Education, connection, and dedication for payments people.
Three ideas we come back to in everything we build.
Every program, session, and conversation we support is in service of these three: learning from peers, knowing the people doing the work, and showing up to do it ourselves.
Practitioner teaching
Merchant-led sessions, CTP content, and working roundtables. Taught by the people running payments, for the people running payments.
Browse webinars →A working community
Year-round merchant and advisor connections, in-person roundtables, and peer conversations that outlast any single conference.
About the Forum →Volunteer leadership
A merchant and advisory board that commits hours to shaping the agenda, mentoring peers, and keeping the programming independent and honest.
Meet the boards →Founded by merchants, still run by merchants.
In 1989, a group of forward-thinking payments professionals set aside competition to pursue an unprecedented goal: improving the payments environment for merchants through education and collaboration. Formerly known as the Direct Response Forum, we’ve carried that mandate forward for more than three decades.
Today, PaymentsEd serves professionals across digital, omnichannel, mobile, and physical point-of-sale environments. The Annual Forum delivers timely insight on industry trends, operational best practices, and the networking opportunities that help shape the rapidly changing payments landscape.
Each year, hundreds of payments professionals, from seasoned leaders to emerging operators, gather to share knowledge, build connections, and drive progress across the industry. We remain one of the few trusted industry organizations created by merchants, for merchants, committed to supporting and empowering the merchant community through education, collaboration, and advocacy.
Come see the program shaped by practitioners for practitioners.
Registration for the 2026 Annual Forum is open. Or join a webinar to get a feel for the community.