Unprecedented growth guarantees a bright future for the IISA conference
Jonathan Faurie, FAnews Journalist
While there is no doubt that the IISA Insurance Conference is one of the biggest insurance conferences in South Africa, IISA CEO David Harpur feels that the sky is the limit in terms of the conferences growth and relevance.
Speaking to the FAnews at the 2013 IISA Conference, which is the 40th edition of the industry showpiece, Harpur reports that the growth of the conference has been unprecedented.
2013 Conference by numbers
Everyone who is anyone is attending the 2013 conference and the numbers speak for themselves. “The IISA is very happy with the growth of the conference. This year we have seen a record number of over 1000 delegates which includes 305 companies from 23 countries,” says Harpur.
While the conference presents a perfect networking opportunity, the Harpur attributes the conferences growth to its content and the level of the speakers at the event.
“We have tried to make the conference as relevant as possible. We have gone out of our way to source relevant, engaging content which is interesting to a range of participants,” says Harpur who adds that the IISA strives to make the conference as inclusive as possible by touching base and engaging with the industry throughout the year that it takes to arrange the conference.
In this aspect, the IISA has made themselves highly accessible towards the industry. There are questionnaires in conference packs as well as an audience feedback system which is made available during the talks where the audience can interact with speakers as well as the IISA.
The IISA will also be meeting with industry partners as early as the week after the conference to discuss the content for the 41st edition of the conference.
Unprecedented growth
While the delegates and attendees were streaming into the hall for the start of the conference, one gets the sense that there are exciting times for both the industry and for the conference itself.
“We are definitely looking to expand the content of the conference, if the current growth is sustained then we will need to adapt accordingly. We are looking at possible running duel sessions where attendees can attend talks in specific areas of interest. We are also looking at following the style of the RIM conference which is held in the US where talks on specific topics will be run more than once a day so that if you miss a session in the morning, you can catch up at a later stage."
Because of its position in Africa as well as its reputation as one of the most developed countries on the continent, many look at South Africa as a trend setter and Harpur has recognised this hinting that he would like to open up the conference to a wider global market including more delegates and content from the Southern African region.
Packed programme
Diversity is one of the key aspects of the 2013 conference, there are a number of delegates in attendance from a range of sectors within the industry. While this is an aspect which is typical of the advancement of the industry, it can often be challenging to build a conference programme which is relevant to insurers as well as intermediaries.
The IISA has seemingly managed this challenge well. There are a number of important sessions which cover industry issues such as regulatory framework, a panel discussion on the business practices of the short term industry and the effects that telematics and technology will have on the industry.
Editor’s Thoughts:
Expanding the conference while keeping it relevant is a challenge, but the IISA is committed to providing an inclusive industry conference which caters for a large target audience. This is being achieved by incorporating high profile key note speakers who talk on relevant industry topics. The inclusion of international speakers as well as input from the regulator as well as National Treasury will go a long way in achieving this. How do you feel the IISA can expand its conference in the most effective way? Please comment below, interact with us on Twitter at @fanews_online or email me your thoughts[email protected].
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