It's been a month since we wrapped this year's ACE America's Claim Event, and despite troubling economic conditions, the show, its speakers, and the number of attendees proved that Claims still knows how to put on a show.
If you weren't able to make it out to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, worry not. Below are a few personal awards I'm handing out to those who contributed to some of the conference's biggest highlights. Drum roll please….
Biggest Laugh: We were excited to present Farmers Alliance's John Foster with our claim professional of the year award due largely in part to his professional accomplishments. What we didn't know was that he also has an exceptional sense of humor. During his acceptance, Foster brought forth laughs from the crowd as he described his anticipation of what the award would look like. Examples included the Vince Lombardi trophy and the seductive leg lamp from the movie A Christmas Story. A major award, indeed.
Most Interesting Fact: I've worked with GEICO's SIU Investigators Jim Hammonds and Steven Rutzebeck for several years, having always found them to be a fantastic tag team of presenters when it comes to insurance fraud topics. During their joint session on vehicle fires, I learned that potato chips have such a high grease content that fraudsters are using them to ignite vehicles. The chips leave no obvious signs of intent — unlike gasoline or some other accelerant — so criminals stand a better chance of escaping suspicion since an adjuster might only see some burned-up crumbs. The creativity of criminals is only matched by their aggressiveness.
Best Use of Video: National Insurance Crime Bureau's President and CEO Joseph Wehrle delivered day two's opening keynote and spoke about some of the crimes his agency is tracking. In addition to noting that medical fraud is increasing at an alarming rate, Wehrle showed a video of a staged auto accident that was captured on a traffic camera. Seeing criminals at work helped shed light on the problem for attendees — and made me much more wary about making left-hand turns across traffic.
Most Dynamic Speaker: Few can match the panache of International Insurance Institute's President and CEO Carl Van, especially in terms of stirring up audience interaction and participation. During his hour-long presentation on the final day of the show, Van addressed some of the more intangible aspects of claim management, which included how to drive employee performance. When you have a rapt audience at 9 a.m. at a conference beginning its third day in Vegas, you've done something special.
Timeliest Topic: Kathy Donovan closed out the show with her session on compliance and regulation issues in today's market. Amidst deadlines that were being adjusted that very week, Donovan outlined the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, and showed how steep penalties for failure to comply means you shouldn't gamble with the Feds.
Best Session No One Saw: Four hours prior to the start of the conference, 20 or so insurance claim executives and I gathered to discuss the biggest issues affecting the industry. It was an eye-opening conversation and one you'll see reflected in the future content in the magazine. Stay tuned.
All in all, it was rewarding to once again be part of an event that focused on educating claim professionals. It goes without saying that the programmers, conference staff, and show managers who helped make the show's lofty goals a reality deserve most of the credit. As one attendee and speaker told me after the show concluded, “I just wanted you guys to know that I thought the program you put together this year was outstanding.” See you next year.
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