A ‘Chill Vibe’ Awaits Payments Attendees in San Diego

What makes each smarter, faster payments conference memorable? Yes, it's the education and the insight you gain, but it's also the setting, the connections, and the overall experience of the place where the payments industry comes together. Welcome to Payment Smartcast, not just podcast channel. I'm your host, Dan Roth, Senior Director of Communications at Notcha. This episode is part of our 365 podcast series, sponsored by B&Y. Your trusted partner for smarter, faster, and safer payments. Thousands of payments professionals will gather in San Diego from April 26th through April 29th for smarter, faster payments 2026. Along with four days of industry leading education and networking, attendees will also experience one of the most dynamic and visitor-friendly cities in the United States. Today we're taking a look behind the scenes at how the conference experience comes together, and what attendees can expect both inside and outside the convention center. Joining me is Renee Shipe, Director of Meetings Management and Conference Registration at Notcha. Renee is a member of Notcha's Planning and Logistics team that makes smarter, faster payments possible, and she leads the registration team at the conference. We're also joined by Daniel Cooper-Schmidt, President and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority. Daniel is the San Diego expert, and he will share insights into key attractions that attendees should plan for as part of their conference experience once they hang up their badge at the end of each day. San Diego has a lot to offer, so let's jump in. So first of all, Renee, thank you so much for making your payments smartcasty. View, I know I'm really looking forward to the conversation because it's just not every day that we get the opportunity to sit down and talk with one of the planners who helps create the conference experience for smarter, faster payments. But before we really dive into the conference, Renee, I hope you'll just take a moment to introduce yourself and talk about your role planning the conference. Thanks for having me, Dan. I'm Renee Shipe. I'm the Director of Meetings Management and Conference Registration for Notcha. This will be my ninth payments conference. I was previously in San Diego in 2018, and I'm so glad to be the leader and the manager of all things registration. So Renee, like a business, the key to a successful conference is location, location, location. How does the location of the conference center really contribute to the overall conference experience? Notcha looks and plans for locations across the country that are central to payments. We love San Diego. I can't say that enough. It's a quick trip to and from the airport and everything you need is walkable from your hotel. The area around the conference center is truly in the heart of downtown San Diego. So Renee, you've talked about a bit about your experience in San Diego. You've talked to our listeners about why the conference center is ideal. Just talk to us a little bit about some of the activities that Notcha staff is planning to assist attendees take full advantage of their time in San Diego. Well, inside and outside, we've really worked on what new things for the conference this year. We're beginning with the conference kickoff for new and returning attendees and closing out with the Sunday social. For Monday, our vibrant exhibit hall is going to host a fun reception. And after the education ends on Tuesday, we're going to make our way to the USS Midway for the Tuesday night out. A place I'm so excited to visit for the first time. Renee, I really thank you for being on Payment Smartcast and really giving us really what is the tip of the iceberg of how smarter, faster payments will introduce attendees to San Diego. But I'm really excited that we have the subject matter expert when it comes to San Diego on Payment Smartcast. So Daniel, welcome. Thank you so much for carving out time to be on the Smartcast. And to start off, I hope that you'll share with our audience your role and experience when it comes to assisting conference events in San Diego. Sure. So I and the president of CEO at the San Diego tourism authority. I've been in San Diego since 2018. So I was here the last time you all were in San Diego. For many years, I kept saying to my boss, I want to live in San Diego and enjoy San Diego. So the fact that I am at San Diego tourism, our primary role here is selling and marketing the destination both to conventions and leisure travelers alike. And so we spend a tremendous amount of time working hand in hand with our convention years attracting them first to select our city because there's a tremendous amount of competition out there. And then once they've decided to come to a place like San Diego, we are really working closely with the meeting planners to craft not only what happens in the convention center and the day to day. But when people leave the center, what's available to them across the city and the fact that you're going to go to the USS Midway is incredible. And then we have really great different neighborhoods around town that we make sure that the people that are in town are here and ready to welcome nother in their businesses. Well, I'm excited that you said that you were helping to craft that experience. So how does the San Diego tourism authority work with conferences like ours to really enhance that attendee experience? So first, it's about understanding what the attendees like to do and where they like to go and and the demographics of those attendees. And then we begin to offer up the opportunities that we have across the destination. So in this example, we've already identified different activities that are taking place throughout the destination during the conference pre and post. And then we also direct attendees to our San Diego.org