From Resource, September 2003 
Copyright by LOMA

LOMA Annual Conference Hits San Antonio This Month

By Stephen Hall

This month, LOMA will combine a dynamic lineup of presenters with a world-class city for a backdrop as it holds its Annual Conference and FLMI Conferment on Sept. 28-30, 2003 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas.

The program for the three-day conference includes presentations given by a wide range of speakers, including executives in the insurance/financial services industry. Concurrent program sessions are offered on the afternoon of Day Two (Monday, Sept. 29) and will feature industry professionals addressing industry-specific topics. The FLMI designation is officially conferred at a gala banquet on the final night of the conference (Tuesday, Sept. 30).

Eric Saperston, a film director, author and storyteller, will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. He will give his presentation, titled "Sometimes You Take a Trip; Sometimes the Trip Takes You," on Monday, Sept. 29. In his keynote address, Saperston will recount how a cross-country trip turned into a pursuit of life’s larger questions. While following the Grateful Dead on tour in his Volkswagen Microbus with Jack, his golden retriever, he took up the challenge to make his trip more meaningful. He invited some of the world’s most powerful people (including Jimmy Carter, Billy Crystal, Jerry Garcia, and former Texas governor Ann Richards) to coffee, interviewed them on camera, and assembled those sessions into an award-winning documentary film that led him to a Disney development deal. Many have found his story to be a very motivating one that helps illuminate life’s many possibilities. (Monday, Sept. 29; 8:45-9:45 a.m.)

Following Saperston’s presentation, a panel of industry CEOs will meet from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. to discuss key issues regarding the future of the industry. David M. Holland, president and CEO of Munich American Reassurance Company and vice chairman of LOMA’s board of directors, will head the panel.

Attendees will have a chance to hear from other speakers during the general sessions each morning. These sessions include:

*"A Life Study: Making a Difference," Virginia Esqueda Acosta, president of Acosta & Associates. (Monday, Sept. 29; 11:00-11:15 a.m.)

When Jackie Blanchard’s husband died, with only enough life insurance to pay for his funeral, Jackie vowed that her two young daughters would be financially secure if anything ever happened to her. To that end, she met with insurance agent Virginia Acosta and made arrangements to get the best insurance she could. Two years later, Jackie suffered a lung infection and was later diagnosed with lung cancer. Since the illness kept her from working, a provision in her policy covered the payment of her premiums while the policy’s disability benefit helped cover mounting health care costs.

A short time later, she learned that her condition was terminal. Fortunately, the accelerated death benefit provision in her policy allowed Jackie to access up to 75 percent of her benefits while still alive. She used them to finance a home and a car for her daughters and parents, to pre-pay her funeral, and to put away some money for her daughters’ college education. Jackie died at age 38, but one of her daughters recently graduated from college with honors, while the other, a high school senior, lives with their grandparents in the home their mother bought for them. Acosta will tell her story of how she helped Jackie ensure that her children’s future would be secure long after her passing.

* "You Can’t Fix a Watch With a Sledge Hammer," David A. Goldsmith, co-founder, Goldsmith Organization LLC and MetaMatrix Consulting Group, Inc. (Monday, Sept. 29; 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.)

Does it always appear that the floodgates are open but you’re swimming in one place? Do you feel that you don’t have enough time to accomplish what you want? Are you trying to fix the same old challenges … over and over? Stop and take a breath. Discover new ideas that will transform the way you do business every day—ways to make you do business better, faster and cheaper, and still have time left over for you.

* "Your Personal Best: The 12 Personal Best Practices to Help You Live at Your Highest Level," Mike Lipkin, President, Environics/Lipkin. (Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:30-9:45 a.m.)

Lipkin engineered these "Individual Best Practices" into 12 life tools that will help you master your environment, amplify your personal impact, and enhance the well-being of the people around you. Drawing on a decade of Environics’ Social Values Research in both Canada and the U.S., Lipkin will also outline the strategies of people who thrive in these times of change.

* "Get What You Want With What You’ve Got," Christine Holton Cashen. (Tuesday, Sept. 30, 10:00-11:00 a.m.)

During her presentation, Christine Holton Cashen will help attendees learn how to achieve their best with what they have; the secrets to defusing anyone and handling conflict like a pro; and how humor can increase your job satisfaction, improve morale, and reduce stress.

The afternoon of the conference’s first day will feature four concurrent sessions for conference attendees to choose from, with each session addressing a different topic. These include:

* How Do You Benefit from LOMA? Learn about the vast array of products and services—some of them free—that LOMA offers to employees of member companies. Make sure you are taking full advantage of your LOMA membership and LOMA’s professional development opportunities.

* Cross the Divide: Managing the Next Step in Your Career. You’ve made it—now what? Your past accomplishments can take you only so far. You need new information to propel yourself and your career forward. Discover unique answers and fresh insight to transition into new endeavors. See the bigger picture and learn what it takes to convert dreams to reality in the next part of your career journey.

