Our 2004 User Group conference took place at Le Meridien Spa and Resort in Limassol, Cyprus from September 29th to October 1st.

The event attracted a record 95 delegates from 23 countries and included representatives from 46 banks.

The theme of the conference this year was 'Over 2 You' - an initiative aimed at providing an even better partnership between CTL and its clients. To this end, the presentations and interactive workshops at User Group 2004 featured more CTL clients than ever before.

Introducing proceedings on opening morning, Card Tech's Managing Director, Jaffar Agha-Jaffar, stressed that he wanted the forum to continue to help users make the most of their CTL solution by sharing experiences and jointly exploring successes and challenges. 

After a detailed presentation by Evelyne Moussa, General Manager of CTL's product Custodian Group, speakers from our client base and the payment associations addressed delegates. 

Barclaycard International's Chief Operating Officer, Steve Adams, chaired question and answer sessions after each presentation. And he captured the spirit of Over 2 You, bringing all delegates together in planning new ideas for the annual User Group and interim client-driven forum.

Speakers gave us insights into many markets: the Middle East, SE Europe, EU, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States. We also saw live demonstrations of secure e-commerce, case studies of opportunities in prepaid cards and EMV chip rollouts, and proof of the profits you can make from a commercial card portfolio.

Phillipos Karamanolis, Managing Director of BRS, was just one CTL client who spoke at the User Group. In a fascinating presentation, he revealed his superbly successful strategies for expanding across borders and using instalment solutions.

The final two days of User Group 2004 were given over to  Workshops and Breakout Sessions.  These popular interactive events included workshops on The Business Impact of Chip Migration, hosted by Visa with National Bank of Abu Dhabi, and Corporate Payment Solutions, presented by Mastercard with Nedbank. 

User Group is not all work! Despite a busy three-day schedule, the 96 assembled delegates enjoyed a Middle Eastern Night, an International Dinner and, as you might expect in Cyprus, a beach party on the final Friday night.