Education.

*Applicable towards three hours of the necessary credit for the E&O discount 

*Satisfies the IL Ethics credit requirement. 

Inflation has been a factor in both commercial property and personal residential risk for a long time – but never like this! E & O Considerations of Hyperinflation will review the increasing E & O exposure for agents for property as well as both business and personal auto physical damage. Exploring both procedural and knowledge-based errors that could trip up even the most experienced agent.

Steve Anderson will lead us in a journey through "The Evolution of  Insurance". We will use where we have been to understand what is  coming next. Steve will lead a panel of insurance professionals who will  share what their agencies have done to combat some of the challenges  agencies are facing from technology to staffing to increasing  competition. We will also recognize our award recipients including Agent  of the Year, Agency of the Year, Young Agent of the Year and more.

Want to ask your question to the panel: Enter it here or ask live during the session.  

Attendees will gain insight into the latest statutory and regulatory changes in the business and insurance industry. Advocacy is one of the most important benefits for IIA of IL members. It is representing you, your agency, and your clients in front of the state and national legislative and regulatory bodies that oversee our industry. There is no better way for you and your staff to learn about the association’s advocacy efforts and the results accomplished.   

Topics covered include:  

• IIA of IL and Coalition Partners Legislative Victories & Proposed Legislation for new GA 

• Department of Insurance Legislative Agenda – Market Conduct, Public Adjusters, Network Transparency

• NAIC Cyber Security - What This Could Mean for Businesses

This session will help you better understand what the laws and rules are regarding the Premium Fund Trust Account (PFTA), service Fees, return premiums, certificates of insurance, producer bonds, who needs licensed, rebating, referral fees, and all aspects of a regulatory examination. For each section we will dive-in to what the governing law or rule is, what the regulatory body will look for in the examination or investigatory process, and ultimately how can you comply along with best practices. This course will provide you with critical insight to save you and your agency from potential regulatory actions that may have sizeable fines attached.

The cyber insurance market grew at the intersection of cybersecurity and insurance and might be hard to understand for the non-initiated. This session will cover the basics that agents, brokers, businesses, and security professionals should know about when approaching cyber insurance. 

• Types of coverages available 

• Difference between packaged and standalone cyber

• Myths about cyber insurance 

• What to look for when seeking insurance 

HeplerBroom, LLC will present best practices for drafting employment contracts that will keep your agency and clients protected. Learn important distinctions between employee and independent contractor and review the elements of an employment contract including: terms and renewal, compensation, termination, insurance and indemnification. Covenants (Non-Solicitation, Non-Competition, Confidentiality) and recent Illinois law changes will be discussed.  HeplerBroom will also address considerations and contract provisions regarding purchase of agency interest.

Agents often struggle to differentiate themselves from competitors (and even non-competitors) in their marketplace.  This session is designed to help agents break out of the norm and distinguish themselves from the pack.  We’ll discuss: 

• Developing a unique value proposition 

• How to avoid blending in 

• Real examples of stand-out businesses 

• Creating a remarkable customer experience 

72% of consumers say they would prefer to learn about a product or service by way of video.  So, how can insurance professionals capitalize on this statistic?  The answer is video proposals.  In this session we’ll discuss:

• Why video proposals work

• What software to use

• How to increase your hit ratio

Most consumers don’t want to be “sold”, especially in the modern marketplace.  Using negotiation tactics and sales psychology can reduce the friction between you and the prospect and give you the upper hand in the sales process.

• Labeling and mirroring

• Getting to no

• Identifying issues and wedges

Agents will learn about the Top 10 factors about whether it is time to transition the leadership, management and ownership of their agency 

Every agency will transition leadership, management and ownership at some point, this course will help agents understand the factors about whether now is the right time or identify when the right time is. 

It will help agents prepare for their future of their agency 

It will give agents the tools to assess the health, planning and preparedness of their agency operations and client relationships. 

During this session attendees will dive deeper into these four areas:  

• Attaining Invariable Practice 

• Training Staff 

• Measuring Success 

• E&O Defense; Rules of Evidence 

Today's job candidates spend an average of 7 seconds looking at your insurance agency’s ad to determine if they want to apply and with the increase in open positions in the insurance industry today, rest assured candidates are applying to numerous positions.   This workshop will take you through today's top hiring challenges and give you the opportunity to discuss strategies with other insurance agency owners to find out what is working for other businesses in Illinois.  

• Learn how to craft a compelling job description and make sure your hiring process is creating the best possible candidate experience to attract the best candidates.  

• Hear what some agencies are doing to offer unique benefits and create a culture that attracts and retains top talent.    

• Find out what onboarding and training strategies will help keep talent at your agency. 

This presentation by StraightUp Solar, a long-standing residential and commercial solar installation company in Illinois, will provide an overview of the growing solar development outlook in Illinois, how solar works, and residential and small commercial roof installation best practices and considerations.

The IIA of IL is proud to be present, Greg Nguyen who will be presenting “Blockchain • Bitcoin • Crypto:

Fundamentals & The Future”. During the session, we will dive into the history of blockchain and bitcoin, the basics of what they are, how they operate, and finally we dive deeper into how they possibly could (and are) impacting the insurance industry now and into the future.

* For those that recently attended the Tech Expo in Rosemont, this is the same CE filing as that class. You will not receive CE credit if you attend this class again.

Kicking off the session, IIA of IL leadership will discuss the trends and challenges facing the independent agency system. The Association will share what they are doing to stay ahead of the curve to provide a sustainable competitive advantage for member agencies.   

Illinois Department of Insurance Director, Dana Popish Severinghaus will enlighten attendees on the status of the department, covering current initiatives and discussing future endeavors.    

Going back to our advocacy roots, Hannah Meisel will provide insight into the upcoming Illinois General Election covering contested races from the Governor’s Office through the Senate & House.  Phil Lackman will moderate.

Keynote presenter, Amy Walter, will join us to provide her commentary on the Midterm Elections, and the National Political Climate. She will preview the 2024 Presidential Election and discuss the potential impact all of this will have on small businesses. Charles Symington will moderate.