Optional: Pre-Event Preview Session

Join us for an optional pre-event session on how to navigate the OnAIR virtual event portal, maximize your opportunity to network with other attendees and how to make the most of the live sessions. This is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the online platform before the event kicks off.

NAMIC Welcome and Property/Casualty Insurance, Politics, and Economics in a Post-Pandemic World – General Session

Dr. Robert Hartwig has been called to testify before Congress this week and is no longer able to join us for the opening session. In his place, Dr. Michel Leonard, vice president and senior economist with the Insurance Information Institute, will provide a comprehensive financial overview and outlook for property/casualty insurance industry and the economy in the post COVID-world. After more than a year of unprecedented disruption, Dr. Leonard will examine the industry’s overall performance, its strengths and weaknesses results since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 and provide a look forward for the remainder of 2021 and beyond.

Networking Break

For those attending in-person, please join us in the Grand Ballroom Foyer to chat with fellow attendees, grab a bite to eat, and stretch your legs. Virtual attendees can take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees in the Meeting Hub and Sponsor Showcase. Send a chat, make a call, visit a booth, or schedule a meeting with someone new.

How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You – General Session

Studies show that a diverse workforce has a positive – and measurable – impact on the bottom line. Such a workforce doesn’t just lead to better decisions and solutions and innovation, it has been proven to grow business and profits. And a diverse workforce doesn’t just mean employees of different racial and ethnic backgrounds; it can also mean diversity of thought. This session takes the topics of work and leadership to a new place – one that is getting more attention every day and will continue to do so as insurance professionals and their organizations strive to do better and be better.

A. Developments in Virtual Risk Assessments - Emerging Issues Track

This session will provide insights into advanced data, artificial intelligence, aerial imagery, and metrics that allow underwriters to evaluate and rate risks virtually. The panel will also discuss how to use data and technology platforms to predict and prevent rather than repair and replace. Join this session for a robust conversation on an area of insurance that is changing rapidly.

B. Underwriting for Production – Commercial Lines Track

This session will highlight the evolution of the traditional gatekeeping underwriter to the modern growth-minded underwriter. Key components of success in this area that will be covered are an organizational growth mentality, a desire to solve problems, frequent and open conversation with production sources, and developing a feedback loop. Attendees will examine case studies to illustrate how a profit-and-growth mindset can create opportunities that a traditional approach may not.

C. Influencing a Customer's Journey Through Social and Digital Media – Personal Lines Track

Social media is all grown up. The largest platforms have drawn very clear lines between social media for users and social media for businesses. So, what is the difference between social media and social business? This session will explore the differences and help attendees frame social strategy for insurance companies. The session will also help with managing social media resources and taking advantage of the immense opportunities it brings to business.

D. Commercial Cyber Exposures During a Pandemic and Beyond – Commercial Lines Track

Did you know that working from home or other remote locations can have serious cybersecurity implications for businesses? What about bad actors using anxiety and fear surrounding COVID-19 to socially engineer access to systems and data? During this interactive session, attendees will learn about new and emerging cyber threats, including those associated with the pandemic. Then, the speakers will provide some simple but useful risk management techniques for addressing these exposures. Throughout the presentation, attendees will examine how cyber insurance addresses these perils – or fails to do so – and what to look for when seeking appropriate cyber insurance coverage. As part of the presentation, a well-known cyber expert will provide keen insights and unique perspectives and be available to take live questions from the audience.

E. The Long-Tail Impacts of COVID-19 on Risk Mitigation and Credit Based Insurance Scores – Personal Lines Track

Since the entrance of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, many consumers and businesses have faced ongoing financial and economic challenges in light of pandemic restrictions. In response, insurers quickly adjusted – adopting a work-from-home posture, accelerating investments for digitization and the customer experience, and adjusting practices to accommodate changes in consumer behavior and preferences. This session will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on credit-based insurance scores within the personal lines space and how these scores continue to serve as a vital predictive variable for risk assessment across personal lines of business.

