LOS ANGELES—Epoch will toast a historic milestone as an industry leader in global payment solutions when it hosts its 20th Anniversary Party at Webmaster Access Amsterdam.
The bash will kick off at 9 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the Sea Palace, the first floating restaurant in Europe that is a landmark in the heart of Amsterdam.
The three-floor eatery, which specializes in Cantonese cuisine, is within walking distance from the DoubleTree by Hilton, the host hotel for the 12th annual webmaster conference.
Epoch is the first billing company in the adult sector to reach the two-decade mark.
“So we’re going to celebrate this milestone with our clients and everyone else whose been with us through the years,” said Harmik Gharapetian, vice president of sales and marketing for the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company.
“We’re the only one in this sector that’s hit 20 and is still around. It’s going to be a huge night with drinks, appetizers, music and giveaways.”
The party is open to all Webmaster Access attendees but an early arrival is suggested as the capacity for the Sea Palace is 600 guests.
“We wanted to pick a place that was close to the main hotel of the show that was easily accessible. It’s about 500 feet away,” Gharapetian said, adding that Amsterdam is a one-of-a-kind place.
“With all the little bridges and waterways in Amsterdam it’s just a unique city. It’s very lively. It’s a Vegas-type atmosphere there, always lit up and crowded with a lot of different things to do.”
Epoch helps clients all over the world process credit card, debit card and a multitude of other payment types by leveraging its banking relationships to provide payment gateway, one-time and recurring billing, 24/7/365 billing support customer service as well as data storage, all in a secure environment. It also customizes the payment form in 17 different languages based on the customer, accepts all major card types as well as a number of regional payment types, and bills customers in their local currency.
Now in his 17th year with Epoch, Gharapetian said he could not be more proud of the way the company has evolved.
“To me, Epoch is like a family,” he said, noting the Epoch staff consists of more than 130 professionals in the U.S. and abroad. “Over 50 percent of our employees have been with us 10 years or more now.”
Epoch, which will officially surpass 20 years on Oct. 1, will continue leading the way in the next era of the company, Gharapetian assured.
“Innovation has been what has gotten us to 20 years,” Gharapetian said. “We’ve never sat back and said we’ve reached the mountaintop. We always ask ourselves what else do we need to do to improve on what we already do? I think innovation will be our driving force for the next 20 years.
“We’ve been the first in the market to do most of the things we’ve done. Whether it’s the back end, reports, processing or affiliate tracking, we’ve been pioneers. ‘Innovation’ would be the key word for the future.”
The executive said he’s been attending Webmaster Access Amsterdam since the beginning.
“Webmaster Access is the European show to be at,” Gharapetian said. “Just like us, it was there before everybody else.”
