SALES & LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE PREPARES YOUNG AGENTS FOR LEADERSHIP ROLE
Event to be Held in Conjunction with Big “I” Convention
ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 12—Young agents seeking to enhance their leadership and sales skills and take their careers to the next level can learn from the industry’s best and brightest at the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference Oct. 8 through 10 in Orlando, Fla.
The conference will be held in conjunction with the 2004 Big “I” Convention at Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel located on the Disney World property.
Young agents can jump start their careers through impactful educational training and skills sessions as well as events that will facilitate networking with peers, company executives and agency and Big “I” national and state leaders.
“Young agents are the future leaders of their businesses,” says Leslie Mularski, Big “I” national young agents program director. “This conference delivers the events and training young agents need to build strong business relationships and to develop into tomorrow’s agency system leaders.”
The event kicks off Oct. 8 with a welcome event at which young agents can network with industry leaders before attending the Young Agents Awards Reception. During this reception, attendees will join the National Young Agent Committee and the Big “I” leadership as they present the 2004 Young Agents Committee of the Year and honor other exceptional state young agent committees for outstanding achievements.
The next day, young agents will explore critical issues affecting their livelihoods and the future of the independent agency system during the Young Agents Breakfast and President’s Panel. Big “I” President Louise “BeBe” Canter, CPCU, ARM; Mike LaRocco, president and COO, Safeco Personal Insurance; Bob Williams, president, independent channel, Progressive Insurance; Dan Carmichael, president & CEO, Ohio Casualty Group; and Doug Wendt, president, Encompass Insurance and Deerbrook Insurance are the panelists.
Later that day, young agents will sharpen their sales and leadership skills by attending two informative workshops: “Young Agents: The Complete Sale” and the “Young Agents Leadership Session.”
“The Complete Sale” will help young agents become selling machines. This two-hour session will give attendees training in critical sales skills that will give them an edge over the competition. During the “Young Agents Leadership Session,” Scott Addis, president and CEO of The Addis Group, an award-winning commercial lines agency, will discuss how young agents can reach their business goals through a client-based approach.
Rounding out the Saturday schedule, the honorees of the 2004 Young Agent Awards will be on hand for one of the conference highlights—the “Magnificent Seven” panel discussion. At this event, panelists will reveal insights and accomplishments from their successful state programs that attendees can apply to their state young agent committee.
As an added benefit, young agents with children will get free childcare during opening- and closing-night events. Child-care services are available to the first 75 children—ages 5 months to 12 years—that are accompanying registered attendees.
The Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference precedes the 2004 Big “I” Convention—IIABA’s showcase meeting featuring one of the largest exhibit halls in the insurance industry; several prominent speakers; a compelling CEO panel; a variety of innovative continuing-education (CE) classes; numerous networking opportunities; and many other exciting events. The convention runs Oct. 9 through 11.
Also on the schedule for the Big “I” convention is the highly informative Best Practices Business Symposium, which will be held Oct. 10 through 11. The symposium is an intensive program of group events, networking opportunities and informative workshops that will give agency owners the tools and expertise to attain their business and sales goals.
For more information about the Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference (including child-care reservations), the 2004 Big “I” Convention and the Best Practices Business Symposium, or to register online for any of these events, visit www.independentagent.com and click on the “Events and Conferences” link.
Founded in 1896, IIABA is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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