2022 started off with a roar at the California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA) Industry Days conference (#CWID2022) in beautiful La Jolla earlier this month.
This year, we added some wild adventures to our classic educational and networking quest, including a Safari tour at the San Diego Safari Park, a Mentalist that read our thoughts, and a keynote speaker that offered year-round inspiration. The golf tournament was also a grand success, as were the insightful panel discussions.
#CWID2022 hosted a total of 86 CWIA members and representatives from 35 unique companies in the insurance industry – it was a great turnout!
Educational sessions
Kathy Schroeder, President of Sierra Specialty, an XPT company, and CIWA President bid a fond farewell to the exiting board members Mark Kaufman (XPT) and Tim Tokuda (Atlantic Casualty) and welcomed in Denise Pavlov (Topa Insurance Group).
John Donahue, President of M.J. Hall & Company, and CIWA Treasurer delivered the Treasurer’s Report. In summary, 2021 had a positive shift in comparison to 2020, with a $15K budgetary cushion after projected expenses for 2021. John also reported, on behalf of John Norwood, that 2021 did not bring any legislative disruptions for P&C Insurance, but that looking forward, wildfires and the election year will continue to be hot topics.
A new Industry Days treat was the uplifting keynote presentation by author, corporate trainer, and communication consulting Amy Reczek of Sales and Presence, Inc. Amy outlined astute observations and vital tactics to survive the cyclical nature of the insurance industry.
The Property & Casualty panel discussion kicked off the educational afternoon. Alexia Selland, Brokerage Underwriter at MUSIC, Jeanne Rondeau, Vice President, and Ken Distel, Assistant Vice President at Atlantic Casualty narrowed in on the challenges surrounding remote employees in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, training, and what carriers are looking for a complete submission.
Ian Stewart, Chair of National Cannabis and Hemp Law at Wilson Elser, and Michael Hall, Vice President of Cannabis at Golden Bear Insurance led an enlightening panel discussion on the Cannabis industry. Complete with real-life incidents and claims, Ian and Michael discussed the complexity of laws from state to state in this growing space.
We are still taking speaker applications for Summer Forum 2022 If you would like to be a speaker and panelist for Summer Forum 2022 or Industry Days 2023, please email info@ciwa.net.
Stay tuned for Part Two!