Equipment finance industry legal experts will predict which of today’s challenges the equipment finance industry will still be talking about 10 years from now during its “Back to the Future” session at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s Annual Convention, according to Paul Bent, senior managing director of legal services and business quality assessment at The Alta Group.

Patricia Voorhees, Diane Croessmann and John Bober, who are all directors at The Alta Group, said other panels at the convention will explore circular economy and environmental, social and governance financing opportunities, new “as-a-service” financing business models and the transition away from the LIBOR interest rate.

The full schedule for the convention, which will be held Oct. 24-26 in San Antonio, is available on the ELFA’s website, but here’s a preview of some of the sessions.

The Shift from Hard Assets to Servitization: New Models for Equipment Finance Providers, 10:30 a.m. EST on Oct. 25 – This session will cover servitization or “as-a-service” financing trends, operational challenges and practical application of these models from the perspective of both manufacturers and funders, according to Croessmann, who will be joined on the panel by Cameron Krueger (moderator) of Accenture, James Cress of Stryker/Flex Financial and Joseph Pulicano of Accenture.

Back to the Future: Hot Legal Topics for ELFA’s 70^th Anniversary, 2:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 25 – The 2021 convention marks ELFA’s 60^th anniversary, but this panel will pretend they are planning the 70^th, focusing on topics with staying power, including UCC changes, commercial financing disclosure rules, Bankruptcy Code changes and cannabis industry financing, according to Bent, who will be the panel moderator. Robert S. Cohen of Moritt Hock & Hamroff, Debra Devassy Babu of Darcy & Devassy, Edward K. Gross of Vedder Price and Steve Whelan of Blank Rome will also speak.

“The legal landscape of leasing is changing, and the next decade of our industry will involve legal changes that we expect to affect lawyers and business people alike,” Bent said.

Financing the Intersection of the Circular Economy and the ESG Revolution, 3 p.m. EST on Oct. 26 – This session will delve into financing opportunities related to circular economy trends and the increased focus on ESG impacts, according to Voorhees, who will serve as the panel moderator. Topics will include industry-specific examples in healthcare and renewable energy. Cortland Brady of Aspen Field Services, Michael Dow of Womble Bond Dickinson, Brett Reed of Cohealo and Cristina Dolan of insideCHAINS and author of “Transparency in ESG and the Circular Economy” are also on the panel.

“The pandemic has exponentially increased the focus on ESG issues, investors and end user demand for solutions. This panel promises to be a lively discussion unpacking circular economy equipment solutions, what they are, how they are impacting financing and the need for technology-enabled asset management solutions,” Voorhees said.

Leaving LIBOR Behind – What’s Next?, 3 p.m. EST on Oct. 26 – The transition away from LIBOR as a generally accepted interest rate will be a significant change involving trillions of dollars in transactions. This session will explore the pros and cons of alternate rates, regulatory concerns, accounting issues and transition planning, according to Bober, who will be joined by Scott Thacker of Ivory Consulting (moderator), Adam Schneider of Oliver Wyman and Jeff Elliott of Huntington Equipment Finance on the panel.