Event Wrap-Up One for the History Books! Three Days 23 Hours of Content Over 430 People 17 Sessions 12 Hours of IL Continuing Education Hours 17 Sponsors 36 Exhibitors 30 Speakers All in ONE Virtual Event! What a whirlwind few months it has been! When the decision was made to switch from an in-person CONVO to a virtual setting, the IIA of IL staff dove right into planning. How can we make this happen in such a short time? How can we make this an event for everyone? What traditions can we incorporate from the in-person event? Well… we did it! The IIA of IL staff pulled it off! We had such a successful event October 6-8, attendees are still talking about it. But don’t just take our word for it… In addition to several attendees telling us “great session” and “extremely valuable information,” we also heard: “The entire event went very well in my opinion! You turned our 2020 lemons into Lemonade!” “WOW!! Extremely impressive Convention this year! I am so grateful to be associated with such unbelievable talent. You took a challenging situation and not only made the best of it……You made it a SUCCESS!” “I want to thank IIAI for going to the extra effort and expense to have a convention this year. I think all of us prefer an actual event over a virtual event but you have created an opportunity for interaction, information, and education.” “Thank you for putting on an awesome event last week- we really enjoyed the virtual trade show!” “He (speaking of Duncan Wardle) was fantastic!” “This session was great for someone who wants to innovate and grow – makes you think about the future!” Speaking of Keynote 2: Creating Opportunities Out of COVID All sessions were recorded and are now available ondemand at www.ilconvention.com. Attendees can login and view the sessions at no additional charge. Those that did not attend can purchase the event for $149. No CE is awarded for the recorded sessions. 12
insight
By Shannon Churchill
Here is what you may have missed: The opening keynote presentation with former Disney Head of Creativity and Innovation, Duncan Wardle, focused on the personal dynamic of insurance relationships and encouraged us to bring innovation and creativity into the workplace. Check out the article on the next page for a recap of this session. Our second keynote session brought together several of the most innovative agents in the industry including Katlyn Eggar with Quantum Assurance International and host of The Age of Independence Mini-Series Podcast; David Carothers of Florida Risk Partners and The Power Producers Podcast; Carey Wallace, CEO of IntellAgents; Bradley Flowers of Portal Insurance and The Insurance Guys Podcast, as well as the host with the most, Ryan Hanley, owner of Rogue Risk and host of The Ryan Hanley Show Podcast. In this dynamic game-show style session, between laughter, entertainment and poking fun of each other, the group discussed many of the challenges insurance agencies are facing today, ways to stay relevant in an ever changing marketplace, and how to create opportunities out of COVID. Our closing keynote session with Carey Wallace, CEO of IntellAgents, and Trent Richmond, Founder of AgencyKPI, walked attendees through looking beyond “data as a buzz word” and how it can empower you and your agency to make decisions. Our two legislative sessions featured Charles Symington and Nathan Riedel of the Big “I” Government Affairs team, sharing the current state of affairs at the federal level. Our own Evan Manning, Phil Lackman and Brett Gerger discussed Illinois legislative updates over the past year and gave an update on the November elections and what the future may hold. Breakout sessions over the two days included current relevant topics led by many leading industry experts. • Insuring Cannabis Risks in 2020: The Challenges in a Growing Industry with Rick Pitts • Business Income Coverage: COVID & Beyond with Chris Boggs • Finding Talent for your Agency - Strategies for Success Panel with Claudia St. John, J’ai Brown, Mark and Christine Bailey • Increasing Sales Through Effective Communication Using Sales Impact Assessments to Tailor Your Message with Steve Bellman, Brett Gerger & Tess Fleming • Innovation in Long-Term Care Funding with Life Insurance with Jerry Rhinehart • Cautionary Tales of the Creative Client During COVID – Home with Nicole Broch
november 2020
