150 brokers. 48 exhibiting MGA businesses.
MGAA Managing Director Peter Staddon looks back at our successful #MeettheMGA market event in Bristol on 27 February and shares some off his highlights.
We were delighted by the success of the MGAA’s first regional event which took place in Bristol last month.
Over 150 brokers came from as far afield as Ireland to meet with our 48 exhibiting MGA firms to learn more about our sector and how we can support the profitable growth of their business. It was an incredibly busy day and there was a constant buzz in the exhibition area as business was discussed, relationships were forged, and new opportunities explored.
Directors in the dock, data breaches and the “dreaded B-word” (Brexit!) were all on the agenda as Sally Hancock and Alistair Kinley from our sponsor BLM presented an interesting session on some of the regulatory trends and emerging legal risks for 2019. The presentation gave those in the room fascinating insights into the rising cost of corporate liability claims and some of the key aspects of the new Civil Liability Act 2018.
As well as BLM we’re very grateful to our other sponsors, Arch Insurance, Ergo and Tokio Marine Kiln and special support from our partners at the CII and Lloyd’s.
The buzz of the conference extended beyond the hotel, with some fantastic engagement on our social media channels. Throughout the day we were delighted to see so many of you making use of the hashtag to share your photos and even a video of the event. We see social media as an important channel to share news and insights so if you’re not following us, now’s the time to start!
We were also glad to see so many of you taking advantage of our swish conference app! The app allowed delegates to connect with each other with a mere shake of their phone (actual handshakes are so last year don’t you know), set up meetings on the day and keep track of the main events going on in the room. We’ll definitely be making use of this app for future events so look out for it.
In the run-up to the event we were also pleased to get some press coverage with our event mentioned in articles in both the Insurance Times and Insurance Day.
We’ve had some excellent feedback from some of you who came along on the day:
iprism Underwriting Agency said: “It’s been a really good event, it’s a lot busier than I expected it to be, it’s very well organised, great set-up, we’ll definitely be doing it again.” Portus said: “It’s been brilliant. The quality of brokers is excellent, and I’ve got several meetings pencilled in!”Thames Underwriting said: “It’s a great forum to meet lots of different brokers, other MGAs as well. We’ve had some really good chats with people, it’s a great open forum to meet a lot of people.”So-Sure said: “I’ve had some great conversations and I’m looking forward to them unfolding into new partnerships.”Stubben Edge Risk Ltd said: “We’ve enjoyed the event, we thought it was well attended and people have travelled quite far to be here. It’s given us exposure to many brokers we wouldn’t normally get to speak to.”
In all it was a very successful event and we’d like to thank everyone who came along on the day to showcase their business. We’ve already had a large number of people asking where the next one will be so watch this space.