American Agents Alliance Conference Selling Out Fast

The American Agents Alliance’s Conference and Expo 2005 promises to be one of California’s largest industry events, with more than 1,500 agents expected to attend and participate at the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells from Sept. 28 – Oct. 2. The convention is selling out fast, with the number of attendees outpacing previous years’ conventions by 25 percent. This year’s revamped conference will feature general sessions with presentations by industry experts, continuing education credits, a sold-out trade show and several social events.

Two general sessions will take place at the conference. A featured speaker will be Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, according to Judy Olmstead, director of operations for the Alliance. Also, a new board of directors will be installed and there will be a panel discussion featuring the leadership of the association, including Alliance Executive Director Ken Nigohosian. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session as part of the panel discussion.

The convention will also include an insurance company panel discussion. “You can expect to see new faces,” Olmstead said. “There are new companies that are partnering with us and they will be participating in that panel discussion.” Another panel discussion will feature successful women in insurance.

Attendees can expect plenty of continuing education credits, with CE running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on three conference days and closing for the general sessions. Classes include “Risky Business: How to Avoid Errors & Omissions Claims,” and “Austin Powers: the Agents who Nagged Me.” Unitrin Specialty Lines will offer a class on fraud, which Olmstead expects to be popular among attendees, while Abram Interstate will educate agents in surplus lines. Curry Technology will partner with agency management software providers to speak to members about bringing technology and paperless solutions into their offices. Finally, A.D. Banker will teach three or four classes on how agents can run their agencies more effectively.

Advocacy will also be a topic at the convention, with presentations by Kevin Pedrotti, the Alliance’s lobbyist, and other association leaders who will explain their advocacy efforts and discuss regulatory issues. Barbera Jakubanis, immediate past president of the Alliance and this year’s convention coordinator, said that advocacy is the association’s main focus.

“If there’s one direction the leadership in the Alliance feels is important, it is to strengthen our advocacy legislatively, with the Department of Insurance and with the carriers,” Jakubanis said. “That is a topic that continually comes up whenever we meet. We’re all about advocacy.”

Social events include a President’s Gala, a semi-formal event under the stars with entertainment and dancing, and a luau, a returning favorite among attendees. Jakubanis said that this year’s golf tournament has been re-energized. “[The golf tournament] had gotten to be kind of a dull event, but this year we’re going to have all sorts of prizes, goodie bags, tee sponsors, and an awards cocktail party,” Jakubanis said.

One of the conference’s hallmarks is the two-day trade show. “We’ve had response like no other year,” Olmstead said. “We have been sold out for the trade booths now for quite a few weeks. Normally we don’t sell out in booths until two weeks prior to the convention. The waiting list mounts every day.”

About 25 percent more agents are expected to attend this year’s convention than any other year. Olmstead and Jakubanis attribute the convention’s popularity to positive changes that have taken place in the association internally.

“I think the presence that we have been making with our new executive director has piqued some curiosity,” Olmstead said. “Our theme this year is partnering for success. We’ve gone out and we’re working with our company partners and our members to bring the best the Alliance has to offer.”

“All the signposts point to this being the biggest convention that we’ve ever hosted,” Jakubanis added. “It’s partially due to some changes that have taken place at the Alliance but also it’s the cumulative efforts of the board of directors and our Alliance staff working so well together. We have a lot more input into the convention from our board of directors, our executive committee, and a couple of fresh faces. That’s helping us to go a long way towards the convention being a bigger and better event.”

They also attributed the convention’s growth to well attended local meetings. “About 75 percent of our membership hears on a monthly basis about what’s going on with the association and what’s going to be happening at the convention and people are excited about that,” Olmstead said.

“I think our biggest challenge at this convention will be fitting all of the activities that we’re planning into four days,” Jakubanis said. “It’s jam-packed. For so many years we did the convention just the same way we did it every year and this year the convention’s going to have a very fresh face.”