‘Tis the season to spend money. No, not on gifts for your loved ones for the holidays – that typically begins after Halloween. It is conference season. Fall is that special time of year when we have to decide whether we should invest the time, energy and money to attend industry trade shows. And in a down economy, these decisions are even more significant.

There are many ARM conferences to choose from. Too many! Way too many! Over the past two weeks alone, I attended the Credit & Collection Symposium of the Americas (CCSA) which was held in Miami and SourceMedia’s revamped fall conference, Financial Services Collections Conference (FSCC). Just a few weeks earlier it was Judy Hammond’s fall extravaganza, the Debt Connection Symposium (DCS) and next week is the ACA’s Fall Forum. Then it is on to Collection Advisor’s Tech2008 and Collection Technology. Lions, tigers and bears oh my!

Why do we attend conferences? There are really only two simple answers: compelling content and/or significant networking opportunities. What else is there? I suppose some of us are looking to escape from our offices or families for a few days to Vegas or Miami (or Chicago in November, oh my) and can justify living out of a suitcase for more than a month to indulge in life’s indiscretions. Pull those people out because they would attend a conference regardless of the topic as long as it is in Vegas or South Beach. Most of us need at least one compelling reason to attend a conference.

A compelling conference really starts with a compelling leader. A compelling conference leader is someone who truly gets it. It is typically someone who comes from the industry, knows the industry and can deliver exactly what the audience wants and deliver it consistently year after year. Judy Hammond is that kind of person. So is Pablo Andres Salamone. Pablo and his partner started a collection agency in Argentina nearly 20 years ago when collections were not typically outsourced. He identified a need to bring Latin American credit and collection professionals together so he formed Credit Management Solutions (CMS). Now he runs successful conferences in numerous South American countries, the Caribbean and Mexico. Thousands of credit and collection professionals attend his shows and come back for more. And as Hispanic collections have grown in the US, Pablo has brought his specialization to the states.

Compare this high level of commitment to produce a compelling experience to SourceMedia. Pablo is clearly the leader behind CMS. Who is the leader behind SourceMedia’s FSCC? I don’t know either. Source Media follows an entirely different model altogether. They select a new Master of Ceremonies for each show and this person is responsible for driving compelling content and working with the conference coordinator (who left just prior to the event this year) to select speakers and topics. Next year there will inevitably be a new MC working with potentially new SourceMedia employees.

Conferences should not be run by using the same old cookie cutter model each and every year. They need to cover relevant and timely topics to attract the movers and shakers. In a tough economy, credit and collection professionals and exhibitors alike have to choose very carefully where they spend their time and money. If the conference does not provide a compelling experience year after year they should show lack of satisfaction and not attend.

What do you think? Did you attend a conference this fall? Why did you attend? Was it worth your time and money? Did you stay away because you could not justify spending the time or paying the price to attend or exhibit? You get the picture. Let us know what you think.