A new conference to be held next year will for the first time examine directly the strategic issues surrounding circulation coin management. The Coin Conference, organised by Currency Publications Ltd, will be held May 31-June 1, 2011 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London.

With its theme of 'The Challenges for Circulating Coins - Making the Change', the new event meets a gap in the market for a dedicated coin-specific forum focused on circulating coins and covering critical issues like design, security and cost effective production. It will also provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss and share best practice in a series of sessions about coin handling, distribution and management issues.

Representatives of central banks and treasury departments will be at the conference along with suppliers of coin production, handling and packaging equipment. Others will include producers of components and blanks, cash management companies, coin service providers, vending system manufacturers and operators, retailers and banks and financial institutions.

Forecasting demand, determining note/coin boundaries, ways to optimise circulation, reducing costs, securing revenue streams and building and maintaining public confidence will be among the many issues debated.

Delegates will be able to find out more about the latest coin authentication techniques, security technologies and reclamation and recycling processes.

Event Director Astrid Mitchell said is the conference is the only dedicated event for coin management from an issuer's perspective.

"Circulating coins play a key societal role in facilitating transactions, and comprise an intrinsic component of treasury department and central bank cash strategies, she said. 'but are often seen as something of a Cinderella in the payment systems arena compared with banknotes. In spite of their importance to the cash cycle, and the specific issues and challenges that they face in today's environment of growing demand, rising costs of production and distribution, security issues and alternative methods of payment, they do not get the attention they deserve. The Coin Conference aims to rectify that.'

Further information can be found at www.thecoinconference.com