1 – 6 p.m.

Registration

1 p.m.

Optional Activity: Guided Tour of Tremblant

2:30 p.m.

Optional Activity: Guided Tour of Tremblant

6 - 8 p.m.

Kids’ Party

6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception for registered attendees and guests

6:30 – 9 a.m.

Breakfast for registered attendees and guests

8 – 8:15 a.m.

Welcome & Introduction to the Conference

Jon Grether, Committee Chairman
Chief Operating Officer
Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company
Algona, Iowa

8:15 – 9:30 a.m.

General Session: Keynote Address Innovation & Viral Trends
Jeremy Gutsche is an innovation expert, a maverick speaker and the founder of TrendHunter.com, the world's largest network for trend spotting and innovation. He has been described as "a new breed of trend spotter" by The Guardian, "an eagle eye" by Global TV, an "Oracle" by the Globe and Mail and "on the forefront of cool" by MTV.

At age 28, he was one of Capital One's youngest Business Directors and innovation leads. With a relentless focus on innovation, he led his team to grow a $1 billion dollar portfolio of market leading products. He holds an MBA from Queen's University, studied innovation at Stanford, is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and a former Management Consultant.

He speaks globally about viral trends and a cutting edge approach to methodical innovation. Routinely sourced by the media, Jeremy's broad appeal ranges from the Economist and the Financial Times to Entertainment Tonight and MTV.

Jeremy Gutsche, Chief Trend Hunter
TrendHunter.com

9:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Break

9:30 a.m.

Optional Guest Activity: Guided Tour of Tremblant

9:45 – 11 a.m.

General Session: Insurance 2020: Innovating Beyond Old Models
The IBM Institute for Business Value recently explored the future of insurance as seen through the eyes of global industry executives and created a study entitled, “Insurance 2020: Innovating Beyond Old Models,” which provided insight into the question of why insurance appears to a lethargic industry in the use of innovation. This study shows that insurers focus on the optimization of products and processes and accept it as though it were innovation. However, the power of innovation does not come simply from the use of a specific technology to overcome a problem, but from the willingness to try something different. We believe insurers should move to adopt a new approach or new technology to address persistent operational challenges.

11 – 11:15 a.m.

Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

General Session
Navigating Reputational Risk – Why Communications Count

For the insurance industry, one of the most difficult aspects of the financial crisis has been a loss of public trust due to the complexity of issues being seen in the greater financial system. These new realities, though hard to quantify, have resulted in heightened pressure to protect the reputation and the brand identities of insurance companies.

Knowing that any negative perception, if left unchecked, has the power to impair a firm's ability to operate successfully, leading companies are reaching deep within their business practices to uncover new and innovative ways to win back the faith of stakeholders.

This session will take an in-depth look at the importance of communications, and the role of communications in managing reputational risk.

Howard Mills, Director & Chief Advisor
Insurance Industry Group – Deloitte LLP
New York, N.Y.

12:30 p.m.

Day 1 Business Meetings Conclude

1 p.m.

Optional Activity: Guided Tour of Tremblant

1 p.m.

Optional Activity: Family Photo Rally

1:30 p.m.

Optional Activity: Culinary Experience

6:30 – 9 a.m.

Breakfast for registered attendees and guests

8 – 11 a.m.

Breakout/Workshop Sessions
Workshop Sessions will break from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m.

1. The Economics of Ego – “Egonomics” Workshop
   The co-author of businessThink, and the latest Simon & Schuster book, egonomics, presented the Keynote Address at the 2008 Management Conference. Backed by a decade of research and client work, the purpose of their ideas is to help teams reach their potential, and to help people become great business leaders and the ultimate team players.
   
   Their work was sparked by Jim Collins’ landmark research in Good to Great, who discovered that leaders of companies who break the gravity of good to become truly great have two common—but extremely rare—characteristics: 1) fierce personal resolve/ego drive, 2) extreme personal humility.
   
   The hope is to make that unique combination far less rare in business so that truly great performance becomes the rule, not the exception.
   
