CHICAGO – BAI Retail Delivery, the largest conference hosted by the Bank Administration Institute, it attracted more than 3,000 attendees from around the world this year.

Perhaps surprising to some, more than 100 credit unions were among the financial institutions represented here. What's more, many credit unions sent multiple employees. Credit union attendance tended toward the larger shops, with most having assets of $500 million or more.

CU Times spoke with Dan Kinne, director of information services for $1.1 billion First Entertainment Credit Union of Hollywood, Calif. Kinne said he started attending BAI Retail Delivery in 2000 or 2001 when he was a member of the CUNA Technology Council executive team.

Kinne said he came to Chicago to research two upcoming First Entertainment initiatives.

“We're looking at moving to a full-blown enterprise content management system,” Kinne said, “so that's my number one mission this week.”

He added that he is speaking with his three top ECM vendor candidates over the next two days, saying the face-to-face communication is invaluable. Kinne is also doing research for a teller automation initiative.

According to Kinne, BAI Retail Delivery is an ideal conference for credit unions.

“You get to meet a lot of vendors you don't see at credit union-only shows because these vendors work mostly with banks,” Kinne said. “And quite frankly, I've discovered that these vendors really love working with credit union because our time to decision is so much faster.”

Kinne said that, in his opinion, there is potential value for any size of credit union that attends BAI Retail Delivery.

“If your credit union has a strategic plan and is looking to fill a void, you should probably be here,” he said. “If you come here without a plan, you could easily get lost.”

BAI Retail Delivery continues through Friday at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center near the shore of Lake Michigan.

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Credit Unions Attend BAI: Onsite Coverage

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