quality, and protects sensitive information. Attendees will learn best practices for securing data architecture across cloud and on-prem environments, managing privacy and regulatory challenges, and scaling governance strategies effectively from small institutions to complex portfolios.
Handout I Survey