Dallas to Host National Town Hall Meeting – ‘Connecting the Global Economy Through Insurance’

The Dallas All Industry Day event for 2004, sponsored by state and local insurance organizations, will focus on national and global economic issues and its infrastructure, the insurance industry.

Entitled “Connecting the Global Economy Through Insurance,” this event will be held Nov. 23 at the Hotel Inter-Continental Dallas, located at 15201 Dallas Parkway in Addison.

The program, which will run from 7:00 a.m. until 4:15 p.m., is being presented by the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas (IIAD), The Dallas Chapter of Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) and the University of North Texas.

The fee for the full day is $125 ($100 for IID members) or $50 for the afternoon session ($40 for IIAD members). Registration materials can be obtained by contacting the IIAD at (214) 360-0666 or by visiting www.insuredallas.org or www.dallasallindustryday.org.

The day will open with a presentation by Dr. Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., Chief Economist for the Insurance Information Institute entitled “Globalization and the Role of Insurance.” The luncheon keynote speaker will be Don Hurzeler. Hurzeler is the president of the National Society of CPCU. His remarks will focus on the topics of the economy, insurance, industry education and public awareness of the role of insurance as relates the economy. Industry leaders across all disciplines will be participants in the day’s activities.

“This annual event is a prime example of the insurance industry’s commitment to bringing together and leveraging its collective knowledge for the mutual benefit of corporations, business owners and consumers,” said John Thornton, Ph.D., of the University of North Texas’ Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law. “For all purchasers of insurance, this is a time of change and uncertainty, and the issues associated with the insurance industry’s role in the local and global economy are relevant and important.”

“The subject of this year’s program has implications for all lines of insurance and for consumers of those products across the nation, which is why we call this a ‘national town hall meeting,'” noted Gene Farnsworth, president of the Dallas Chapter of Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriters. “In addition to providing professional education, the Dallas CPCU Chapter recognizes the 2004 new CPCU designees who have successfully completed the eight-part CPCU course study and testing, covering topics from general theory to financial accounting in the insurance industry.”

All Industry Day programs provide professional continuing education credits for the agents, brokers, claims adjusters, risk engineers, actuaries and underwriters who are involved in insurance on a daily basis.

“This year’s program has a lot to offer the business community, as well as individual consumers,” explained Linda Leos, executive director of the IIAD. “Owners of small and mid-sized businesses will benefit from many of these sessions, as will the risk managers, treasurers and CFOs of larger companies who are responsible for making insurance purchasing decisions. Executives in commercial banking and commercial real estate are much attuned to this topic, as are those involved in homeowners and personal line insurance.”

In addition to an all-day exhibition of over 60 vendors associated with insurance/risk management, the event will feature panels on the following topics:

· Evaluating an Insurance Company’s Health (Breaking the Cycle, etc.);
· Tort Reform and the Impact on Claims;
· A Roundtable Discussion with Property and Casualty Industry Top Executives; and
· Putting Together a Winning Submission.