Providing an outlook on the state of the insurance industry will be John Amore, chief executive officer of General Insurance for Zurich Financial Services, the association said.
In addition to the outlook from Mr. Amore and the keynote speech by Mr. Stein, who is an award-winning actor, economist, writer, journalist and teacher, a variety of workshops will be offered. The workshops focus on program fundamentals and business development strategies.
William Kronenberg, TMPAA president, also highlighted the networking opportunities with market contacts, which he said are a hallmark of all the association's events.
"Many of the presentations and workshops at our upcoming midyear meeting will provide attendees critical market information, and better equip them to make decisions about their program business operations," he added.
Mr. Kronenberg will lead one of the workshops titled, "Doing Well by Doing Good--Myth or Reality," about the many ways insurance firms can help nonprofits in their communities, while at the same time improving the morale of associates and boosting the value of the company.
According to TMPAA, this particular session will be an open forum, with Mr. Kronenberg sharing his perspectives from past positions on the company and agency sides of the insurance industry, and then attendees telling their own success stories.
This session and four others are scheduled for the morning of Wed. April 29, some concurrently. The other four 50-minute workshops are:
o Key Trends in Digital Marketing, featuring Masha Korsunsky, senior industry marketing manager, Google Financial Services, who will provide examples of how businesses are using online data to reach prospects more effectively than through traditional direct marketing techniques.
She will also explain how businesses can use Search Marketing to reach their target customers in efficient ways.
o Turn Your Underwriting/Sales Staff into New Business Hunters, featuring Mike Shannon of Growth Dynamics, a firm that specializes in sale force development training.
The session description provided by TMPAA promises that participants will learn how to upgrade the sales effectiveness of their agency staffs, become familiar with using objective assessment tools to understand traits that inhibit performance, and learn to identify the people who have what it takes to increase sales--both on their current teams and for new hires.
o Program Business 101, led by Richard Weidman Jr., vice president and director, CastlePoint Management, who will explain the basic considerations of a program submission.
o Breach of Privacy and Identity Theft Exposures and Available Coverages, led by Dan Taylor and Judd Rousseau of Identity Theft 911, LLC, a provider of one-on-one counseling, strategies and resources to victims and potential targets of identity theft, including individuals, enterprises, financial institutions and others.
During the workshop, designed for agents, brokers and other professionals who must protect their own interests as well as those of clients, the two experts will explain privacy and identity theft exposures, review legislation and insurance products that offer protection.
On Tues., Apr. 27, two additional 90-minute sessions are being offered concurrently starting at 10 a.m.--one focused on the impact of market cycles on carrier financial strength and the other reviewing basic requirements and best practice standards for program proposals from the perspective of a panel of carriers and program administrator representatives.
For additional information, visit the Target Markets Web site at www.targetmkts.com, or contact Ray Scotto, executive director, at ray.scotto@targetmkts.com.
