AgenteNews Insurance Producer's Online Resource
Agent Link recently attended ICMG’s 30th annual conference in Arizona, and we had a wonderful time. Jason Kushner, the Managing Editor of our online publication, AgenteNews.com, put together a charming piece summarizing the event. For those of you who didn’t have a chance to attend, we encourage you to join us next year!
Insurance carriers, field marketing organizations and vendors all flocked to Scottsdale, Arizona for the 30th annual ICMG conference in early February. The event commenced at the prestigious Talking Stick Resort—a Native American-themed hotel and casino that towers over the arid, cactus-studded landscape. As key players in the insurance industry geared up for a productive week, Agent Link’s video production team was also there as the proverbial fly-on-the-wall.
ICMG stands for Inter-Company Marketing Group, and is unique in the insurance industry because the focus is all on networking. While networking invariably occurs at other annual conferences, the proceedings usually emphasize new trends in insurance content and/or education. ICMG, however, prides itself on making networking and interaction the primary focus. That said, attendees arrive with the intention and assumption that they will build relationships, establish alliances and explore new deals amidst a decidedly casual and intimate environment.
“Other trade groups, you know, you huddle off in a corner and you talk to somebody maybe because there’s an opportunity, or you have a clandestine cup of coffee … we promote all that,” said 2013 ICMG President Bob Thomas, “We make opportunities for networking, and chatting, and talking, and finding out about one another. We force you into doing that all day and all evening. So, it lends itself to doing exactly what we want to do.”
And ICMG must be doing something right. This year set the attendance record for West Coast conferences. Other highlights included a new ICMG app for smartphones and other devices that facilitated meetings and communication amongst attendees, a generous award ceremony for returning exhibitors (of which Agent Link was a recipient), and inspiring keynote speaker Chad Hymas whose story about becoming paralyzed challenged the insurance industry to embrace the changes that have the industry (as well as the nation) in a current state of flux whether it’s modern prospecting obstacles or confusion over the Affordable Care Act.
All this and more was captured on video by Agent Link’s production team not to mention more than 30 interviews with key ICMG members and attendees. This raw footage will eventually go towards a video chronicle of the event to highlight the growing brands and multimedia scope of both ICMG and Agent Link.
