Every spring a large number of employers and industry professionals gather in a city big enough to accommodate over 9,000 registered attendees, along with an estimated 8,000 other participants, for one of the risk and insurance industry's biggest gatherings – the annual Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) conference and exhibition.
As a former RIMS president and board member for six years, I know first-hand how much work goes into organizing and coordinating this important industry event.
With 160 educational sessions, over 400 exhibitors, 34 thought leader presentations and hundreds of social events, the logistics alone are amazingly complex. For the last 52 years, the RIMS exhibit hall has displayed a wide array of industry solutions and services. But RIMS extends far beyond the exhibit hall; the conference offers unique networking opportunities that are instrumental in bringing together risk managers and the many partners that help make their risk strategies successful.
When I joined Sedgwick, I was pleasantly surprised at the company's passionate engagement in this conference and our overall commitment to promoting excellence within the risk management industry.
Among the many events we sponsor are educational sessions, supporting this core conference objective. This year I have the honor of moderating an insightful session that examines the careers of four female risk leaders; all past Risk Manager of the Year (RMOY) or RMOY Honor Roll recipients. This session is titled: Women of Distinction: Risk Managers of the Year Share Their Wisdom.
Other sessions include:
- The carrot or the stick? Vendor management versus service partnership
- Effective communications skills for professionals
- Impact of ACA on workers' compensation
- Tech time: technology advancements impacting risk management today
- Selling your risk management program
Each session involves one or more Sedgwick senior leaders and a client partner; reflective of our collaborative client relationships.
Finally, what would a gathering of risk and insurance professionals be without a healthy number of social events enabling people to enhance existing relationships and build new ones? At the end of the day, relationships are the key to developing long-term partnerships that deliver superior results. Sedgwick will again sponsor a party on Wednesday evening to celebrate the end of the conference with our valued clients and industry friends.
To learn more about Sedgwick’s plans, visit our RIMS page at rims.sedgwick.com. Also find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+. We look forward to helping you find your voice in the industry this year at RIMS 2014.
Chris Mandel, SVP, Strategic Solutions