I love San Diego. The climate, the people, the food, the sightseeing — it all adds up to a travel experience like no other. Mimosa brunch at Currant American Brasserie. Strolls in sun-kissed Balboa Park. The rooftop pool at the Westgate Hotel. Cold beers at Hamilton's Tavern, one of the best dive bars in town. The Sunday sangria special at the Prado. Dinners after dark in Little Italy … all sensations to be savored on every visit.

So when I learned last year that RIMS' annual conference and exhibition would be held in one of my favorite cities, I was looking forward to this yearly intersection of insurance professionals and risk managers more than ever before, and this one did not disappoint.

I'm not the only one who enjoys getting ready for “the Insurance Prom,” which I've taken to calling it — a moniker that got some good laughs this year from other participants. (I must credit a certain lovely insurance company CMO whom we featured on our cover one year ago for that amusing phrase.) All day every day spirits are high, and everyone in attendance has their “game face” on well into the wee hours; this is one reason why everyone goes home exhausted. Remaining on point for a day's worth of meetings or interviews, followed by a string of mandatory cocktail parties — there's a phrase I never thought I'd live to write — can be challenging even for the most seasoned veteran.