website that also provides itinerary ideas, maps and other activities that are happening. So attendees can look themselves or the organization is able to serve up some of those things that are happening during the time of the conventions here. They can't speak highly enough to the resources that are available through your website. We've compiled a couple of them on our website and just to highlight great highlights for people to be looking at the options in terms of what they want to explore more than San Diego. And Daniel, I appreciate what you said about wanting to work in San Diego. I'm hoping that you will talk to our listeners a little bit who may have never visited San Diego before and are looking to come to San Diego for the first time for faster payments. How would you describe San Diego's vibe as a host city? You know, we are a warm and welcoming city. There's a chill vibe that you that you have here when you're in town. However, there's a tremendous amount of brain power in San Diego. We are a center for innovation and a center for arts and culture innovation as well. So we have higher education here with two R1 universities that are based here. We have a tremendous amount of life science that's happening here in biotech. So there's an innovative spirit here that just allows people when they come to conventions in San Diego to not only enjoy the environment and the sunshine and all those things that come with it, but there's this tremendous sort of optimism that comes with that and brain power that comes with that here when you're here. So I think it's an inspirational place with a tremendous amount of intellectual energy that attendees feel when they're here. And on that subject of intellectual energy, as Renee talked about, there's going to be great educational opportunities. Sometimes attendees find themselves that they have to actually get some work while they're at the conference. What would be some places that you could recommend that they would go and get some work done after hours besides their hotel rooms? Okay, so I don't know about people working after hours. That's not fun. It's in Diego. But if people are going to get out and do a little bit of work outside of the convention center, I think North Park and South Park are two really incredible locations that have some awesome cafes where you can sort of put your airpods in and jam away on a laptop for a little bit of time and experience the culture in San Diego. Just downtown walking distance from the convention center, the downtown library is incredible. It is truly a centerpiece and the views from that location are incredible. So you can walk direct from the convention center to the library and feel that culture that's happening day in and day out. And then lastly, in Little Italy and the gas lamp, if you'd like to have a beer while you work, we have copious restaurants and bars in both of those areas. I think of the gas lamp more for drinks and that kind of experience plenty of coffee shops there too. And the Little Italy is a little more of a dining high-end dining experience with some incredible culinary so you can grab a bite while you're working. So for visitors who are coming who are going to have some downtime and are looking for things to do, what is on their must visit list that they will want to make sure that they see and do while they're in San Diego. Okay, a couple of things. You have to go to Babel Park. Babel Park is larger than Central Park in New York. It is the home to the San Diego Zoo, which is a world-class zoo that's not only about seeing and being part of the animals, but they have a frozen zoo there when we talk about intellectual and innovation. They have a frozen zoo there to try to help prevent extinction of animals around the globe. And so there's a lot you can learn at the zoo there. The arts and culture that takes place. We have 17 different museums and arts venues that are in Babel Park that are just incredible at that time of year. And you can walk from one to the other and there's a tremendous amount of dining in that particular location as well. So don't miss Babel Park for an afternoon or for a day, a prior post and the zoo for sure. I think just strolling through South Park is incredibly amazing. There's shops and dining and it's kind of a bohemian experience. You can take the ferry across to Coronado. It's a 10-minute ferry across to Coronado and walk the Coronado Beach. Look for sunset. Go see the famous Del. And then last but not least, Barrio Logan is an incredible neighborhood that is our Chicano culture, the only place in the United States of as a Chicano culture. That's just really a wonderful place to stroll and grab some tacos or some unique Mexican food there and feel that culture and see the arts in Barrio Logan. Those are my top lists. So Daniel, there is a lot to do and see. So it's not going to surprise you that a lot of our attendees are looking to book and their conference experience. Either coming a little bit before or staying a little bit after. Are there any local events taking place before or after the conference that attendees may want to look into as they're looking to extend their trip so they can take full advantage of them? Sure, there's a couple of key ones that are happening right around your meeting. The first is without walls. It's put on to dance and music festival theater music festival takes place. Actually on UC San Diego's campus and it's put on by the La Jolla playhouse. It has become an incredible arts experience for this weekend and it all happens outside of a venue. So all of these things are happening and you can stroll from one to the other. The majority of this complimentary, there are some ticketed pieces to that but it is unequivocally worth going and when you're there you can walk into La Jolla and see the La Jolla cove and the views from La Jolla are incredible. Also at