The 2024 PRISM (Public Retirement Information Systems Management) conference, held in Austin, Texas in May was a whirlwind few days, filled with invaluable insights, stimulating discussions, and opportunities to foster relationships within the industry. As an association of over 100 public pension funds and organizations, PRISM curated an ideal environment for close to 400 professionals from around 90 member funds and 30 sponsor companies to explore the latest technologies impacting the retirement and IT sectors.
The event started with a warm welcome reception which allowed attendees to reconnect with existing clients and partners, setting the stage for the engaging sessions ahead. Monday’s agenda tackled thought-provoking topics like staying connected while navigating the hybrid work landscape and the journey towards implementing new benefits administration systems. The roll call in the afternoon was an excellent opportunity to hear from every fund and vendor in attendance. Each had 60 seconds to introduce themselves and their goals for this year’s conference, whether it be creating new integrations, standardizing processes, or seeking a new pension administration system. There were so many unique perspectives and situations across the industry all consolidated in one space.
Tuesday’s lineup generated significant buzz with Gartner’s sessions on “The Future of Work and AI” and “Top Strategic Technology Trends.” These sessions provided valuable insights into understanding AI’s role in driving workforce efficiencies and leveraging emerging technologies. The “Bridging the IT-Business Gap” workshop offered practical strategies for fostering effective cross-functional collaboration. The day concluded with a comprehensive introduction to ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs), addressing their functionality, development, and responsible usage considerations. These sessions were all heavily attended, demonstrating their importance to the public pension industry.
Wednesday’s agenda featured an engaging session by a former CIA agent on cybersecurity threats and social engineering tactics employed by bad actors. The “Digital Transformation with Optimized Risk Mitigation” session, led by Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS), explored how digital tools can streamline operations and enhance productivity by reducing busywork.
The TCDRS “Digital Transformation” session highlighted TCDRS’s unique journey of rolling out new digital tools to its members and employers through their online portals. This discussion brought to mind the often-difficult task pension funds face of creating, executing and tracking campaigns when rolling out new products and benefits to their customers to increase both awareness and adoption. Vitech’s CampaignCenter addresses this matter with a cloud-native application for dynamic customer outreach and engagement. CampaignCenter provides advanced analytics, data visualization, and integration with V3locity’s CRM, workflow, and digital services. It enables targeted multi-channel campaigns with configurable audience segmentation, messaging, delivery channels, and cadence designed to improve customer service and drive growth through timely, personalized communications delivered on customers’ preferred devices. If you are unfamiliar with CampaignCenter and how it delivers personalized and cohesive member communications for our clients, you can learn more here.
Additionally, on Friday, conference attendees participated in “Birds of a Feather” sessions, fostering peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and facilitating meaningful connections among funds with similar challenges and goals. Thanks to our booth and the varied social events, PRISM proved to be an invaluable platform for exploring emerging technologies, gaining industry-specific insights, and nurturing collaborative relationships within the public pension community. As we navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape, events like these are crucial for staying ahead of the curve, driving innovation, and understanding the needs of public pension funds.
