PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Nov. 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Smart Card Alliance invites its members to attend an exclusive industry conference on Dec. 7-9 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. At the 2014 Member Meeting, participating Alliance members from every market across the Americas will learn about the latest issues and key business trends that impact the smart card industry through keynote presentations, panel discussions, in-depth breakout sessions and networking events. The Alliance also welcomes non-members to attend if sponsored by a member organization.

Smart Card Alliance members and sponsored attendees can register for the December Member Meeting at www.smartcardalliance.org/membermeeting.

"This meeting provides members with a diverse industry-wide perspective on the state of smart card technology and possibilities for convergence in mobile, payments, transportation, retail, identity, and health and human services markets," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "It also provides opportunities for members to receive updates and get involved with our industry councils, whether they have participated in the past or are newcomers."

Agenda highlights include breakout sessions organized by the Smart Card Alliance industry councils— Access Control, Health and Human Services, Identity, Mobile and NFC, Payments, and Transportation. Sessions will cover the most pressing topics affecting the industry today, including:

• "EMV Update." This session will provide an update on the status of the U.S. EMV chip migration and include perspectives from issuers, processors and payment brands.
• "SCALA—Open Payment Innovations in LAC." This session will discuss the innovation of EMV contactless payments technology to be incorporated for fare collection in the key transportation systems of Latin America and the Caribbean. The selected speakers will discuss the requirements for interoperability of payments infrastructure, banking inclusion and government restrictions.
• "Mobile Payments – Status and Approaches." This session will discuss the different approaches being used for mobile payments, including both NFC and non-NFC technologies. The session will take an objective look at how approaches complement or compete with each other.
• "Data Breaches and Security." This session will discuss retail data breaches, focusing on approaches to prevent or mitigate the risk of data breaches in the payments industry. Panelists will discuss lessons learned from payments that would also be valuable in other industry segments.
• "Strong Authentication: What's Beyond Usernames and Passwords?" This session will review today's situation with regard to the breaches that are becoming commonplace and explore the role of passwords as an authentication method. Panelists will discuss the issues surrounding password authentication and explore effective alternatives that are available today.
• "Mobile Ticketing In the U.S. Transit Industry." This session will present the mobile ticketing technology approaches in the U.S. transit industry focusing on agency deployments and the role mobile plays in the overall fare payment schemes.

For more topics and details, view the complete agenda at http://bit.ly/10FG8qc.

There will also be a special gala and awards dinner held on Dec. 8. Awards include the Center of Excellence designation, honoring member companies who have reached the highest level of participation in the Smart Card Alliance in 2014, and individual recognition to the Honor Roll members and top contributors in each of the industry councils whose commitment greatly assisted the Alliance in fulfilling its mission.

The Smart Card Alliance councils foster increased industry collaboration within a specified industry or market segment and produce tangible results and encourage smart card adoption and industry growth. Members looking to participate in the Alliance's industry councils should visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org/activities-councils/ for more information.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology. 

Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.