Top brokers, agents head for idea exchange at Hawaii bungalows

Senior executives and producers are scheduled to meet and exchange “cutting edge” ideas at the Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) Blue Ribbon Conference on the Big Island, Hawaii, on April 30-May 4.

The conference, in its 20th year, is designed to target top performing agents and brokers, and will feature timely discussions. Among the conference sessions (available for nine continuing education credit hours) are:

• Things that Keep Me Awake Nights, a future look at the industry;
• What the West Coast Can Learn from the Gulf Coast Catastrophes, featuring first-hand experiences of a broker who lost multiple offices in Hurricane Katrina, as well as featuring adjustors who will recommend best practices to help avoid mistakes;
• California’s Workers’ Compensation: Are the Reforms Working So Well that We Will Lose Them?
• Expanding Alternative Markets … Don’t Get Blindsided; and
• The Elephant Revisited: Will Disclosure Protect Us from Expansion of Broker-Agent Legal Liability?

According to Bill Bolton, conference chairman, the speakers were chosen because they are “decision-makers” in the industry.

“Usually more successful brokers attend the event,” Bolton said. “The reason I say more successful is that they are on the cutting edge of new ideas and stay that way — not only by learning from speakers but also from informal conversations … Beyond the beauty of the surroundings, the event has been successful for 20 years because attendees get so much out of it.”

The conference will be held at the Mauna Lani Bay Resort & Bungalows in Hawaii. For information or to register, call (800) 772-8998.