The Prepaid Press - June 15, 2008 - (Page 10)

TPPEXPO’08 SPOTLIGHT tppEXPO’08 CONFERENCE AGENDA tppEXPO’08 has partnered with industry leading research firm and conference organizer, The Pelorus Group, to help produce the industry’s most informative and most affordable conference program for prepaid services. These tracks were created specifically to provide you with the critical information you need to learn, adapt, and thrive in today’s competitive prepaid marketplace. Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - Prepaid Long Distance Building an Empire The prepaid calling industry has undergone some significant changes in the past several years. But, opportunities still abound, if you know where to look, and apply some creative thinking. There is a Gold Rush going on now for those companies that can match their capabilities to new and expanded markets, like cardless prepaid calling. How do you find and exploit these niche markets? What new applications are consumers most interested in and will try? What kinds of applications are new technologies enabling, and how can you leverage your existing technology and relationships? What are the revenue and profit potential opportunities? Learn how to make prepaid calling profitable again. What’s In a Card? How to Make Your Cards Safe and Legal There has been a lot of activity around the prepaid calling card business, from new laws, to new rules and even civil lawsuits. Much of it focuses around how your products are packaged and sold. Some of the rules seem contradictory, and even, counter productive. How do you make sure that your cards are safe from legal and regulatory sanctions and immune to competitor’s lawsuits? What does the federal government – the FCC and the FTC – expect for cards to have? How can you structure your offer so that customers will understand it, and regulators won’t attack it? How do you clearly communicate your rate and fee structure to buyers but not confuse them? Hear how the experts answer all these perplexing questions. Prepaid Today – Dealing with a Changing Distribution Model Selling prepaid calling services today is not the same as it was a few years ago. Of course, the Internet has led to draconian changes in the way prepaid products are sent to market. But, other technologies, like POSA, have resulted in further changes. Because, historically, so much of the cost and commission structure has been left in the channel, it is valuable to explore the opportunities for increasing efficiencies and reducing cost. How do products get from service provider to the consumer? What are the costs of the distribution channel and how can they be optimized? What new technologies or business models are coming on the scene and how can they be employed? This session will help you design your distribution model for maximum effectiveness. Building a Better Mousetrap – The Technology of Prepaid One of the greatest drivers in prepaid calling products has been the great advance in technology over a relatively short time frame. In just a few years, we have moved from a predominantly circuit switched network with “big iron” switches, to a network that is rapidly becoming IP based. The growing intelligence of advanced networks is giving rise to applications that is faster, more efficient and more highly functional than ever before. How do you employ these technologies, and which ones are the best for your operation? What are the costs, and what are the returns you can get on technology investments? What do the backroom operations need? Prepaid calling services are empowered by the technology, and this session will provide the details on the opportunity. The Future of Regulation, Taxes and Litigation in Prepaid Calling Now, more than ever, regulations, taxes and litigation are shaping the prepaid calling environment. It seems that whatever lawmakers and federal regulators leave alone, high profile and expensive lawsuits are impacting. Federal programs like DAC, USF and other federal programs, coupled with lawsuits by competitors have increased the cost, and risk, of doing business in prepaid calling. Who are the players and what role do they play in the prepaid business? How have these developments affected the competitive landscape? What are the biggest risks you face and how do you plan so as to minimize their potential for disrupting your business? This session will look at all the legal and regulatory issues that could impact a prepaid calling business. Selling Prepaid Calling – The Retail Focus The retail component of prepaid calling has changed as dramatically as the other parts of the business. The way products and services are merchandised, priced and sold are continually changing. knowing how to maximize the sale of products is vital for service providers, and distributors as well as retailers. What kind of packaging is the most attractive to customers? How do you merchandise products to get the highest efficiency? What is the consumer concerned most about, and what will influence their decision to purchase? The retail marketplace is the most important single link in the chain, and this session focuses on how to maximize it. REGISTER NOW AND SAVE! All Conference Passes include Conference(s), Expo, Floor demos, Toga Party Day One: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 – Prepaid Long Distance Day Two: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 – Prepaid Wireless Day Three: Thursday, August 21, 2008 – Prepaid/Alternative Payments Each Industry Track (one day pass) $275 through August 15 $325 on site Full Conference Pass (all three days) $599 through August 15 $675 on site As a TPP subscriber, you may apply the following Discount Codes toward your registration, as follows: 15% Conference Discount - TPPCONF Free Exhibit Hall Pass - TPPEXHP Online registration is available on the show website, www.prepaidpressexpo.com, or cut and fax the registration form (NEXT PAGE). Discount Codes Expire July 15. Speakers Include Mark Herrington First Data Teri Llach Blackhawk Network Steve Mott BetterBuyDesign Michael Keresman Cardinal Commerce http://www.prepaidpressexpo.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - June 15, 2008

The Prepaid Press - June 15, 2008 Contents The Retske Report: The More Things Change… Regulatory Rundown: June 2008 5 Minutes With Harvey Caron VP/Marketing Director, Pentagon Graphics TPPExpo’08 Spotlight Handset Trafficking Dealt Blow Prepaid Wireless Roundup Virgin Mobile to Use Platform-A Sprint Reports Lower Wireless Revenues Virgin Mobile Adds Samsung to Offerings States Considering Photo ID for Prepaid Wireless Prepaid Reviews Podcast Includes TPP Editor Prepaid Wireless in Brief Managing Equipment and Capacity Upgrades Atlantax Systems and TMI Form Alliance The Legal Line Spot Rates FTC Halts Bogus Prepaid Phone Card Claims Titan Global Re-Appoints Kurt Jensen as Pres/CEO Calling Cards in Brief TX AG Files Suit Against Calling Card Company Startec Moves to PhoenixSoft Cirrus Ringplus.net Offers Free Calls Interchange Fee War Begins edo Interactive Launches Networking Card MasterCard Uses CSC Platform nFinanSe Gets $15 Million Line of Credit Travelex Cash Passport Debuts at US Retail Stores CardEx Offers Cost-Free Gift Cards Payments in Brief Altair and Blueberry Launch a Prepaid Card for Moms FrontStream Acquires Direct Technology Innovations New Etelcharge Version Goes Live Prepaid 101: POSA Retail Focus in Brief NRF Says Retailers Fighting Organized Crime Blackhawk Announces Annual Hawk Awards NRF Says Retail Sales Showed Resiliency in April TravelCenters Adopts Coinstar Pay As You Go Marriott Offers a $25 Visa Gift Card NRF Favors Law Protecting Retailers from Lawsuits Starbucks Card Members Get Free AT&T Wireless Wi-Fi Our Advertisers Classifieds Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - June 15, 2008

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