2025 AGENDA
Wednesday, May 14
12:00 PM Registration Opens
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Roundtable Discussions on Key Industry Topics
Attendees break into small groups to discuss developments, strategies, and opportunities in equipment finance operations, the technology and products fueling industry change, and the challenges facing the industry in the next 12 to 24 months. The ultimate goal is for lenders and dealers to sit together and talk through their challenges and opportunities to foster better results in 2025 and beyond.
LEADERS:
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Coffee & Connect
3:30 PM 2025 Equipment Finance Connect Opening Remarks
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Session 1: Fireside Chat with a Key Dealer
During this session, we sit down with a leading dealer in the equipment finance sector for a frank discussion on what lenders can do to get more business and what dealers should do to improve their profitability.
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Session 2: PRESENTATION – Current Economic Trends and Their Implications for Equipment Finance
- Examining elevated interest rates and business credit health
- Forecasting the second half of 2025 in the equipment finance market
- Identifying signs of reversal in charge-off trends
PRESENTER:
5:30 PM Opening Cocktail Reception
Thursday, May 15
8:00 AM Registration Opens
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:05 AM – 9:35 AM Session 3: Fireside Chat with a Key Lender
We engage in a one-on-one discussion with a top lending executive on how lenders can better serve dealers and ways dealers can maximize their relationships with lenders.
9:35 AM – 10:15 AM Session 4: PANEL – Enhancing Finance Operations for Better Results
- How to evaluate lenders’ offers on a deal-by-deal basis, cluing lenders into how to improve their offerings
- Navigating the approval and funding process
- Creating value for lenders and dealers through finance, insurance and aftermarket offering
PANELISTS:
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM Coffee & Connect
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM Session 5: PRESENTATION – Navigating the Regulatory Compliance Landscape: Lender and Dealer Perspectives
- Understanding dealer implications of new regulatory requirements, such as fair lending to small businesses
- Protecting customer data in line with the FTC Safeguards Rule
- Practical tips for better compliance workflows
PRESENTERS:
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Session 6 –Tech Demos
Find the future of equipment finance today with a series of carefully curated tech demos from cutting-edge fintech companies. Each startup is under the gun to impress you with their tech. The winner is awarded “Best in Show” for 2025.
PARTICIPATING COMPANIES:
JUDGES:
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM Networking Lunch
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Session 7: PANEL – Technology and AI Strategies for a More Successful Finance Business
- How to evaluate new and budding technology, including AI
- Identifying business areas ripe for digitalization and automation
- Guiding customers through the digital and autonomous journey
PANELISTS:
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Session 8: The Great Equipment Finance Oxford Debate: Does the Equipment Finance Industry Do Enough to Support Borrower Needs and Challenges?
Two teams will face off in an Oxford-style debate on borrower needs and challenges. An Oxford debate is designed to engender a wholesome discussion on a crucial industry topic and to flesh out new ways of thinking about strategy. The debate will make you think and challenge conventional wisdom. Let the debate begin!
DEBATERS: