Another Successful Convention Behind Us
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
IIAV celebrated its 120th birthday in Virginia Beach and from the looks of everything, we had quite a party. We had more agents and attendees in attendance than we have had for many years. For the first time that I can recall, we actually not only sold out the trade show, but had to turn companies away from exhibiting with a longer and longer wait list. We tried to accommodate as many companies as we could in the exhibit hall, but at some point, it was just not fair to stick in another booth. The traffic in the trade show was almost shoulder to shoulder and it was appropriately named the “Resource and Solution Center.” Our thanks go to the many companies who exhibited and sponsored the convention.
Our keynote speaker – Darren Woodson – wowed a standing room only audience and his presentation on creating cultures of excellence was simply outstanding. And what a genuinely great guy. He brought an excellent message to football fans and non-football fans, Cowboys fans and yes, even Redskins fans. His Make-a-Wish presentation was held early due to a last minute change in his airplane schedule, but it was great to see the coverage in the local media: ”Cowboy great Darren Woodson is in town to be with the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia….”
Personally, I was curious to hear our second keynote address by Ron White – "the memory guy." Frankly, I was worried about his presentation being somewhat of a gimmick but let me tell you, while he showed the amazing talent he had, he brought the effort and need down to the agency level with tips on how everyone can improve their memory.
Our other speakers got amazing evaluations from many of those in attendance. In fact, the most common question I received was, “How are you going to have a better convention next year?” And indeed we will. June 24-26, 2020 IIAV will hold our 121st annual convention at the brand new Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront, right across the street from the Cavalier, an amazing property scheduled to open early 2020. More space for our general sessions, breakouts and exhibits. The hotel will have only ocean view and ocean front rooms and we’ve even negotiated LOWER room rates. Mark your calendars now. Let me also congratulate our award winners: Charlie Nusbaum, our Agent of the Year Golden Eagle award winner, Connie Boyd with Donegal, our Company Person of the Year and finally, a special recognition of Doug Palais, IIAV’s General Counsel, with our Commonwealth Award. Congratulations to these outstanding professionals and award winners.
We will provide more updates on the convention later and if you attended, thank you for attending. If you didn’t join us in Virginia Beach, you really might want to check your calendar for next year. Look at the speakers, the photos and videos from the convention and see if you really want to miss this outstanding industry event. We all had a great time and, on behalf of your IIAV Staff, we need some rest, but we’ll be up and at it soon.
Robert N. Bradshaw, Jr., MAM – IIAV President & CEO
