Dewhurst a Featured Speaker at IIAT’s 106th Annual Convention

The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ annual convention, to be held June 19-21 at the San Antonio Convention Center and Hyatt Regency, will feature two and a half days of continuing education workshops, one-on-one consultation sessions, a huge trade show and the ever-popular golf tournament. As a special treat, at this year’s Wade F. Spilman Political Action Luncheon, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst will discuss his experiences during his first year on the job

The convention has something for everyone—agency managers, producers, customer service representatives and young agents. Thursday’s focus is on sales and young agents. The day kicks off at 9:45 a.m. with two concurrent workshops:

“Tech Tools for Personal Organization”: Mike Weinberg discusses the latest personal technology and e-mail management techniques in this workshop, with tips and hints on uses that meet the needs of the busy salesperson.

“Commercial Property and CGL Update: The 2000 Forms” (1.5 CE credits): IIAT technical staff present an explanation of the changes introduced by the 2000 CPP form and the 2001 CGL. As always, easy to understand and lots of reference materials to take home.

Thursday attendees can choose from two luncheons, the “Sales Management Luncheon: Locating Top Salespeople” and the “Young Agents Award Luncheon.” Following lunch, T. Scott Gross presents “Retaining Customers with Outrageous Service” (1:30-3 p.m.; 1.5 CE credits). Known internationally for his ideas on improving relations with business clients, T. Scott Gross provides his formula for changing the way customers view services. He’s funny, he’s direct, he’s effective.

During the afternoon, agents can choose from three concurrent workshops:

“Marketing Insurance to a Diverse Population” (3:15-4:45 p.m.): Cheryl Koch will show agents how to avoid charges of discrimination and how to sell insurance to rapidly growing minority populations.

“Branding Your Agency for Better Marketing” (3:15-4:45 p.m.): Public relations expert Peter van Aartrijk will show agents what consumer research says about branding and how to develop a marketing budget and create and manage their brand.

“Building a Quality Book” (3:15-4:45 p.m.): Mike Weinberg will share his successes in selling and networking that have helped him build a multi-million dollar book of business.

On Friday, agents can satisfy continuing education requirements while learning the latest on important industry issues. Workshops include:

“Pride in Independence” (9:30-11 a.m.): Bob Rusbuldt, IIABA chief executive officer, joins other industry representatives to discuss market share, trends in customer buying habits, and ways independent agents can capitalize on the current market situation.

“Small Agency Round Table Discussions” (1:30-2:30 p.m.; 1 CE credit): Small agents share solutions to problems unique to agencies of their size and hear about the latest trends in management.

“Recap of the 78th Session: What It Means to Agents” (1:30-3 p.m.; 1.5 CE credits): It has been the year of insurance. Sen. Kim Brimer, Rep. Craig Eiland, Rep. Larry Taylor, TDI’s Mike Geeslin and Republic’s Bruce Milligan dissect new laws that emerged from the most important legislative session in decades.

“Certificates and Additional Insureds” (1:30-3 p.m.; 1.5 CE credits): IIAT staff step agents through the latest developments in additional insured endorsements and certificate issues to help avoid E&O traps.

“Non-Subscriber Market Update” (3:15-4:45 p.m.; 1.5 CE credits): It’s not business as usual for non-subscribers. A panel of market leaders will discuss how markets and alternatives have changed over the years.

“Recruiting and Hiring the Best Account Manager” (3:15-4:45 p.m.; 1.5 CE credits): Mary Eisenhart reveals her secrets for locating and identifying top candidates to replace staff in key positions.

Friday is also CSR Day. Not only can CSRs visit the trade show in the morning and meet with more than 130 industry vendors, from noon-1:30 p.m., CSRs can enjoy a special luncheon featuring guest speaker Cheryl Koch of Agency Management Resource Group in Lincoln, Calif. In “Attitude Is Everything,” Cheryl explains how attitude governs actions and retains customers. A special registration fee of $40 will admit CSRs to the luncheon and the trade show; additional CSRs from the same agency can register for $35. For more information on CSR Day, call IIAT’s member services hotline at (800) 880-7428.

The convention concludes Saturday with two new sessions:

“Jump-Start Your Agency Planning” (8:30-10:30 a.m.; 2 CE credits): The Women of Agency Management (Mary Eisenhart, Mona Carpenter and Cheryl Koch) present this two-hour program that will help agents organize their planning efforts and identify industry trends that could impact results.

“Ethics Training for Agents” (8:30-10:30 a.m.; 2 CE credits): Agents can complete their required ethics training for license renewal with one of the nation’s most dynamic instructors, Mike Jones.

IIAT member agents registering for the entire convention pay only $250; agencies sending more than one employee pay only $205 per staff member after the first one. Nonmember agents may register for $350. Registration for the IIAT golf tournament is an additional $70. Daily registration and company representative rates are also available. For more information, call IIAT’s member services hotline at (800) 880-7428 or visit the IIAT Web site at www.iiat.org to register online or see a full schedule of events, exhibitor and registrant lists and more.

Topics Agencies Training Development