F. Digital Transformation Journey for Underwriting – Commercial Lines Track

Digital transformation is a journey in which leveraging best practices and avoiding pitfalls can significantly accelerate time to value. Advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are leading the industry’s digital revolution. Data and advanced analytics drive everything from decisions on new markets and segmentation to standing up new lines of business in months rather than years. The transformation journey includes technology and people/process paths, and being able to focus on both areas is required to be successful. Join this panel discussion to hear from underwriting professionals who have experience in building successful roadmaps for digital transformation.

Networking Break

For those attending in-person, please join us in the Grand Ballroom Foyer to chat with fellow attendees, grab a bite to eat, and stretch your legs. Virtual attendees can take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees in the Meeting Hub and Sponsor Showcase. Send a chat, make a call, visit a booth, or schedule a meeting with someone new.

A. The Connected Consumer: Elevating the Human Experience in Property/Casualty Insurance – Emerging Issues Track

Market-leading companies are using deep insights to better understand connected customers and their evolving needs. This session will begin with debunking conventional wisdom about changing consumers and provide insight into willingness to try more innovative concepts in auto and home insurance. The presenters will discuss key capabilities needed to create connected experiences that are digital by default, human by design, and omnichannel enabled. They will also discuss how to best manage experiences across agent, digital, and carrier interactions.

B. Lessons from Losses – Experience Is Our Greatest Teacher – Commercial Lines Track

The property/casualty insurance industry has a successful history of learning from unfortunate losses, whether they’re portfolio-level experiences or individual claims situations. Successful companies use these experiences to frame underwriting decisions and develop risk management guidelines. During this session, specific examples of best practices arising from losses will be provided to reinforce how claims review is an opportunity of continuous learning as opposed to judgement of past decisions. Attendees will also learn the importance of cross-departmental communication and how to cultivate collaboration in their own organizations to positively impact the bottom line.

C. Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Personal Lines Pricing – Personal Lines Track

Driving patterns and the way we use our homes went through dramatic changes beginning in March 2020. Some of those changes are here to stay while others are only temporary. Economic realities of lockdowns and mandatory process changes impacted all businesses, including increasing the cost of doing business. This session will explore what has arisen in personal lines experience thus far and discuss what we might expect in the short and long terms.

D. Engaging a Diverse Workforce – Commercial Lines Track

Suzanne Baillargeon defines diversity as everything that makes us unique, and during this session, she will ask attendees how diversity shows up on their own teams. Attendees will discuss the elements of inclusion, including treating people fairly, appreciating uniqueness, having a sense of belonging, and having a voice in decision-making. Attendees will also share ideas of how to engage their employees in a virtual world. They will also review the traits of an inclusive leader, perform a self-assessment of leadership capabilities, and complete a leadership action plan. Statistics on the impact of employee engagement related to productivity will also be reviewed.

E. Improving the Customer Experience to Create Loyalty – Personal Lines Track

The standard for customer experience for all insurers has skyrocketed to far more than just delivering on a promise to pay. Improving the customer experience continues to be a strategic initiative that 100 percent of personal lines and commercial lines insurers are pursuing. But how do they create experiences that brings long-term loyalty? During this session, Deb Smallwood will discuss best practices to do so.

F. Strategies to Accelerate Personal Lines Transformation – Personal Lines Track

Personal lines insurance is evolving as insurers compete to provide fast, convenient buying experiences. The necessary adjustments call for greater use of data-driven technology to respond to customers’ evolving preferences. In a recent Verisk survey, 89 percent of property/casualty insurance professionals said digital transformation plans are accelerating.

Networking Break

For those attending in-person, please join us in the Grand Ballroom Foyer to chat with fellow attendees, grab a bite to eat, and stretch your legs. Virtual attendees can take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees in the Meeting Hub and Sponsor Showcase. Send a chat, make a call, visit a booth, or schedule a meeting with someone new.

