2016 Group and Worksite Benefits Conference

Join us as the conference begins to meet and greet peers while you share ideas and common experiences. Enjoy a beverage as you renew old friendships and make new acquaintances.

Ann Compton

Legendary ABC News White House Correspondent
(1973 – 2014)

When the President of the United States went to work, so did Ann Compton. The veteran ABC White House correspondent’s job was to trace the president’s every step to get the stories her audiences want — and need — to hear. Taking her cue from today’s political headlines, Compton provides audiences with something they rarely get: a glimpse of what actually goes on in the West Wing, the behind-the-scenes power struggle of a hot news cycle, as well as how controversies are handled, spun and reported. Tailoring her presentation to meet the audiences’ interests, Compton draws upon her legendary career sharing her observations about current events, a look at the people shaping the future and what lies ahead in the 2016 race for the White House. Compton declares a “White House News Conference” is in session and invites her audience to pepper her with questions.

Learn how to turn your company’s data into insights that will inform and enhance the buying process for your customers. Attend this session for information on the following:

• Pre-enrollment: How you can use analytics to create a campaign that will appeal to your customers
• During enrollment: How you can use the data during the enrollment process to improve your understanding of the customer and enhance their overall shopping experience
• Post-enrollment: What analysis can be done post-enrollment that will inform future enrollments? What data is collected for post-enrollment follow-up?

This panel will focus on how traditional carriers use non-traditional means to bring ground-breaking innovation to the marketplace. Find out how you can do the same — and how the market is responding.

(All registered attendees and guests are welcome.)

Daniel R. Fishbein, M.D.

President, Sun Life Financial U.S.

Amy C. Friedrich

Senior Vice President, Specialty Benefits, Principal Financial Group

Eric Reisenwitz

Senior Vice President, Head of Operations and Product, Group Protection, Lincoln Financial

Gene Lanzoni

Assistant Vice President, Thought Leadership – Group & Worksite Marketing, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

Every year at our event, industry leaders share their thoughts about today’s most important topics. This is your opportunity to hear what’s on the minds of these executives as they focus on profitable growth during this time of industry interruption.

(This session is exclusive for CEOs, presidents, executive vice presidents, senior vice presidents, CMOs, heads of sales, heads of distribution, CFOs and COOs. Pre-registration for this session is required. See registration form for more details.)

The “A View From the Top” general session is guaranteed to be thought-provoking. Join fellow executives in a moderated roundtable discussion with the panelists to further explore key issues, share perspectives, and hear fresh ideas on the issues impacting all of us.

Personal engagement has become critical in our business. For two decades, the delivery model for administering employer group benefits has focused on self-service, driving lower administrative cost but also a more generic consumer experience. But with the onset of consumer directed health, voluntary benefits, and financial literacy, it’s never been more important to keep your customers engaged. Explore emerging service delivery models that permit both Self-Service and Personal Engagement, resulting in smarter benefit choices, more effective use of benefits, and optimal health spending for each consumer.

Discover how these trends are affecting profitability:

• Understand macro trends in the marketplace and how Medical, Group & Worksite carriers are responding to product design and pricing, case underwriting, and enrollment strategies
• Learn what new products and benefits are on the drawing board, as well as product bundling and other techniques to drive ancillary product sales
• Gain a greater understanding of key assumptions and trends in actuarial and underwriting risk
• Compare notes on challenges carriers are facing with new market entrants and competitors gaining market share through aggressive pricing

It’s not enough anymore for carriers to only look within the “traditional walls” of our industry when sizing up the competition. Leave this workshop with a better understanding of:

• Which startups are making an impact in our space today and who is on the horizon?
• Besides technological advantages, how else are new entrants differentiating themselves in the marketplace?
• How do traditional carriers stay ahead of this fast changing landscape?

Value-added services are a hot topic in the worksite industry today. Is your company taking advantage of the opportunity to differentiate itself while avoiding regulatory troubles? Join us for a panel discussion of topics including:

• How value-added services and other product line enhancements are becoming key differentiators for insurance providers.
• How to evaluate a value-added service vendor and align with your core products and purpose. When to move forward and when to say thank you and walk away.
• How other carriers view value adds and how they are navigating the legal landscape.
• Whether voluntary products can subsidize the cost of value-added services (or vice versa).

The two worlds of Retirement and Medical (Core Enrollment) are colliding. Technology is helping to bridge the gap to what used to be ‘disconnected’ enrollments. This session is designed to discuss the impact they’re having on one another and how employers can prepare for the future’s ‘combined enrollment.’

The legal and regulatory environment is ever-changing. With five generations populating the workplace in varying states of health and wellness, the importance of understanding the disability and absence management landscape has never been greater. In this session you will:

• Learn about employment trends and trends in disability that are impacting the workplace
• Gain an overview of the legislative landscape and understanding of how the 2016 election will impact the current state
• Discover how big data is influencing the implementation and administration of disability and absence management programs
• Examine Return-to-Work programs and what options are available to employers beyond leave
• Hear about best practices in plan design, how to overcome practical barriers, and how to measure success

In our sales world, the dynamics are changing at an unprecedented pace. There’s a greater need for specialized, consultative sales training, cross selling and generating more revenue from specialty products. And of course, technology is doing its part to shake things up. Taken together, these are fundamentally changing our business. Learn about all the sales enablement techniques that are necessary to survive in this world.

What does financial wellness really mean? What do employers and employees really want? Does financial wellness pose a meaningful market opportunity for insurers?

• Examine and define the concept of “financial wellness”
• Understand employer and employee expectations and barriers to adoption
• Gain insight on the capabilities needed to successfully address the financial wellness gap

Bradd M. Chignoli

Senior Vice President, National Account Sales Group, Voluntary & Worksite Benefits, The Americas, MetLife, Inc.

Gary Kirkner

President Group Sales, Middle Market and Select, Cigna

John Stanley

Chief Marketing Officer, Employee Benefits, Transamerica Life Insurance Company

Kirk Cooper

Product Leader, Voluntary and Exchange Administration, Reliance Standard

Looking for distribution perspective on the evolving employee benefit landscape? Join us for a panel discussion with senior distribution leadership:

• Identify key opportunities and challenges to growth
• Hear how to achieve sales growth in a constantly changing business environment
• Learn to evaluate and identify new distribution channels
• Optimize resources to leverage new focus areas