CICA, NRRA Conference Attendance Soars
By Caroline McDonald
NU Online News Service, March 3, 11:14 a.m. EST, Tucson, Ariz.?The hardening market and interest in proposals to expand the federal law regulating alternative market liability insurers has drawn a larger than usual crowd to a meeting of two insurance groups here, organizers said.
A surge in participation at the Captive Insurance Companies Association and the National Risk Retention Association joint annual conference pleasantly surprised its planners, who were braced for a smaller conference, they said.
Douglas Barnes, executive director for NRRA, and Anthony LeClerc, conference planner for CICA, both based in Minneapolis, said attendance levels this year, at 120 for NRRA and 370 for CICA, are their highest so far. Last year's attendance was 75 for NRRA and 330 for CICA.
"We had originally budgeted for a decrease in attendees, sponsors and exhibitors," Mr. LeClerc said, "We didn't think people would want to travel this year."
Instead, he said, registrations climbed steadily and the conference exhibit hall sold out–up to 30 exhibitors from last year's 25. Representatives from 14 domiciles, including Bermuda, Cayman and the British Virgin Islands, are present at the conference.
Interest in captives and risk retention groups is at an all-time high, Mr. LeClerc and Mr. Barnes agreed.
Mr. LeClerc said that organizations new to CICA are sending representatives to the conference to "get some information on captives and talk to service providers."
Mr. Barnes said registrations to NRRA spiked noticeably three weeks ago after the organization sent letters to 375 risk retention groups and purchasing groups announcing its plans to seek amendments to the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986.
That federal legislation revised and expanded the 1981 Product Liability Risk Retention Act to add other areas of commercial liability and spurred interest in the creation of insurance captives, risk retention groups and purchasing groups.
The letter read that the Government Affairs Committee of NRRA "is compiling a draft of proposed amendments to the Liability Risk Retention Act, including the expansion of the LRRA to include property coverage."
The letter also announced that a discussion of the amendment had been added to the conference program.
Mr. LeClerc said that next year's conference is scheduled for March 9-11 in Orlando, Fla.
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