Insurance implications of natural catastrophes, key legislative and political issues confronting insurers and how emerging technologies will affect the insurance business, will be discussed during Oct. 16 to 19 Society of Insurance Research annual meetings in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Dr. William Bailey, former director of the Florida Hurricane Insurance Information Center, will kick off SIR’s general sessions during his keynote address and then moderate a panel discussion on “Preparing for the Unthinkable: Natural Catastrophes and Mitigation Strategies. The panel will feature Harvey Ryland, Institute for Business and Home Safety president and CEO; Jim McCloy, Florida Insurance Council disaster recovery consultant; David Crisp, State of Florida Division of Emergency Management preparedness section chief; and Jan Lane, American Red Cross vice president for government affairs.
“As vital as natural catastrophe issues are, insurers face other, equally important issues, I applaud Ken Marshall of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies for putting together a program covering everything from the key legislative and political issues confronting insurers to the ways emerging technologies will affect the business of insurance in the years to come,” Jenny Hodge, vice president for marketing strategy and development at American Modern Insurance Group and president of the Society of Insurance Research said.
After the exhibit fair opens Oct. 16, SIR’s annual meeting shifts into high gear with two full-day pre-conference workshops on Oct. 17—Market Research 101 and Data Mining to Retain Customers—and a special luncheon address by Larry Forrester, president of the Insurance Education Foundation and former NAMIC president and CEO.
Chaired by Roy Baldassari, GfK/NOP Marketing Research senior vice president for financial services research, the faculty for Market Research 101 will include Roger Brown, Principal Financial Group’s director for global research and business intelligence; Rosalyn Metzger, UnumProvident Corp.’s director for product/market research; and John Gilfeather, GfK/NOP Roper Public Affairs vice chairman; all of whom will share key insights into how to conduct action-oriented research in support of real-world decision making.
Mary Updike, JHA Inc.’s director for market research will moderate, and Susan Devlin, Artemis Group founding partner will chair a workshop on Data Mining to Retain Customers, using case studies and an interactive approach to guide attendees through a comprehensive churn management model that can reduce customer churn and increase customer loyalty.
Larry Forrester will discuss unforeseen events that befell the insurance industry during his 35-year career and discuss how insurers can prepare for the unforeseen events that will undoubtedly strike in the future.
The focus then shifts to Using CI to Help Reveal Unseen Exposures and Better Prepare for the Future. During this session, Ed Budd, Allstate Insurance Co. executive director for research and strategy will address the overall competitive intelligence process, with emphasis on using competitive intelligence to detect early signs of emerging opportunities and developing threats.
The meeting continues with a presentation by David Light, CELENT senior analyst on The Role of Technology in the Future of the Industry, addressing each element in the insurance/technology mix (insurance-related technologies, other technologies, objects of insurance, the nature of risk, and insurance mechanisms), how these elements interact, and how things may evolve over the next five or 10 years.
Following an evening reception on Oct.18, SIR’s annual meeting resumes on Oct.19 with a perennial conference highlight—the Wall Street Perspectives Panel—moderated by Michael R. Murray, ISO assistant vice president. This session will feature three prominent analysts from Wall Street investment houses and insurance rating agencies, who will address the current state of insurance markets and the outlook for the insurance industry, with special emphasis on the big-picture issues and the strategies and tactics that will distinguish those insurers that will survive and thrive from those that will be vanquished by their competition.
SIR’s annual meeting will concludes with presentations on Insurance Industry Public Policy and Legislative Hot Topics. The most significant legislative developments in 2005 and an overview of the hot-button issues poised to take the center state in 2006 will be presented by Meredith Chancey, Alfa Insurance Co. research associate; Robert Detlefsen, NAMIC director of public policy; and Neil Alldredge, NAMIC senior director of state advocacy.
Information about SIR’s annual meeting and registration materials are available at http://www.sirnet.org.
Topics Florida Catastrophe Market
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