ALEXANDRIA, VA, January 30, 2023—The Big “I" is proud to announce that the inaugural Big “I" InsurTech Summit took place on Jan. 20, as part of the Big “I" Winter Meeting in Savannah, Georgia.
The 90-minute program consisted of two panels of InsurTech groundbreakers, forward-thinking agents and other digital thought leaders in the independent agency space. The InsurTech Summit will be the first in a series of events held throughout the year to encourage independent agents and brokers and carriers to learn about and embrace game-changing technology that is increasingly available to them. The summit was presented in partnership with AscendIA and the Agents Council for Technology (ACT), and Travelers served as the Diamond sponsor.
“The Big 'I' InsurTech Summit brought InsurTech leaders together to discuss all of the technology issues important to independent agents and brokers," says Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I" president & CEO. “The Big 'I,' the Agents Council for Technology, and TrustedChoice.com are leading the way on InsurTech issues—both opportunities and challenges—for independent agencies and our industry. InsurTech has an array of meanings, but we are boiling it down to ensure independent agencies are the most efficient, effective and consumer friendly they can be in the marketplace."
The summit provided insights on different facets of InsurTech and their relevance and role in the independent agency channel in the future.
“There's a plethora of tools and resources available for independent agents, but from an agency owner perspective it can be overwhelming sorting through the noise," says Chip Bacciocco, CEO of TrustedChoice.com, who moderated the panels. “We're glad to assemble these thought leaders to demystify InsurTech and help agents take advantage of all the solutions this digital age has to offer."
A free video recording of the summit is now available. The Big “I" InsurTech Task Force, chaired by Lou Moran III, principal of Inter-Agency Insurance Services in Knoxville, Tennessee, will announce the next InsurTech Summit in the near future. The Agents Council for Technology (ACT) and the Big “I" InsurTech Task Force will review and evaluate the InsurTech Summit and the ACT Tech Summit in order to continue to bring the most value to members and carrier partners moving forward.
The morning of the summit, the Big “I" and AscendIA recorded a series of InsurTech podcasts, hosted by Bacciocco; Chris Cline, ACT executive director; Aubie Knight, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC); and Reid Holzworth, CEO of Ivans. The podcast recordings will be released on IAmagazine.com's “Agency Nation Radio," Ivans' “The Insurance Technology Podcast" and “IIANC Radio."
Other event sponsors included TrustedChoice.com, Ivans, ACORD Solutions Group and BondExchange.
Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I") is the nation's oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing more than 25,000 agency locations united under the Trusted Choice® brand. Trusted Choice independent agents offer consumers all types of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products—from a variety of insurance companies.