As this news item was written, attendees of the National ATM Council’s virtual conference were taking a break from the first day’s activities to prepare for the first of the fun, social events: ATM Nation – Bingo & Brews. Originally planned as an in-person event in Las Vegas, the NAC2020 convention runs through the 29th.
A highlight from day one was a very informative talk by U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) about cash-protection legislation. With bipartisan support from lawmakers, Payment Choice acts are before the House and Senate. Gottheimer also spoke to the cooperative nature of his work in Congress, noting that while Democrats and Republicans do have differing opinions on policy, they aren’t the divisive, unwilling-to-compromise lawmakers they’re often portrayed to be. Gottheimer’s was the first of three Congressional presentations to be featured throughout the 3-day event.
Also on the first day, educational sessions focused on how members of the industry had been coping with the challenges of Covid-19, how to get started as an ATM operator, and getting and keeping a bank account for your ATM route.
Sponsor presentations and a virtual tradeshow with text and video chat capabilities rounded out the offerings. Platinum sponsor Hyosung also made a key announcement that they will embed anti-microbial silver ions within the paint, resin and glass of their new ATMs. Also coming soon will be kits to retrofit their previous ATMs –– models 1800 all the way up to the 5600. Those kits will be available to order later this year and will ship in early 2021, said Marvin Bowers, the company’s director of retail sales. Bowers also announced a new warranty program making every new Hyosung ATM that ships on or after Nov. 1 eligible for two free service calls by Hyosung within the first year to replace warranty parts. Switch Commerce, OptConnect, US Bank, DPL and Coinsquare Networks also made sponsor presentations.
Day two will feature additional education programs, a virtual tradeshow, sponsor sessions and their second social event, “Poker and Prizes.” Learn more by visiting www.natmc.org/nac2020 and look for a full report on the conference in the December RePlay.