Category Archives: 2023 VCIA Annual Conference

Welcome Conference Summer Interns!

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VCIA is lucky to have not just one conference summer intern this year, but two! We, like the rest of the industry, are putting in a big effort to find and engage the next generation of captive talent. That’s where our interns come in. One grew up in Vermont and decided to move to the Midwest for college (go Hawkeyes!); the other grew up in the Bluegrass State and fell in love with Vermont and the University of Vermont. These 2 are contributing in a major way to make your experience and the #VCIA2023 conference a success. Please meet VCIA Interns John O’Rourke and Marguerite Jouet!

John and Marguerite have been preparing the conference app for you!

University of Iowa Class of 2024 with a major in finance, John comes to VCIA as our technology intern. He is ready to troubleshoot any technology issues if needed, and he plays a big role in updating our conference app for attendees to use. On a sidenote, the app is humming along and should be ready for your use in mid July, so you can start networking with other attendees before the conference!

Last year John visited London and took a course on international finance. There, he toured the impressive offices of Lloyd’s of London, and when he learned about an opening at VCIA, he connected the dots to just how big the captive industry is in his home state. “It’s incredible,” John said, “discovering this global power of insurance right at my doorstep. I’m so excited to give it my all to make the conference a great experience for everyone.”

Marguerite joins VCIA as our event management intern and she works closely with VCIA’s Director of Education Diane Leach in perfecting the details of the conference. She studies marketing and data analytics with a concentration in global business at UVM, and last semester she went to the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona for an amazing study abroad experience.

Marguerite has already been a valuable staff member to VCIA as she’s done outreach to the Burlington Business Bureau and contacted city restaurants to provide information about our conference, demonstrating the great opportunity coming for them! Another sidenote: you will find some restaurants will have flyer with our logo on their window – please support these eateries! This was a great idea hatched by Marguerite. Says Marguerite, “It’s been wonderfully eye-opening to witness how a conference is created from scratch and all the planning that goes into it for a successful event. I’m so happy to be a part of it and can’t wait to see it all come to fruition in August!”

Whether emailing them or meeting them at #VCIA2023, please give John and Marguerite a warm welcome! And remember, book your lodging and register for the conference today!

#VCIA2023 Conference Preview III: Registration Strong Out of the Gate

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We are launched! On Monday of this week registration opened for the 2023 VCIA Conference, and already over 160 attendees have registered to attend. On the outside, it looked like we just ‘flipped the switch,’ but in all honesty that could not be further from the truth! The lead up to the launch of registration has been a meticulous process, one that involved a significant amount of time on the backend to ensure that the registration procedure can run properly for everyone.

Over 160 attendees have already registered to attend and we can’t wait for you to join us! Register here: https://tinyurl.com/vciaaugust7-10

#VCIA2023: Where the captive world Comes to Meet

Many logistics go into managing the conference experience as well. It’s a big mark of logistical success when attendees don’t even notice because everything is running so smoothly, and that is our goal! A look behind the scenes shows that the VCIA staff have been working on the details that make the conference rev – from hotel contract to our great conference logo – reflecting the summer colors of Vermont.  From transportation to sampling the food offerings at the hotel (Somehow, I missed out on that job!)

Equally important to logistics, is the actual conference schedule that has been materializing for months. Since September of 2022 (Yes, less than a month after the end of the 2022 conference!), a dedicated group of captive professionals have been working as the VCIA’s Conference Task Force to solicit, evaluate, hone and finalize a broad range of continuing professional education. Working closely with staff, they have also addressed issues such as safety and security, and the integration of stellar social and networking events into the program. 

Staff and the Conference Task Force have also work hard on securing the keynote speakers who will bring something different and relevant to the attendees. This year we are delighted to have retained the services of Juliette Kayyem & Jeff Kreisler. Juliette is a CNN National Security Analyst, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and a former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security. Jeff is the head of Behavioral Science at JP Morgan as well as being a former stand-up comedian!  That’s a combination I can’t wait to experience.

Get a preview of what Jeff Kreisler will bring as the keynote to the #VCIA2023 Conference!

So, come join us and about 1,000 of your peers as we explore new challenges and innovations. Build effective and useful contacts across the formal and informal events, and have an outstanding time in beautiful Burlington, Vermont!

P.S. If you haven’t yet, check out our conference video!

VCIA2023 Conference Preview II: Where Captive Content is King

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It’s the early stages of the Internet. The year is 1996. Some chap by the name of Bill Gates pens an essay in which he declares “Content is King” and bets that the value of information and entertainment creation will astronomically drive the Internet’s growth. Close to thirty years later his prophecy holds true. What’s my point? Well, related to the captive conference experience, the educational material and the leaders who teach that material, are critical. This Monday, May 15th marks the official launch of #VCIA2023 registration. For those really itching to register, head on over to vcia.com now and you just *might* be able to already 😉 … With our interactive discussion groups, collaborative forums, and in-depth educational presentations, I’m proud to say the Captive Content is King at the #VCIA2023 Conference.

