MPC Interviews Rod Katzfey of MWAA
Please tell us your name, title, organization, and email address to provide to prospective participants interested in receiving more information.
Rod Katzfey, MWAA President and Board Member, Midwest Acquirers Association,
Rod.katzfey@midwestacquirers.org
What makes MWAA different than the other associations out there in the industry?
The MWAA has grown to become a premier event for ISO, Agents, Industry Professionals and Exhibitors to gather in July each year to learn, network and most of all have fun. We have an Agent/ISO Forum for two hours, an invite only Executive Forum for C-Level Executives to collaborate, an Industry Achievement Award and Exhibit Floor that caters to all different size companies from large open booth spaces to tabletop displays. We are willing to try new things that can be successful or maybe not do them again.
How would you describe your organization’s value proposition to prospective conference attendees?
We have created a formula that allows our Exhibitors and Sponsors to fund most of the cost of the annual conference while making it very affordable for participants to come and learn, network and build lasting friendships during our conference. We also do FLASH Sales for $20.26 to encourage attendance and continue to grow the conference each year.
What recent challenges has your leadership and board faced in serving the payments industry and how did you overcome them?
I think the most obvious one was COVID and creating a safe environment for everyone to come back to attend the conference. There are so many conferences available to attend and exhibit at and only so much time and budget dollars. We can’t give out all the secrets about the MWAA but let’s just say that our attendance has consistently grown every single year along with the demand from exhibitors and sponsors.
What recent milestones has your organization achieved and why is it significant for the payments industry?
Our attendance continues to grow each year which tells us there is a need for our conference in the payments industry. We are also seeing lots of new companies each year even though there continues to be a significant amount of consolidation. Our marquee events continue to grow and we are seeing the next generation embrace the industry and continue what we started 24 years ago.
What near-term opportunities will 2026 present to your organization and industry professionals?
The growth of the MWAA is going to require us to need more space for our conference in future years and we are already seeing the numbers for this year up substantially. Hotel room blocks are already a challenge each year with the main hotel and overflow, so if you are planning on attending…get your hotel room NOW! The educational panels and sessions are always an important part to the growth of individuals in our industry.
What are the key trends for 2026 and why do you think it’s important for your community?
We see the adoption of AI as a hot topic as people learn how to navigate through the different solutions out there. VAMP is also a concern for many in our industry and addressing that in an educational way will be important for our community. The M&A space continues to be active and everyone is trying to understand how this will impact them both short term and long term.
