Venture Center

Crafting Connections through Strategic PR for VenCent Fintech Summit

In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, the need for meaningful interaction between financial service providers, tech innovators, and regulators is imperative. Organized by The Venture Center, VenCent Fintech Summit distinguishes itself not just as another event in the already-crowded financial services industry, but as a boutique conference meticulously designed for meaningful connections. Knowing this, The Venture Center knew it was critical to position VenCent as a standout event that would deliver high value to its attendees.

The Strategic Solution

Stone Ward, in collaboration with The Venture Center, designed and executed PR strategies to highlight VenCent’s launch and its unique impact. VenCent distinguishes itself from other fintech conferences by strategically limiting attendance to foster meaningful exchanges between bankers and fintech innovators. This selective approach is central to the summit’s ethos, promoting an environment conducive to innovative ideas and partnerships. Leveraging this unique aspect, we successfully positioned VenCent as a one-of-a-kind event, appealing to the media and providing a compelling narrative for this annual summit.

Messaging Value Propositions

For Bankers:

Live Demonstrations: Bankers could witness viable, cutting-edge tech solutions in real time.
Quality Interactions: Dedicated one-on-one time with fintech founders promised deeper understanding and collaboration.
Insights into Innovation: Sessions aimed at elucidating ways to enhance customer experience and transform operational strategies brought them to life for attendees.
Policymaker Interactions: Direct conversations with policymakers ensured bankers were abreast of forthcoming decisions that could reshape industry standards.
Networking Opportunities: A chance for bankers to connect, share, and learn from their industry peers.

For Fintech Founders:

Direct Access: The summit provided fintech founders the unparalleled chance to meet, educate, and pitch their products directly to bankers – a significant step in shortening the sales cycle and understanding client needs.
VenCent offers a pathway for founders with successful ventures in other countries to replicate their success in North America, providing insights and practical guidance for establishing compliant, market-responsive fintech operations.

Regulators as Catalysts for Innovation

The strategic inclusion of industry regulators at VenCent was a key differentiator. Contrary to viewing regulation as a restrictive force, this inclusion repositioned regulators as catalysts for innovation and demystified the complex regulatory landscape. This provided another messaging opportunity in our PR work, elevating the summit’s profile and underscoring the fostering of a progressive and collaborative fintech environment.

Positioning Little Rock as a Fintech Hub

The Venture Center’s choice of Little Rock, Arkansas for the VenCent Summit showcases the city’s fintech legacy, from the rise of Systematics to its evolution into FIS, and the launch of initiatives like the FIS Fintech Accelerator and ICBA ThinkTech Accelerator. This decision highlights Little Rock’s significant role in fintech’s past and future, creating a compelling narrative for attendees and local media.

Results

For two years, VenCent Fintech Summit has been a beacon of driving innovation and fostering meaningful connections in the financial services industry. Through targeted media outreach, compelling storytelling, and partnerships with key technology and financial services, Stone Ward’s PR support for both years doubled media coverage and pulled 10 million more possible impressions in 2023. In addition, Stone Ward helped foster new relationships on behalf of The Venture Center with journalists covering fintech, financial services, and technology updates via their respective outlets and publications.

We provide these services for The Venture Center on an ongoing basis:

Public Relations

The Venture Center