The conference schedule is set and I encourage you to peruse our jam-packed itinerary here. A big thanks needs to go out to VCIA’s 2023 Conference Task Force, led by Chair Aaron Hillebrandt of Pinnacle Actuarial Resources. A focused, tireless group, they have given their time, talent and professional network to produce a comprehensive lineup of educational topics, paired with the best speakers from the industry.

As you know, captives are formed by so many diverse organizations. Moreover, there are so many subsets and functions that a captive has in serving its parent group. The #VCIA2023 schedule reflects this wide-range of subjects by offering “everything under the sun” that concerns captives, including:

  • The latest captive trends and emerging risks
  • How cyber impacts captives
  • Inflation on your captive portfolio
  • The power of reinsurance
  • The all important medical stop loss
  • Claims management
  • Parametric coverage
  • Board engagement and inspiration
  • With a grand total of 21 CPE/CRE/CLE-eligible educational sessions—3 more than 2022!

#VCIA2023 opens its doors to everyone! Starting Monday, May 15th, be sure to register for America’s largest captive gathering. See other domiciles, meet vendors and service providers, connect with captive owners…

That’s not all. #VCIA2023 captive content will deliver on the fundamental concepts for captive formation and management; for that, do attend Captive Immersion, Captive 101, Newcomer’s Guide to the Industry Part I and II, among others. The speakers, who are practitioners themselves, will also provide real-world examples, case studies, and tactical methods for how they problem solved specific challenges that arose for their captive and parent organization. It’s common place to say that our captive conference is for beginners and veterans alike – but it’s true! Even more, the conference content creation was built out and designed to meet the needs of all captive professionals, from one year on the job to thirty.

#VCIA2023 opens its doors to everyone! Starting Monday, May 15th, be sure to register for America’s largest captive gathering. See other domiciles, meet vendors and service providers, connect with captive owners; if you’re new to the industry, we have conference ambassadors, and the Vermont Captive Insurance Emerging Leaders group will be on hand. We’re not kidding when we say #VCIA2023 is Where the Captive World Comes to Meet! Let conference registration begin!

#VCIA2023 Conference Preview I: Where the Captive World Comes to Meet

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Suddenly, the month of May begins on Monday! That means we are just two weeks out from when VCIA’s 38th Annual Conference registration opens. Let me be of service and provide you with this calendar reminder link so that you can go ahead and register for #VCIA2023 right away on Monday May 15th. All you need to do that Monday the 15th is go to www.vcia.com to register! We anticipate a larger gathering, a more robust schedule of events and topics, and overall a conference experience that will meet and surpass VCIA’s 2022 Conference. And you are an important part of that!

95% of surveyed attendees said the VCIA Conference coordination and management was well done and exceptional
 
96% of surveyed attendees said VCIA Conference networking opportunities were well done and exceptional

We plan to outdo our 2022 Sucess with your help!

In the coming months, I intend to highlight a number of facets to demonstrate how The VCIA Conference stands out in the captive conference circuit. We will detail our special events, our keynote speakers (Shh! waiting to reveal them during registration week), the wide variety of services offered in our comprehensive exhibit hall, thanks to our exhibitors.

I will also go in depth on our educational topics – a source of deep pride for VCIA. Above all, our conference is about the people, about you! It starts with the people behind the scenes – the VCIA Conference Task Force, the topic coordinator and speakers, the VCIA Board and Staff, the #VCIA2023 Sponsors – then includes the variety of captive professionals from all walks of life and corners of the world who make our event so special. I don’t want to give it away, but let me just hint that we have a special video dropping during registration week which will illustrate how VCIA is truly the place where the captive world comes to meet.

So, just as a primer, let me provide the basics:

  • #VCIA2023 is four jam packed days of captive education, networking and business opportunities, in lovely Burlington, Vermont starting Monday August 7th with Captive Immersion, as the full conference slate picks up Tuesday August 8th and goes through Thursday August 10th.
  • #VCIA2023 is for everyone, not just service providers and captives domiciled in Vermont! In fact, we have a number of other domiciles who will be exhibiting in the exhibit hall, and many regulators and government officials from other states and countries attend. VCIA is very happy about this and it goes to my ethos of building out “a bigger pie” which everyone can eat from.
  • On top of that #VCIA2023 is productive for those who have been in the captive industry for more than 30 years, and those who maybe have been in the captive industry for just 3 days! We have advanced topics as well as Captive Immersion and Captive101. Plus, the VCIEL will be playing a major role at the conference in engaging rising professionals and students.
  • The VCIA Annual Conference is changing golf courses this year! We are headed to beautiful Stowe, Vermont! Find details on our golf page here.
  • This is just the tip of the iceberg! Keep up with VCIA LinkedIn activity to learn more, and I look forward to seeing you as one of the registered #VCIA2023 attendees starting Monday May 15th!

This is the premier US captive conference to attend to be at the forefront of the industry. It is the place to learn about the hottest topics trending in the industry and to network with your peers. The VCIA shows their level of care and passion through their staff’s efforts resulting in a very welcoming captive conference experience. Be sure to mark this annual event on your calendar to be best armed to utilize your captive program or to learn how to break in to the industry.

Praise for the VCIA Conference Experience