At Transact ETA 2025, there’s no shortage of big announcements and polished sessions. But just as valuable are the fast takes shared in between: over coffee, at booths, and across chance hallway run-ins.
Each day, we’re capturing candid, 1-minute perspectives from the people making this industry move—ISOs, embedded lenders, hardware distributors, and compliance innovators. What do they all have in common? Sharp, unscripted advice on how to make the most of a show like this.
Today’s theme: How to make it count when you're here. Booths, mixers, meetings, and moments—they all matter. Here’s what the folks living it had to say.
✨ “Put the work in.” — John Buchanan, SVP of Sales, Payarc
Lesson: Presence beats polish.
You don’t need a gimmick. You need to be there. Buchanan makes the case for showing up, being seen, and putting in the hours—on the floor, at the mixers, and everywhere in between.
📆 “Everyone’s here—under one roof.” — Rob Chilcoat, ACA Unattended Card Payments
Lesson: Concentration is opportunity.
Transact is one of the few times a year when every relevant player in your corner of payments is in one place. For hardware vendors like ACA, it’s about leveraging the density of decision-makers—all in one room.
💬 “Trap them with an otter.” — Patrick Oswald, Account Exec, LeanData
Lesson: Spark curiosity, then solve their go-to-market problem
Patrick’s approach is both playful and tactical. His first move? Find a way to grab attention—“trap them with an otter”—then shift fast to what matters: helping companies connect the dots between intent and action.
Using Verifone as an example, Patrick explains how LeanData routes inbound interest in seconds—not days—to the right sales rep, transforming a complex, multi-product business into one with instant customer response.
🤝 “This space is built on relationships.” — Eric Knapp, President, EVS
Lesson: Fintech is still a handshake industry.
Knapp’s been around for 19 years and still lights up at the chance to see familiar faces. ETA is more than a pipeline generator—it’s where reputations are maintained and momentum is renewed.
🌐 “It’s time to focus on acceptance.” — Raghuram Adiraju, Mastercard
Lesson: The next wave of B2B payments is about enablement.
While the issuing side has matured, Mastercard is turning its energy toward B2B acceptance. Adiraju points to facilitator licenses and smarter onboarding as key to the next chapter.
👨💳 “We’re not even working with most of them—yet.” — Brian Maloney, ISO Sales Director, Paysafe
Lesson: Discovery still happens face-to-face.
For Maloney, Transact isn’t about checking in with existing partners—it’s about starting new ones. This is where connections begin, and where ISOs are actively asking: What’s new? What’s better? And does it work?
🪄 “Everything in one place.” — Abubacker Nainamohamed, Global CTO, Valor Paytech
Lesson: Efficiency comes from convergence.
For Abubacker, the biggest draw of ETA is scale and focus. “I get to meet everybody in the industry all at once,” he says. Conferences like these aren't just about tech showcases—they’re about accessing innovation, understanding market demands, and getting a cross-section of where the industry is heading.
✋ “The future is your palm.” — Andres Meza Echandi, Sales Manager, Wiseasy Technology
Lesson: Hardware is evolving with user behavior.
While U.S. payments remain rooted in cards, Meza says the next frontier—especially visible in Asia—is biometric. QR is stable, but biometrics like palm-based authentication are now entering production.
📍 “Don’t wait. Don’t waffle.” — Mike Brown, Field Marketing Manager, Global Payments
Lesson: Your event plan starts long before the badge gets printed.
Mike Brown knows the circuit—and doesn’t mince words. Booth position, staffing, attitude: it all needs intention. Get it wrong, and you’re stuck by the bathrooms. Get it right, and you’re ahead before the show even starts.
He also offers a reality check for team leads: Vegas is still work. Set expectations, choose the right people, and don’t let the evening socials bleed into missed mornings. “Get the right people, and define your expectations,” he says. “This is not party time—even if you’re in Las Vegas.”
🔹 TL;DR: Top Tips from the Trenches at ETA
Lock in early — Your booth position shapes your traffic.
Lead your team — Set expectations and choose wisely.
Be everywhere — Mixers, floor, sidelines—it all counts.
Spark curiosity — Open with something unexpected, close with value.
Know your targets — Walk in with a list, not just a lanyard.
Back the B2B shift — Acceptance is the new frontier.
Converge to learn — See the industry in one go.
Build for what’s next — Biometrics are coming.
Disclaimer: The above podcast episode was generated using AI based on an interview transcript. While the content remains true to the original conversation, the voices, tone, and delivery were synthesized and do not represent actual recordings of the speakers. This AI-generated format is intended to enhance accessibility and provide an alternative way to engage with the discussion.
— The Unofficially ETA Transact Team
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