ICMA, Smart Card Alliance Announce Co-Located Conferences for 2017

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., July 26, 2016 -- The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA), a global trade association for card manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and suppliers, and the Smart Card Alliance (SCA), a multi-industry association working to stimulate adoption of smart card technology and advanced payment technology, announced today they will again co-locate their respective conferences, the ICMA EXPO and the Payments Summit, to create a synergistic experience for the industry.

The 2017 ICMA EXPO and 2017 Payments Summit will be held March 27-30. The venue is the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. The events will include a joint exposition and opening general session, as well as separate educational tracks on card manufacturing and personalization trends and emerging payment applications and new technologies involving mobile and transportation payments. ICMA and the SCA will also hold separate networking events for attendees and organization members.

"ICMA is looking forward to continuing the momentum, established in April, with our second co-located ICMA EXPO alongside our friends at the Smart Card Alliance in 2017," said Jeffrey Barnhart, executive director and founder of ICMA. "With the future in mind, our card industry members will have diverse, contemporary and unique opportunities to explore at the 2017 ICMA EXPO in Orlando."

Barnhart continued, "As always, attendees will be invited to educate, learn and network while gaining valuable insight on card manufacturing and issuing trends and new technologies in security and payments as well as market forecasts."

"Following on the success of last year, we are looking forward to once again co-locating the Smart Card Alliance Payments Summit with the ICMA EXPO," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "Having both events in one venue brings the entire industry together and allows us to educate an expanded audience on the new technologies and applications that are moving payments forward at a rapid pace."

Sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities are now available for the 2017 co-located ICMA EXPO and Smart Card Alliance Payments Summit. For details, visit www.icma.com or www.smartcardalliance.org.

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About ICMA

Based in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, ICMA is a non-profit association of card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers and related industry participants. With more than 240 members globally, ICMA acts as a resource for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental issues of cards. More information is available at www.icma.com and www.icmaexpo.com.

About The Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology. Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=40916

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