Days away from The MPC Digital Commerce Event, MPC executive director Marla Ellerman reflected on her decade-long journey that began with a small workshop in New York City and grew into a global conference with over 1,000 attendees. While this year’s eleventh annual conference will deliver a broader agenda than ever before, it will also have her personal touch, she stated, with value-added services that will make MPC unique and special.
“Months before the conference, we arrange one-on-one introductions with sponsors,” Ellerman said. “And we develop unique content and backstage interviews in our monthly newsletter, The MPC Show Times.”
Additional value-added services include webinar hosting and interviews with leading executives featured in Mobile Marketing & Technology Magazine, The Green Sheet and other trade publications, Ellerman stated. She went on to say that she is proud to have a strong team of independent women to support the growing conference and its adjacent digital platforms.
Following is additional background on MPC’s steering committee:
Executive Director
Marla Ellerman is an accomplished marketing and sales executive with strong business acumen and more than twenty years of experience in channel marketing and sales. Expertise in integrated marketing communications with ability to mesh print, event marketing, social media and brand building activities. Drive growth and revenue expansion through effective relationship management and consultative sales approach that aligns the interests of all parties. Business-focused marketing expertise and success negotiating with Fortune 500 firms.
Event Director
Shilo Lusson is an accomplished events marketing executive, having managed programs large and small for leading brands in telecom, IT and technology services, fintech banking and in the health care supplements industry. She is well-known for her focus on process and has been the organizational management force behind many education and networking events that have become the primary industry events in their respective sectors. In addition to managing large-scale events, some serving attendees in the tens of thousands, she has developed and executed a range of niche specialty marketing and education programs aimed at the development of sales distribution channels, revenue generation and brand awareness.
Lusson is also a hotel and facilities planning and negotiations expert, having executed on many large-scale contracts after working herself as a catering manager and director in some of the world’s most exclusive resorts in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has managed client events and marketing projects, and helped rapidly growing companies develop scalable processes across their marketing activities.
Content Director
Dale S. Laszig is a payments industry journalist specializing in emerging financial technologies. After managing sales teams at leading acquirers and OEMs, she established a freelance writing practice, DSL Direct LLC, in 2007, to help business owners leverage industry knowledge, best practices, and electronic transaction technology.
Laszig has served on committees for the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), U.S. Payments Forum and Northeast Chapter of Wnet. She is an alumna of SUNY Excelsior College and Argosy University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science and M.S. in Management, respectively. As senior staff writer at Green Sheet, she covers news, feature articles, product reviews and a monthly opinion column. As a freelance journalist and Content Director at MPC, she provides writing and editing services to select industry trade publications and clientele.
Program Director
Tracy Lai, fintech consultant and partner at LYSTAR Group, provides strategic and business development solutions to executives, and entrepreneur. Her professional experience includes work at Fortune 500 companies including Intel and RBS, and startups. Lai, a certified business coach, earned an MBA at Fairfield University and FinTech Certificate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lai’s expertise covers business development, risk management, project management and investor relations, in Financial Services, FinTech, Innovation, Technology and Education. As management consultant and FinTech advisor, she holds multiple senior roles with focus on cross border and cross industry collaboration, including projects in US, Asia and Europe.
“I’m very fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated team,” Ellerman said. “We are a lean organization with a strong work ethic, diversified skill sets and shared passion for fintech and payments.”
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MPC21 was held Aug.17-19, 2021. This article originally appeared in the Wnet member website. Wnet was a media sponsor and exhibitor at the virtual Digital Commerce Event.
