CU Futures Graduates Attend Credit Union Conference in Orlando

Tuesday 23 January 2024

The graduation of CU Futures participants is a firm favourite in the ABCUL conference agenda each year. 2022 was no exception –with both the 2021 and 2022 cohorts graduating together, following a virtual conference the previous year.

As well as congratulating all graduates on their hard work and achievements, there was the small matter of the group project. Each year, participants are put into groups to work on a 12-month project relating to the current challenges of the credit union sector. One team is then chosen as the winner by a panel of judges.

This year, the accolade went to Chris Kerrigan, from Serve and Protect, and Megan Hilton, from Metro Moneywise. Together, they created and pitched a unique digital marketing resource hub to help credit unions overcome the time-consuming and costly task of marketing in a digital-first world.

The prize for both Chris and Megan were tickets to the SCUCE Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference is the largest gathering for credit unions in the southeast of the US. For 2022, around 1,000 attendees made their way to the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek from 15th to 17th June.

“My trip started with a visit to Orlando Credit Union, where I quickly discovered just how different US credit unions were to those in the UK as I saw my first credit union drive thru,” says Chris, “I soon learnt that US credit unions can pretty much offer almost every financial service. It felt it really motivating to see the potential scope for UK credit unions.”

“I had a fantastic time attending the SCUCE conference in June. I feel privileged to have been able to attend the conference and hope to carry everything I learnt back to my credit union. I’d like to thank LSCU for allowing myself and Megan to visit!”

Megan added: “I had a brilliant time at the SCUCE conference and feel so lucky to have been invited along. Just like our own conference, it was filled with passionate people doing great things in credit unions, all keen to hear about other experiences. Everyone was really welcoming – and networking was made much easier with the English accent being a great conversation starter.”