2006 Windstorm Conference Theme: ‘Practical Tools for Claims Resolution’

“Practical Tools for Claims Resolution” is the theme of the Feb. 8 to 11 Seventh Annual Windstorm Conference and Exhibition featuring two leading hurricane experts, Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, and Bill Bailey, director of the Hurricane Insurance Information Center.

These and other experts will summarize the conclusion of the 2005 hurricane season and predict what they foresee will happen in 2006 during the seventh annual conference at the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The event is sponsored by the Windstorm Insurance Network in Pensacola, Fla.

The conference will feature presentations and panel discussions by leading hurricane and property insurance experts who will focus on issues arising from the 2005 hurricane season and discuss property insurance topics.

Key topics

“Florida’s Hurricane Mediation Program,” will be presented Feb. 9 at 9:15 a.m. by Melvin A. Rubin, a key force in the development of Florida’s mediation programs during Hurricane Andrew and later hurricanes. Rubin will discuss continuing developments in Florida’s medication programs and dealing with challenges posed by 2004 and 2005 hurricanes.

“The Return of the Hurricane Panel, Part II,” moderated by Bailey, will be presented Feb. 9 at 10:45 a.m. It will feature a question-and-answer session during which insurance industry leaders will discuss the lessons learned from the 2005 hurricane season and what will happen in the future. The event will feature a wide-ranging assortment of panelists representing the insurance and legal community.

“The Catastrophic Loss: The Integral Rules of Adjuster and Expert,” will take place on Feb. 10 at 8 a.m. Panelists will discuss how to avoid claim expert bias discussing the selection of experts for catastrophe claims, what they should and should not do, directions they should be given and what to tell the other side.

The conference will also feature dozens of workshops and continuing education programs of interest to insurance adjusters, with credits offered for Florida, Texas, North Carolina and multiple southeastern states.

Early registration has to be made by Dec. 16 by contacting the Windstorm Insurance Network, P.O. Box 30486, Pensacola, FL 32503, phone (850) 473-0601, or by email, info@windnetwork.com. Additional information on the conference, including details about continuing education classes, is available at www.windnetwork.com.