When you’re an insurtech, figuring out events can be tricky: Do you stick with insurance-only? Do you ride with fellow technology businesses? This year, the AgentSync team showed up to plenty of both.
All told, we sent significant teams to 20 events this year, traversing the map several times a month in the peak event season – no mean feat, and with major hats off to AgentSync Event Marketing Manager Keefer Caid-Loos.
After the unprecedented online-only era, a return to in-person events where we could shake hands, make eye contact, and all pretend we still fit into our business casual and professional clothing was a mixture of exciting, exhausting, and relieving. It was a welcome reminder that insurance is primarily a business of relationships, a lesson that tech companies would do well to remember if we do say so ourselves.
As we wind down 2022 and look forward to the opportunities of 2023, we’ve collected a countdown of our top five favorite events from this year, and the features we loved at each. You’ll notice, we’re biased in favor of events where we looked especially glam. If you attended a lot of these events, we’d love to hear from you: Does our list measure up? Do you agree? What were your highlights? And are there any events we didn’t make it to that we should have?
5. Future of Insurance, June 2022, Chicago
Data. Data. Data. That, according to many speakers and session presentations at the Future of Insurance, is the future of insurance.
More specifically, better managing data security, handling change management, and using data to positively augment the human experience are the trends shaping the insurance industry. As the rise of cyber risk becomes more known and quantifiable – and as we collectively realize the risks extend well beyond the initial pricing structure we imagined – insurers are moving forward on the fronts of both insuring and preventing these risks.
The Future of Insurance event was very much focused on thought leadership, bringing together brains across the industry to meet and align over trends and forward motion.
AgentSync’s favorite moment: Jenn Knight’s keynote: Leverage Your Producer Experience to Power Growth
Jenn Knight, CTO and Co-Founder of AgentSync, is talented and intelligent, and with her keynote address, she reminded everyone she’s also full of contagious energy.
Obviously at AgentSync, we’re pretty bought in on the idea that producer experience is emerging as a significant driver of success for businesses across the industry, but Jenn’s voice is just unreplicable in carrying that message to the attendees at Future of Insurance 2022. Fellow attendees came away excited to carry on the conversation, and to learn about how decreasing administrative pain can deliver on positive producer experiences.
4. Medicarians, June 2022, Las Vegas
From Medicare Supplement plans to Advantage plan pieces, the inaugural Medicarians event was a fantastic opportunity for Medicare stakeholders to collaborate and share in knowledge, pain, and optimism for the future of the market. In such a niche area (even for INSURANCE, Medicare is a niche within a niche), hearing from innovators, medical groups, insurers, and everyone in between gave this event its spot on our list.
In the sprawling MGM Grand conference center, long-time carriers and agencies rubbed shoulders with emerging medical providers looking for Advantage contracts, insurtechs pitching internet-of-things (IoT) devices to transform data collection, and digital infrastructure businesses alike. As the industry grapples with an aging population and an industry employment bust, many presentations focused intently on producers and how to engage deeply with seniors.
If we are to believe many of the conference panelists (and we are, dear reader), private Medicare alternatives are beginning to draw more regulatory consideration. Together, these factors made AgentSync CEO and Co-Founder Niji Sabharwal’s message at a conference fireside chat even more relevant: Automated compliance can lighten the load for carriers, agencies, and producers.
AgentSync’s favorite moment: C-Suite networking reception
The relationship-focused nature of Medicarians 2022 gave AgentSync the inspiration to host a networking reception exclusive to C-Suite executives. The event’s real success was off the charts – attendees told us the chance to be in a room with other high-profile executives, able to share knowledge and collaborate on industry pain points was invaluable.
Connecting people with the same pain points was also very gratifying for us as a business, validating that we succeed when we focus on the pieces of the industry that cause unnecessary friction.
3. Insurtech Insights USA, May 2022, New York
While insurance technology was the headline, the real lessons we learned at this conference were in relationship-building and business cases for making it easier to connect across the industry.