A. After the Pandemic: Has the Social Inflation Contagion Spread or Instead Been Effectively Isolated? – Emerging Issues Track

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our lives to an unprecedented degree. To what extent did the pandemic alter the growing social inflation threat that had been building previously? Does the insurance industry still face the specter of “nuclear” verdicts and inflated settlements? Has COVID-19 introduced a level of rationality and personal responsibility among jurors? Do the root causes of social inflation still remain; and if so, to what degree? This session will explore these factors and provide suggestions as to how the industry might navigate going forward.

B. Up in Smoke: The Impact of Marijuana in Workers’ Compensation – Commercial Lines Track

This session will provide the latest information on state laws regarding marijuana legislation, insurance carrier issues related to medical marijuana and its impact on workers’ compensation claims, and the impact on drug testing and drug-free workplace laws. It will also cover other personnel-related issues.

C. Embracing Disruptive Change in Distribution Channels – Personal Lines

During this time of disruptive change, agents’ roles, and the ways they interact with customers are rapidly transforming. During this interactive session, panelists will discuss how customers want and need to engage differently with agents, who is responsible for the investment in these new processes, and how carriers can offer solution-based underwriting while managing agent relationships and organizational growth. To round out the discussion, we will discuss the regulation challenges.

D. Construction Defects: Challenges and Solutions – Commercial Lines Track

Join this session for an interactive discussion on construction defects, including the challenges underwriters are presented with and possible solutions to allow for profitable business. Attendees will hear from a claims professional and a senior underwriter who will share their combined experience in addressing the issues involving construction risks. Discussion topics will include common challenges presented by contractors’ risks, a national look at the issue as well as state-specific detail and underwriting best practices or solutions to successfully writing contractors.

E. Insurtech Enablers: How to Start to Partner – Personal Lines Track

During this practical discussion, panelists will offer guidance on how to begin partnering with insurtechs. This conversation will explore roofing and imagery, risk mitigation tools, and home and auto inspections. Panelists will share their experiences, including the challenges and opportunities, as they have dipped their toes in the insurtech water.

Lunch

A. A Jedi Response: Predictability and Modeling of Wildfires and Other Natural Catastrophes - Emerging Issues Track

This session will discuss the recent developments that have been made in mainstem models to improve predictability of the next catastrophic events as well as the pros and cons of using them. The session will also examine FEMA’s recent study “Losses Avoided as a Result of Adopting Hazard-Resistant Building Codes” and review how fire and engineering investigations, claims analysis and code, and standard development have helped uncover next-gen solutions to respond to wildfire loss experience. While we cannot prevent the forces of nature, we can certainly plan and prepare and become resilient in protecting infrastructure by building a proactive industry Jedi response.

B. Beverage Manufacturing - Commercial Lines Track

This session will provide a comprehensive review of exposures, underwriting considerations, and risk management related to beverage manufacturing. Attendees will review the manufacturing process and look at the risks associated with property, equipment, tasting rooms, and liquor liability. They will also gain an understanding of the general liability codes that go along with beverage manufacturing.

C. The Sharing and Gig Economies: Evolving Implications for Carriers – Personal Lines Track

How have the sharing and gig economies impacted personal lines exposures? What coverage gaps exist because of them? This session will explore the scope of the sharing and gig economies and discuss the exposure differences between their operating models and those of traditional business models. As companies begin to design new post-pandemic products, how can carriers bridge the gap between personal lines coverage and commercial risk exposure? This session will help you discover new ideas for the future.

D. Insurance for the Cannabis Industry – Commercial Lines Track

This session will provide a high-level overview of the cannabis industry and the risks associated with insuring it. During the session, attendees will learn the criteria for underwriting a cannabis risk, review examples of claims, and discuss the coverages available for businesses.

E. Building Collaborative Teams in a Remote Environment – Personal Lines Track

Prior to early 2020, relatively few people were working remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. It was the catalyst and accelerant for a mandatory work-from-home environment. As a result, leaders have had to adapt to new ways of leading and motivating their staffs. This requires an intentional focus to obtain the best results to meet organizational objectives. During this session, we will focus on the skills needed to build highly collaborative teams in the remote environment.