   The workshop will begin with a team survey to assess a team's culture and performance. The survey would be administered by Marcum Smith and sent to attendees electing to take this workshop in advance. Based on the results of the survey, the presentation address ways to:
   
   
   1. Cut down on wasted meeting time and work together effectively because personal and territorial agendas are history.
   2. Reduce turnover because the team values and accesses diversity of thought during collaboration processes that keep people's talents engaged and daily innovation alive.
   3. Ask better business questions and rigorously test their assumptions, creating stronger ideas and fewer wasted projects.
   4. Get more strategic work done, spend less energy chasing pet projects, and accept less excuses about why things don't change.
   5. Break down barriers that block candor in meetings and one-on-one discussions and performance reviews.
   6. Uncover what they could do better, and are dedicated to constant improvement.
   7. Get people on the same page and operating from the same leadership philosophy.
   
   Steve Smith, Author & Founding Partner
   MarcumSmith, LC
   Highland, Utah
2. Aligning Job Descriptions, Expectations, and Strategic Plans Workshop
   This three-hour, hands-on workshop, participants will address the five fundamentals that determine the successful implementation of the strategic plan:
   
   
   • Structure – Insuring that it supports strategy and eliminates barriers to achieving optimal results
   • People/Incentives – Aligning people, jobs and incentives with the strategy
   • Culture – Aligning culture and strategy
   • Leadership – Developing leaders who have the drive, sense of urgency, skills and accountability needed to deliver
   • Monitoring – Establishing monitoring systems that identify trends, opportunities and early warning signs of problems that can impact success – as well as routine financial measures
   
   Breakout groups focusing on each of the five fundamentals will share knowledge, digest, dissect, and debate best practices. Participants can choose their groups based on the areas in which they’ve achieved success and where they want to build their strengths. Groups will be structured to include people who have strength in this area and people who are trying to grow.
   
   Kimberly Paterson, President & CEO
   CIM Consulting

10 a.m.

Optional Guest Activity: Rock Climbing

10:45 a.m.

Shuttles begin departing to Le Diable Golf Course for the Annual Golf Outing

11 a.m.

Day 2 Business Meetings Conclude

11:35 a.m.

Last shuttle departs for the Annual Golf Outing

12 p.m.

Annual Golf Outing – Le Diable
Shuttles to the course will run 10:45 a.m. to 11:35 a.m.

1:30 p.m.

Optional Activity: Rock Climbing

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Golf Awards Gathering for golfers only

6:30 – 9 a.m.

Breakfast for registered attendees and guests

8 – 9:15 a.m.

Breakout Sessions

1. Leaving Your Leadership Legacy
   A Focus on Authenticity, Adaptability, and Sustainability
   This presentation will redefine personal leadership development and will be a coveted experience for any leader desiring to leave a positive and lasting imprint upon their organizations, and more importantly their people. Participants will follow an intensive format of both self actualization and the development of future systems and processes that will enable leaders to establish and sustain a lasting legacy for their organization. This session will prepare leaders with systems and processes to return to their organizations renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated, ready to redefine their lasting leadership legacy.
   • Learn to make the impact you want to make in your organization.
   • Discover the tools which will make your employees remember you as someone who made a difference in their lives.
   • Learn how to be proud of not only the results achieved but also of the way in which you accomplished these results.
   • Learn how to leave your organization in capable hands.
   • Learn how to prepare your organization to meet the demands of the future.
   
   
   Shane Yount, consultant
2. Managing Your Political Risk
   This session will focus on operationalizing your company’s political risk. NAMIC staff will include research from other industry practices and results of a study conducted of NAMIC member companies.
   
   Neil Alldredge, Vice President – State & Policy Affairs
   NAMIC
   Indianapolis, Ind.
   
   Jimi Grande, Vice President – Federal & Political Affairs
   NAMIC
   Indianapolis, Ind.
3. Technically Speaking: Web Portals or No Portals
   If your company has invested millions in a portal solution you will want to know how to maximize its connectivity and usage while at the same time transitioning towards a non portal approach. If you are in the decision stage of implementing a portal solution then you may want to understand the value in bypassing the portal approach all together.
   
