IIAT to Host Joe Vincent Management Seminar, Legislative Day Jan. 30-Feb. 1

The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas announced that more than 400 of the state’s top independent agency principals and managers will gather for IIAT’s 42nd Annual Joe Vincent Management Seminar and Big I Legislative Day Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2005, at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.

“2005 is quickly shaping up as a pivotal year for insurance in Texas, if not nationally, and I believe the Joe Vincent Management Seminar and Big I Legislative Day will help move us well-ahead of the curve as we face some unprecedented challenges,” said IIAT President Bill Harrison Jr.

With 16 sessions and workshops scheduled this year, the seminar has been segmented into three tracks: Large Agency Track, Small Agency Track and Combined Track. “We moved the seminar to a track-based format largely in response to member feedback and to help give participants greater agency relevance,” said David VanDelinder, executive director.

The seminar begins Jan. 30 with an industry preview of 2005. Topics include business taxation, changes in market capacity, placement fees, alternatives to workers’ comp and critical changes to policy forms and endorsements. The opening day’s activities finish with a welcome reception.

Keynote speaker J.P. Pawliw-Fry will kick off Monday’s general session at 8:30 a.m. Pawliw-Fry is one of the most highly regarded experts in personal leadership with particular insight into how successful leaders are embracing emotional intelligence to gain a competitive advantage. Following Pawliw-Fry, former Iowa insurance commissioner, Dr. Therese M. Vaughan, will discuss what’s in store for states as pressures mount for federal regulation following recent broker compensation questions.

Following a networking luncheon and a young agents luncheon, Monday afternoon’s workshops will feature a series of agency management topics including: “After the Deal: Post-Merger Transition,” Paul Vredenburg, Marsh-Berry & Co.; “Recent Changes in Non-Piracy Agreements,” with Roy Phillips, King-Phillips Insurance Agency, Houston, and Thomas Branniff, Texas Insurance Consulting, Houston; and “Merge, Acquire or Cluster,” William Schoeffler, Oak & Associates, Glen Ellen, Calif.

Other Monday afternoon workshops include: “Cross-Selling Strategies,” panel discussion; “Improving Productivity: Scanning, Imaging and Document Management,” a presentation and panel discussion moderated by Steve Anderson, SteveAnderson.com, Nashville, Tenn.; “Managing E&O Exposures: New Targets for Trial Lawyers,” Rick Oldenettel, Oldenettel & Associates, Houston; “Best Practices Road Map,” Patricia Alexander, PMA Associates, Fort Worth; “Marketing Clusters,” panel discussion; and “Best Practices for Working With Company Service Centers,” a panel discussion.

Three early-morning sessions are scheduled for Tuesday morning prior to the Big I Legislative Day briefing. These include “Real-Time: Revolution or Evolution,” panel discussion moderated by Jeff Yates, president, Agents Council for Technology, an affiliate of IIABA; “Hiring, Orientation and Training Strategies: Become an Employer of Choice,” IIAT staff; and “State of the Wholesale Markets,” panel discussion moderated by William Sleeper of Sleeper, Sewell & Co., Dallas.

A top state official will keynote the Big I Legislative Day luncheon Feb. 1. The speaker will be among more than 100 state legislators expected at the luncheon, which follows one-to-one meetings between agents and their legislators at the state Capitol. The luncheon will be held at the UT Frank Erwin Center beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Registration fees for the seminar are: $225 for IIAT member agents and company representatives; $195 for additional attendees from member agencies; $175 for first-time attendees from member agencies; and $330 for non-members. Big I Legislative Day is free.

Registration and complete details including a list of attendees are available online at www.iiat.org. Further information is available from IIAT member services at (800) 880-7428.

The Joe Vincent Management Seminar is named in honor of longtime IIAT member and past president Joe E. Vincent.