DCI’s annual three-day gathering started on a warmer note this year, with Outlook ‘97 held two weeks earlier than previous years.
More than 165 attendees from 82 different banks filled the Ramada Inn for DCI’s annual users conference, which featured nationally-known speakers and exhibitors from eight different states.
The conference began Sunday afternoon, as 52 golfers headed to the Prairie Dunes Country Club for an 18-hole scramble. Finishing the tournament in first place was the team of John Cline, Martinsburg Bank, Mexico, MO, Barney Horton, Farmers Bank & Trust, Atwood, KS, Dick Gowdy, Document Solutions Inc. and Ernie Upton, DCI.
A festive New Orleans’ atmosphere attracted a large crowd for the Sunday reception, held that evening at the Ramada Inn. Attendees filled the conference exhibit hall and visited with representatives from the different companies as well as DCI staff. Congratulations to Sandra Studley of Douglas County Bank who won the Sunday evening drawing of $50 cash.
The conference officially began on Monday morning, with a keynote address by Art Gillis, an independent bank consultant from Dallas, TX. Gillis amused the crowd with his stories of past failures and successes as an entrepreneur. He emphasized the need for banks to use technology to enhance relationships with customers, not use it as a tool to replace people. According to Gillis, with better automation, comes better people, not fewer.
Attendees were given the opportunity to sit-in on a variety of sessions throughout the remainder of the conference, including: the direction of PC technology in the future; DCI’s new scheduled transfer system; intranet technology; a look at the changes in community banking by Ed Krei, James Baker & Associates; internet and home banking demonstrations by Regency Voice Systems; how to establish a successful sales tracking or officer calling program; document imaging workflow within a bank; issues to consider before implementing a call center; the newest features of DCI INfoSIGHT’s executive information system; an on-line look at DCI’s new client/server system; the process of check imaging— from power proof to final statements and research; and a roundtable discussion on debit card marketing ideas. (cont’d on page 4)
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Day three of the conference began with a keynote address by Carl Faulkner, managing director of technology services with M One Inc. in Phoenix, AZ. Faulkner discussed the difference in architecture and components between mainframe and client/server data processing systems.
According to Faulkner, client/server technology allows computing tasks to be shared between computers connected by LANs and WANs. All components of these systems are individual pieces, allowing changes to be made to one component without affecting all three. This allows quicker implementation of current technology and the ability to offer more products at a lower cost.
The conference came to a close with lunch on Tuesday. DCI senior management were on-hand to answer questions from the crowd and discuss our direction for the future. John Sturd, Home National Bank in Arkansas City, KS, walked away the lucky winner of the conference, winning the grand prize 13" color television.
Outlook ‘98 will offer a variety of changes for attendees, including a move to a new location. The 1998 conference will be held October 4 through 6 in Kansas City, MO.