Networking Break

For those attending in-person, please join us in the Grand Ballroom Foyer to chat with fellow attendees, grab a bite to eat, and stretch your legs. Virtual attendees can take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees in the Meeting Hub and Sponsor Showcase. Send a chat, make a call, visit a booth, or schedule a meeting with someone new.

A. Reinsurance Market Hot Topics Panel Discussion – Emerging Issues Track

During this panel discussion, a direct reinsurer, a broker market and direct reinsurer, and a reinsurance broker will discuss the state of the reinsurance market as well as the January 2021 renewal and its impact on the rest of the year. They will also discuss how and why the global market impacts the U.S. market, what they believe makes a good carrier partner, and the impacts of COVID-19. Finally, the panelists will dive into trends by lines and classes of business and talk about the impacts those trends have on primary carriers. SPEAKERS Moderator: Erin Collins | Vice President, State Affairs NAMIC Panelists: Ridge Muhly | Senior Vice President, Treaty Manager Gen Re Desmond Pollock | Senior Vice President – US Custom TransRe Scott Rubenstein | Managing Director and Co-Head Guy Carpenter Regional and Mutual Segment Guy Carpenter

B. Artificial Intelligence – Efficiency Gains for the Underwriter - Commercial Lines Track

Artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the commercial insurance landscape, allowing underwriters to write more accurate policies, return quotes faster than ever before, and align the entire underwriting team around the same underwriting criteria and guidelines. This means underwriters can focus more on actual risk assessment and more complex policies while leveraging AI to automatically validate the submission data, highlight higher risk blind spots, provide transparency on the business evolution over time, and more. During this session, attendees will learn how AI is being used to increase underwriting efficiency while reducing loss ratios and increasing written premiums.

C. Online Auto Quoting: The Chance of a Lifetime – Personal Lines Track

Digital customer acquisition is booming as consumers, carriers, and agents migrate toward online insurance shopping experiences. Consumers have leapt ahead – 90 percent of them were open to purchasing auto insurance policies online in 2020 – while insurers only allocated 15 percent of advertising budgets to digital. This session will explore the different models for online auto insurance shopping, look at demographic and behavioral profiles for online shoppers, and highlight the capabilities of the market leaders all to help you identify ways to prepare for digital and to feel confident in taking this chance.

D. Liquor Liability – Pandemic and Beyond – Commercial Lines Track

How is liquor liability handled under the commercial general liability and liquor liability coverage parts? This session will answer that question and also feature a discussion on how the pandemic affected liquor liability risks and regulatory and legislative activity. Examples will be provided of how states are handling liquor risks in regulatory and legislative manners that may affect exposures and trends. ISO's response to those trends in future updates to liquor liability will also be examined.

E. Changing Distracted Driving Behaviors Through Telematics – Personal Lines Track

This session will walk through Nationwide’s telematics journey – through its SmartRide mobile experience and beyond – and discuss how it is changing distracted driving behaviors. Nationwide partners with Cambridge Mobile Telematics to power its telematics and distracted driving experience.

A Message from Verisk: Automate with Reliable Data (7.22)

A Message from Verisk: Accelerate Digital Transformation with LightSpeed (7.22)

Virtual Peer-to-Peer Learning | Roundtable Discussions

The best teachers are often those who are walking in your shoes. Join fellow commercial or personal lines professionals in roundtable discussions focused on emerging issues, professional development, and industry hot topics. The session will include interactive, engaging discussions that allow you to talk about what you and your peers are facing and learn from each other’s successes and challenges.

Networking Break

For those attending in-person, please join us in the Grand Ballroom Foyer to chat with fellow attendees, grab a bite to eat, and stretch your legs. Virtual attendees can take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees in the Meeting Hub and Sponsor Showcase. Send a chat, make a call, visit a booth, or schedule a meeting with someone new.

Capitol Hill Update – General Session

Armed with knowledge from more than two decades in the inner workings of Washington’s political circles, Jimi Grande, NAMIC’s senior vice president of government affairs, will share an update on NAMIC’s current advocacy efforts in the nation’s capital.