   Our speaker will highlight the non portal alternative and since the industry has already begun to move in this direction it will be important that decision makers understand the challenges and benefits that you should expect. In discussing these items you will see that the benefits far outweigh any possible detriments and the few challenges are easy to overcome.
   
   Attendees will gain an understanding in three key areas:
   1. The spinoff benefits from going with a non portal approach such as improved system conversion mechanisms and automated book of business transfers.
   2. Ways of transitioning from portals that maximize your existing investments.
   3. Reasons why a non portal solution is considerably cheaper and better serves your distribution channel.
   
   
   Karl Greenlaw, President & CEO
   Brovada Technologies
   St. John, New Brunswick

9:15 - 9:30 a.m.

Break

9:30 – 10:45 a.m.

Breakout Sessions

1. Media Relations Training
   This interactive session will provide practical, yet simple, tools and methods for dealing with the press both in proactive and reactive situations. Attendees will get a realistic, versus philosophical, executive feel for the challenge and gain a better understanding of how to “get started” with minimal investment within your own organization. Public Relations expert Mark Firmani will provide specific take-home examples for the audience.
   
   Mark Firmani, Founder
   Firmani + Associates
   Seattle, Wash.
2. Review/Preview of Economic Politics and the Capital Markets
   A review of the year-end 2008 economic environment indicates that the economic and credit cycles were out of phase, as finance sectors attempted to repair their balance sheets while the broader economy was still declining. How did this situation influence and constrain policy actions? How did the strong political overlay affect the capital markets? As the second quarter draws to a close, how effective have those policy actions been and what can we expect in the coming months? Our speaker will address these and other subjects as the economic situation unfolds.
   
   Andrew Pace, Director – Portfolio Management
   Conning Asset Management
   Hartford, Conn.
3. The Next Generation of ERM
   Which risk management standard – and process-- is the best fit for your entity’s operations? When building an Enterprise Risk Management Program, choosing the standard and process that is most suitable for your organization is critical for success. We will review the key ERM & risk management frameworks being used today by entities across the globe so that companies can choose the one that’s right for your operations.
   
   Our speakers will review how they have taken a framework, embedded the regulatory requirements for insurance companies, and consolidated it into one risk assessment process. It is done by utilizing a company’s existing documentation rather than re-creating the wheel for regulatory and compliance initiatives. At the same time, they provide an overall framework to assess risk and apply that assessment to strategic decisions. The process is flexible and can be tailored to each specific company environment. Plenty of time will be made available for questions and discussion.
   
   Presented by Mary Peter, Director of Enterprise Risk Management, and Joel S. Thomsen, Partner, Eide Bailly LLP

10:45 - 11 a.m.

Break

11 - 12:30 p.m.

General Session: 7 Challenges to Follow the Leader: Visions and Decisions
How does a leader engage each employee in efforts to move an organization forward? Among the main ingredients of successful leadership are visions and decisions. Creating a vision regarding the course to take to achieve goals, and then making correct decisions in furtherance of attaining those goals, are skills that set successful leaders apart from others.

Visions are a proactive approach to leadership. Decisions must necessarily follow visions or nothing is gained. Visions must be plausible, challenging, and creative. Leaders must be able to articulate their visions. Leaders are not “born”; leadership skills are learned. This presentation provides tips on avoiding poor decisions and answers the questions, “What constitutes a vision? And “why do decisions fail?” Seven challenges of today’s leaders are presented, and as a workshop bonus, learn the secrets of motivating others.

Dr. James Reese

12:30 p.m.

Day 3 Business Meetings Conclude

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

Buffet lunch available for registered attendees and guests

1:30 p.m.

Optional Activity: Acrobranche

1:30 p.m.

Optional Activity: Chocolate Truffle Experience

6 - 7 p.m.

Reception for registered attendees and guests

7 - 9 p.m.

Closing Banquet & Entertainment for registered attendees and guests

9 p.m.

Conference Concludes

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