Claim professionals interested in keeping current with industrytrends and changes are heading to San Antonio, Texas for theupcoming Claims Conference and Insurance Services Expo, heldannually by the Property Loss Research Bureau and the LiabilityInsurance Research Bureau.

This year's conference, which kicks off April 17, features threedays of professional education and development, with more than 125sessions, a day-long review of the 2004 hurricane season, andvendor training on various building damage estimating systems.

“This year's Claims Conference features a comprehensivecurriculum, including adjusting property, business interruption,the LIRB casualty campus, catastrophe, claim management, fungus,large property losses, using the PLRB and LIRB web sites, propertycoverage, special investigations and fraud, subrogation, andtechnology,” said Scott Powell, director of education and trainingfor PLRB. “Hundreds of volunteers, experts in their respectivefields, teach various sessions. The expertise and years ofexperience of our instructors is unparalleled in claimtraining.”

The conference will open with an address, “The Secret: WhatGreat Leaders Know and Do,” by business author Ken Blanchard.Following the general session April 18, the Insurance Service Expowill open at the Gonzales Convention Center, allowing nearly 300exhibitors to describe their services and products to claimprofessionals.

“Our sessions have been approved for continuing education creditin Texas, Florida, New Hampshire, and North Carolina,” said Powell.“The Florida and Texas Bars also are providing continuing legaleducation credit at the Claims Conference and, in addition,adjusters with the CPCU designation can get credit, as canRegistered Professional Adjusters.”

Full registration details are available atwww.claimsconf.org.