When you’re rushing day-to-day just to get your work done and make sure the details are taken care of while the bottom line is in the black, it’s easy to lose perspective on the larger picture in the insurance world.
What’s going on in the industry in your state? What new companies are out there offering markets that you should know about?
What’s the latest in insurance education (yeah, you need it for the license, remember)? We hope that Insurance Journal Midwest provides you some of the answers to these questions twice a month, but we’re willing to admit that we can’t do it all, which is why it usually pays to attend your state’s agent association’s conventions, not to mention regular meetings in your area throughout the year.
Here are a few of the conventions in the Midwest that I’m hoping to attend and which I hope you’ll consider as well. I’d love to meet you there.
If your state or your organization’s event isn’t covered here, it may be on our Web site at www.insurancejournal.com/resources/conferences. If it’s not there, you can submit your event by filling out the form available at www.insurancejournal.com/forms/conferences.htm. Thanks for letting us know about it!
The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents will hold its annual convention Feb. 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn. Highlights include two useful seminars on hiring and training new staff and “how to raise a great producer,” as well as a panel discussion featuring top executives from Citizens Insurance, Frankenmuth Mutual, Auto Club Insurance Association as well as Office of Financial and Insurance Services Commissioner Linda Watters. For more information or to register, visit www.michagent.com or call (800) 589-5065.
The Missouri Association of Insurance Agents’ small agencies conference is specially designed for “agencies that primarily write small accounts and not as many large commercial accounts. ‘Small agencies’ are located in metropolitan areas as well as in small towns and rural areas.” It will take place March 18-19 in Columbia and features programs on commercial and personal lines, credit scoring and long-term care. The group holds its annual convention in Osage Beach July 21-23. For more information or to register, call (573) 893-4301.
The Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin’s annual convention is at the Madison Marriot Hotel and Convention Center this year, May 5-6. The group’s centennial convention drew more than 1,000 attendees and with speakers like the IIABA’s Louise “Bebe” Canter and the entertainment of the Wisconsin singers, they hope to repeat the feat. For more information or to register, visit www.iiaw.com or call (608) 256-4429.
The Professional Insurance Agents of Nebraska will hold their annual convention in Lincoln June 9-11. For more information or to register, visit www.pianebraska.com or call (402) 392-1611.
The Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin‘s annual meeting will be held in LaCrosse, July 21-23. Continuing education courses cover the hot new identity theft coverage and “the foreign language of insurance,” while recreation includes riverboat cruises and live music by the Mississippi Mudcats.
The National African-American Insurance Association, which was “organized to create a network among minorities who are employed by insurance companies or self-employed in the insurance industry” holds its annual meeting at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Sept. 19-21. For more information or to register, visit www.naaia.org or call (866) 56-NAAIA.
The Ohio Association of Insurance Agents has pared down its annual meeting to a one-day event with no trade show to focus on continuing education and a panel of Ohio carrier CEOs and other influentials in the industry. This year’s meeting will be in Columbus on Oct. 1.
The Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois again holds its annual convention in Springfield, Oct. 6-8. If last year’s convention is any judge, the trade show will be a great opportunity to make contacts with national and regional carriers as well as wholesalers and surplus line brokers. CE options are also plentiful. For more information or to register, visit www.piiai.org or call (800) 628-6436, ext. 3007.
The South Dakota Association of Insurance Agents‘ annual meeting will be held in the town of Spearfish, Oct. 10-12. For more information or to register, call (605) 224-6234.
Lastly, the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana will again hold its annual meeting in Indianapolis, Nov. 13-15. Their trade show is also one of the biggest in the Midwest. For more information or to register, visit www.iiai.org or call (317) 824-3780 x203.
Many of these events are fun and educational, and they occasionally break some new ground, which is why we try to have a presence whenever we can. We may be coming after you with a video camera and a microphone looking for a sound byte, so watch out. See you there!
To comment on this story, e-mail:
koreilly@insurancejournal.com.
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