An 'efficient' approach to connecting students with insurance careers

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 10,000 baby boomers retire each day in the U.S., and about 25% of them leave positions in the insurance and financial services sector. (Photo: Shutterstock)

For years, Anita Nevins watched as insurance-industry conferences and events suffered from dwindling attendance. “[It was] a struggle to get agents and brokers out of their offices,” she recalls. Around 2009, the founder and CEO of Direct Connection Advertising & Marketing found a savvy solution to reach office-bound insurance professionals by venturing into the virtual event space with the creation of Spark Online Events.

After several years of running successful virtual events, Nevins identified a new opportunity in the market: ”I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could figure out an efficient and cost-effective way to bring university students to insurance hiring managers?’” she says. With her online event expertise in hand and a pressing need for insurance companies to recruit new talent, she knew the answer was to create a virtual career fair. In this model, insurance companies from across the country can reach potential new hires from the comfort of their offices. At the same time, talent can network and learn about the industry without having to travel to an event physically.