TSYS Workshop Discusses Strategies for Debit Rewards
Columbus, GA, Sept. 28, 2006 — As financial institutions pursue the most innovative ways to gain and keep consumers, debit rewards programs continue to emerge as a powerful option for building a vibrant debit portfolio.
“When properly deployed, debit rewards can be an important marketing tool creating cardholder value and shifting long-term purchase behaviors,” says Lars E. Holmquist, president of ESC Loyalty, the loyalty-services subsidiary of TSYS, based in Alpharetta, Ga.
Along with Ruben Flores, vice president of business development for ESC Loyalty, Holmquist will lead a workshop entitled “How to Launch a Successful Rewards Program” at the upcoming ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum in Las Vegas. Held from 9:30 a.m. until noon on Oct. 4, the workshop is a special pre-conference session kicking off the full forum, which is scheduled for Oct. 4–6 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
“Financial institutions should understand the importance of properly aligning the critical design considerations of a rewards solution with broader objectives,” Holmquist says. “A ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality is not a good approach for loyalty strategies.”
Holmquist has served as president of ESC Loyalty since February 2006. Named to the position after serving as the company’s executive vice president of business development and consulting, Holmquist joined ESC Loyalty from MasterCard, where he was vice president of the company’s loyalty consulting services. He has consulted with many card issuers in designing and managing profitable rewards programs. He has worked with Brierley & Partners, a targeted marketing and loyalty agency, and nearly nine years with American Express in Sweden and the United States. Mr. Holmquist has a master’s degree in business administration from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.
Flores, an experienced authority on customer loyalty and travel marketing, leads the company’s consulting-services practice and is instrumental in providing strategic direction to business and marketing planning. He has an extensive background in integrated marketing and customer-loyalty program development from the client and agency services perspectives. Mr. Flores is a graduate of the School of Business at the University of Texas.
In addition to the pre-conference workshop, Cathy Corby Parker, senior vice president of debit-strategy and services for TSYS, will moderate an Oct. 5 panel entitled “Behind the Counter: The Merchant Perspective on Changes at the POS.” More information about the ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum can be found at www.sourcemediaconferences.com/conferences/ATMDebit06.
About TSYS
TSYS is one of the world’s largest payment-services companies, offering a broad range of packaged or outsourced issuing and acquiring technologies that support consumer finance, credit, debit and prepaid services for financial institutions and retail companies worldwide. Based in Columbus, Ga., TSYS (NYSE: TSS) is 80-percent held by Synovus (NYSE: SNV), one of FORTUNE magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” and a member of its “100 Best Companies to Work For” Hall of Fame. For more information, contact news@tsys.com.
About ESC Loyalty
ESC Loyalty is one of the leading providers of loyalty solutions for the financial services and retail industries. The loyalty services company of TSYS, ESC Loyalty specializes in loyalty program design, strategic planning, technology and platform support, rewards fulfillment and performance management.
Contacts
TSYS
Cyle Mims
+1.706.644.3110
cylemims@tsys.com
ESC Loyalty
David Tate
+1.678.297.4373
dtate@escloyalty.com