I have attended over a dozen PBSA conferences over the years, but this might just be the best one yet! With a total of 874 attendees from around the globe, there was a great turn out in Denver. It was wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones, and the mountain scenery from the Gaylord wasn’t too bad either.  

Dressed in Vital4 branded Patagonia vests, the Vital4 team was moving and shaking all over the conference – from our booth to the bar (and maybe even the pool), to awesome partner dinners, we covered a lot of ground, literally! We finished it off on Tuesday with Kym Kurey’s session regarding the CPFB’s new rule that all CRA’s must follow regarding victims of human trafficking. Kym really rocked her session and there has been amazing feedback from everyone, so thank you to all who attended.  

If you missed us (and we hope you didn’t) please feel free to reach out, we would love to hear from you. Kym will be doing a live webinar “recap” of her session for all of those who weren’t able to attend on Thursday September 29th at 12:00 pm ET.  

Every year we recap the highlights of PBSA, what we learned, common topics of conversations that we had, industry trends and insights, education sessions we enjoyed, and everyone that knows us, knows we like to share the occasional photo!  So here it goes…. 

 Industry trends: 

  • The background screening industry continues to shift and consolidate as there are still many acquisitions happening in the industry such as Orange Tree acquiring Hire Image announcement from Bruce Berg just before PBSA.  
  • Adverse Media is drawing more and more interest from CRA’s. We had many conversations about other providers, and we know that false positives are a big pain point. Well, the timing couldn’t be better because we have some game-changing news regarding our Adverse Media solution in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! 
  • CRA’s are frustrated with record breaking rate hikes from vendors and want more flexible partners. 
  • The economy is of concern, and everyone is keeping their eye on the possible looming recession and upcoming elections that could directly impact the industry. Despite this business remains strong and steady for most CRA’s.  
  • CRA’s are interested in new revenue streams and looking towards partners that are innovative and can support their long-term growth.  

 Hot topics:  

  • Vital4Trace! Our new SSN trace solution that has just been released to market was a hot topic among many attendees. Not only do CRA’s want more options to choose from, but they also want a customizable solution to better serve their customers’ needs.  
  • TEST, TEST, TEST! Our tag line “We are designed to be tested” will be put to the test after this conference as we received many requests to test our new SSN trace solution along with our other data solutions such as Nat Crim, Sanctions, and Adverse Media too. We always say the proof is in the pudding. 
  • The CFPB’s new rule. If you missed the session, join our follow-up webinar on Thursday, September 29th.  
  • ACCIO Data’s “Gummy Bear Roulette” gets the most creative marketing idea award!  

Thank you all who stopped by our booth to say hello. We hope to see you all in Arlington in April!  

Amy Barbieri 

Vital4 Co-Founder & President