Welcome toSan Diegoand the 2012 IASA Educational Conference and Business Show. We have been working all year to achieve greatness and to bring you the biggest and best show yet. And in my humble opinion, we have succeeded.

With one of the most beautiful cities in the country providing a magnificent backdrop, we have assembled a conference and show of stunning proportion and interest. The business show this year is the largest in our history, bringing together diverse and leading-edge solution providers in the most beautiful exhibit hall that you have ever experienced.

Make sure to participate in our Vendor Connect tours Monday morning following our keynote presentation. These tours allow you, in one brief hour, to experience an introduction to the products and services in the exact area of your interest and need, while earning continuing education credits to boot. Nowhere else in the industry can you get so much focused information from exactly the people you need to meet.

Our keynote speakers represent greatness in diverse areas of interest. Tom Peters has long been the guru of management greatness, since his groundbreaking book, In Search of Excellence. He is going to share timely insight into how to achieve excellence in a disruptive age—with passion.

Ben Stein is the Tuesday keynote. An actor, economist, former White House staffer, and author, Stein will take us from Ferris Bueller to Sunday Morning, and in his signature droll style, apply the wisdom of a modern-day prophet to tackle the challenges of business and life.

The final keynoter is James T. Harris, who has a dynamic and entertaining style. On Wednesday he will share insight into the generational cycles that have marked our time and that beg for a new and collaborative understanding among us all.

Turning to the education conference, we have put together more than 80 technical sessions that address a broad range of financial, technology and career skills topics. Network with your industry colleagues as you hear about the latest advances, the newest solutions, and the most interesting case studies the insurance arena has to offer.

We are also excited to partner with Vertafore to bring you a conference app that can be downloaded to your smartphone or iPad. This incredible technology will provide at-your-fingertips access to the conference schedule of events, the list and location of our exhibitors, as well as the ability to craft your own customized conference program! Never again will you get lost or miss an important session. Use this link: www.tripbuilder.com/iasa2012apps to get started.

If you are a “C” level professional, come to our Executive Education Roundtable Series, which is specifically designed to meet the needs of carrier chief executive officers, chief operating officers, chief investment officers, chief financial officers, and chief information/technology officers. Interact with your industry colleagues and hear about the solutions that will help you lead your company to greatness.

One final piece of advice: Don't forget to use every opportunity, every day, to connect with the industry colleagues and service partners who are here with you.

Achieving greatness requires you to listen to others, to search out the best thinking available, and to creatively apply what you are learning to your own world. We hope that while we are together here inSan Diego, you will both contribute to others, and bring your new experiences and knowledge back to your companies and your lives.

(Ruth Estrich is president of IASA.)

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