Meeting people and learning about what challenges they face, from the C-suite to the operations level, is always a valuable experience, and one that further reinforces the importance of building insurance infrastructure that delivers for people, not just processes. While experienced presenters certainly had their say, the face-time available at this event was the real value piece for attendees.
And it didn’t hurt that AgentSync team members Alexander Marr and Cameron Nordholm came away with some decent soundbites.
AgentSync’s favorite moment: VIP speaker lounge
Keynote speakers, fireside chat participants, and panelists got to chill with us in our AgentSync VIP speaker’s lounge. It makes our list of coolest experiences because we made the most of having high-impact conversations with executives.
We fostered an atmosphere for people to prepare or relax before and after a high-energy presentation, and it was a great place for a meeting-of-the-minds style of connection and relationship building. The energy was truly indescribable as our own Brandon Nabor played host to entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other leaders in emerging insurtech.
2. ITC Vegas (InsureTech Connect), September 2022, Las Vegas
One of the Super Bowl events every year for insurance technology companies is InsureTech Connect in Las Vegas, also known as ITC Vegas. This year was no exception, with pitches and innovation all having their moments.
Yet, this year had a slight but perceptible shift in tone as insurtech grows up and matures as an industry. Instead of concepts like “disruption,” “transformation,” and “table-flip” having center stage, far more presentations hung on the importance of insurtechs hewing closer to – and relying on the expertise of – legacy insurers.
The themes of the conference made it apparent that insurtechs should be looking to more aged insurance companies for examples and partnership rather than as rivals to replace. Many of today’s economic realities have driven home the importance of taking a both/and approach to insurance and technology, and not discounting one for the other. 2022 may be known as the turning point when insurtech truly became a joint path between insurance and technology.
AgentSync’s favorite moment: Our oasis-themed booth
It’s Vegas, baby. And despite the glitz, glam, and excitement, we thought people could use a break. While we’re a high-energy team, our favorite thing was our booth, which was a laid-back piece of real estate that gave people who stopped by an experience of relaxation.
Our quiet little oasis saw a ton of foot traffic and was the perfect spot for quality conversations, productive meetings, and, perhaps most importantly, a standout destination for exhausted conference attendees. We came away very proud and satisfied that we provided human-centric hospitality for everyone who came by, whether they were a prospect or just someone who needed a break from an otherwise fast-paced and demanding conference.
(But also, if you thought our BOOTH was human-centric, imagine what our actual compliance products can do for your team.)
1. SILA National Education Conference | October 2022 | Seattle
The Securities and Insurance Licensing Association (SILA) National Education Conference tops the list of dopest events for 2022 in part because this is where we likely saw the most of our people. You know who you are: You’re the people who are asking questions like “does this state allow umbrella appointments?” and “Can my Kansas-based adjuster have a designated home state license in Florida?”
Ultimately, it takes everyone in an organization getting on board to make AgentSync a success with our partners, but the people who benefit the most in their day-to-day work are the people who need to know how to maintain appointments or licenses. Meeting face-to-face to talk shop and compare notes on state processes and the way we can address sticking points and friction in everyone’s daily lives and better-connect the industry was an irreplaceable experience.
AgentSync’s favorite moment: Happy Hour at the Space Needle
We planned it, but we were still amazed at how spectacularly the Happy Hour at the Space Needle came together at the SILA conference. Planning the details still didn’t quite prepare us for the breathtaking view.
The SILA conference made the top of our list this year in large part because of how truly awe-inspiring it was to stand at what felt like the top of the world and toast to the often-unsung heroes of the industry. It was the highlight of our year to treat such an important segment of our audience to a wonderful, memorable evening.
So that was 2022! Next year promises to be filled with even more amazing events, opportunities to connect, and spaces to come together. Make sure to say hello if you see us out and about. Whether you use AgentSync or not, we always want to talk compliance with folks across the industry.
Or, if you don’t want to wait until the 2023 event season to see how AgentSync can streamline and simplify compliance at your organization, get started today by scheduling a demo.