the same time the La Jolla concourse to elegance. Car show is taking place right in downtown La Jolla which is fairly expansive as it relates to the cars that you get to see and just sort of right on the coast you hear the waves crashing while you're looking at amazing cars. Downtown in San Diego, little Italy we have the Mission Federal Art Walk. This is a weekend free weekend experience. All sorts of art from all over the country that is in pop-up tents all the way through little Italy. And at the same time our famous farmers market takes place. So you're walking and tasting coffee and food and looking at great art. It'll be incredible that weekend. So those are three big items. The other thing if you're going to book end the potential to go into Tijuana and even further into Viadacquata Loupé. The border is literally 30 minutes from downtown. In Tijuana you've got taco and beer tours and then further down Viadacquata Loupé is the wine country in the Baja. Some of the world-class wines but even more importantly Michelin star restaurants down there that really incredible. So there's different tour companies that can make it super easy to go and experience really a two-nation vacation by just landing in San Diego. So Renee Daniel has laid out a lot that attendees can have to look forward to. Neighborhoods to visit, parks, attractions. I know the attendees are really going to want to make sure they take full advantage of the conference and full advantage of the city. Just drawing on your experience as someone who's attended multiple smarter faster payments including one in San Diego. Just what are some of your tips and tricks to make sure that your downtime is as enjoyable as possible to really take advantage of everything that Daniel has talked about? One of the things that he mentioned earlier was that he like he's like me and is regularly cold. So while you're planning your professional attire it does include the cliche of comfortable shoes and it's not a cliche for a reason it's really true. You're going to want comfortable shoes for all the exploring you're doing. You're also going to want to jack it or another kind of sweater because the conference center can be cold as well as I guess I'm just cold at night. So once you remove your badge for the day you want to feel free to change outfits like Clark Kent or blend into San Diego like Carmen San Diego and explore all those wonderful places. I started writing a couple of things down because like I said I've been to San Diego before but even I didn't know about some of those events that are happening around us and we're planning for great weather. Fingers truly crossed for that but be sure to check the weather while you're packing. Don't leave home without your sunglasses and maybe some sunscreen as well. So Daniel we've talked about the conference we've talked about all the experiences. I'm hoping that you can just talk to our listeners and attendees really what is the impact that conferences like smarter faster payments have on the local economy and the community of San Diego? It's significant, Dan. We host about 60 conventions a year, 730,000 attendees come to these conventions. We estimate $1.5 billion in economic impact to the destination through conventions at the convention center and in direct spend that's $921 million a year. $38 million generates local taxes and what's important about those local taxes is they go to support public safety, street repairs, all the things that local residents appreciate. We spend a lot of time in the community talking about the value of tourism as a whole to the destination and making sure that our residents say hey come more we love you and thank you for leaving your money here. So it's incredibly important. One in eight jobs in San Diego are supported by tourism and we are the second largest traded economy in San Diego second to the military bases. Well Daniel I know I'm very excited about coming to San Diego after having this conversation with you. I appreciate your time. I really thank you for your expertise in sharing what is truly some on the ground things. I know the library, Bobo Apark. I'm keeping my list along with Renee. So Renee I think just to wrap us up we've had a great discussion today. So what is the overall experience that you're hoping attendees take home from the conference itself and also from discovering San Diego? Number one we are really excited to be back in San Diego and to be welcoming so many great new and returning attendees. Over the last couple of months our team has been planning hard the many networking events that we've we're trying to rework and really bring everyone together to gain new connections and insights into the ACH network and greater payments ecosystem. It's really a wonderful environment for the couple of days when we're in San Diego. We're all taking a break from the office and we're getting out into the theoretical world and exploring the various vendors and solutions and we're having conversations with the true practitioners. I'm just really excited for everyone to experience it. So again a real thank you to Daniel and Renee for sharing the fun and the attraction that promised to make smarter faster payments 2026 a truly memorable experience. As the payments industry continues to evolve, gather the reins like this play an important role in bringing professionals together to learn, collaborate and exchange ideas and when those conversations take place in a city like San Diego, the experience extends well beyond the conference center. To learn more about the conference and register visit payments.naca.org. And thank you again to listening to payments. And thank you to be in Y for sponsoring the 365 podcast series. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode featuring the voices shaping the future of payments. and we'll see you in San Diego at Smarter Faster Payments 2026.