* The Journey: A Film You Won’t Forget. After hearing the inspirational story of Eric Saperston during the keynote address, take this opportunity to see his short film. "The Journey" is about four young people in search of the meaning of life, and it will encourage you to rethink how you search for success.

*LOMA’s Educational Overview. This session is designed to meet the needs of LOMA Educational Representatives and human resources staff interested in new opportunities to enhance their companies’ educational environments. You’ll get an insider’s look at our newest programs and innovations in online courses, and you’ll have the opportunity to present suggestions and questions directly to LOMA staff. It’s also an excellent opportunity to network with others to see how they administer their LOMA educational program and deal with daily training issues. Please note that this session is open to Educational and Principal Representatives only, and that all Educational Representatives must attend in order to receive the registration discount.

On the afternoon of the second day of the conference, participants will have a chance to tour San Antonio, through one of four concurrent excursions planned for the afternoon of the conference’s final day (Tuesday, Sept. 30, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.). Named for the sights that each trip includes, the excursions are Caves and Curios, Viva San Antonio!, The Price of Freedom, and Shopping in Boerne. (Note: The cost of an excursion, which is included in the conference registration cost, includes round-trip transportation from the hotel and an admission ticket.)

Caves and Curios. The first stop is Natural Bridge Caverns, north of San Antonio. Tour guides encourage questions and enjoy sharing more than 10,000 different formations along well-paved and lighted walkways. Guests will then enjoy shopping in Gruene, an area whose first settlers were German farmers who arrived in Texas in the mid-1840s.

Viva San Antonio! Explore the abundant wealth of history and culture that San Antonio has to offer. This tour includes visits to Mission San José, once known as "Queen of the Missions" for its status as the most beautiful, most prosperous, and best fortified of all Texas missions; Mission Concepcion, America’s oldest unrestored Catholic Church; San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest cathedral sanctuary in the U.S.; the Spanish Governor’s Palace, which served as the official residence for the commander of the Presidio de San Antonio; and El Mercado, the largest Mexican market in the U.S.

The Price of Freedom. This tour begins with a screening of the IMAX feature "Alamo … The Price of Freedom," a 45-minute film that re-enacts the battle of the Alamo. This will be followed by a tour of the Alamo itself, where 189 soldiers fell after 13 days of attacks by Mexican General Santa Anna’s forces; and a visit to the Menger Hotel, which opened in 1859 and became one of the finest hotels west of the Mississippi. The excursion’s beautiful finale is a visit to the Paseo del Rio, a city shaded by towering cypresses, oaks and willows and bordered by flowering gardens; participants will go on a riverboat ride through the city.

Shopping in Boerne. Get a head start on your holiday shopping in the city of Boerne. Within a three-block walk, you will find unlimited treasures and unusual finds. Many of the shops are cooperatives, with as many as 30 dealers displaying in one building.

FLMI Photo Session and Banquet
Commemorate your FLMI conferment with a complementary photograph from LOMA. Photographs will be taken with LOMA’s president and CEO, Thomas P. Donaldson, FLMI, CLU, and members of LOMA’s board of directors, and will be mailed to FLMIs after the conference. (Tuesday, Sept. 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m.)

The FLMI Conferment and Banquet features great food, lively dancing, and memorable entertainment. New FLMIs and recipients of associate degrees are the focus of the evening and are honored collectively in a conferment ceremony. Special awards are given for outstanding achievements. Appropriate dress is coat and tie for men and cocktail attire for women. (Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7:00-11:00 p.m.)

To register, visit www.loma.org/annualconference.asp and fill out the online registration form. (Please note: If you register online, you can only pay by credit card.) Registration is $655 for LOMA members, $895 for non-members, $250 for guests, and $80 per child (ages 6-14). Due to liability issues and the business nature of the conference, children under the age of 6 are not permitted.

Registration fees include admission to all general business sessions, concurrent sessions, two continental breakfasts, welcome party, excursion, and the FLMI Conferment Banquet. Guest registration fees include admission to all conference events. LOMA policy allows one guest per full paid registration. Guests cannot be new FLMIs. Children’s tickets include admission to two continental breakfasts, welcome party, children’s party, and an excursion ticket.

LOMA’s special room rate at the Marriott Rivercenter is $195 (single or double) per room, per night, plus 16.75 percent tax. All attendees must make their own reservations. To reserve your room, contact the Marriott Rivercenter (101 Bowie Street, San Antonio, TX 78205) at (210) 223-1000 or (800) 648-4462. Be sure to mention that you will be attending the LOMA Annual Conference to receive the discounted rate, which is applicable three days before and three days after the conference, based on room availability. Check-in time is 3 p.m., and check-out time is noon. (Booking through a travel agency may result in a higher rate or no availability, so please book directly with the hotel.) Space is limited, and the cut-off date for reservations is Sept. 5, so please make your reservations as soon as possible.

Delta Air Lines is the official carrier for the event. To take advantage of special discounts, call or have your travel agent call (800) 241-6760 and mention LOMA File #192549A. AVIS is the official car rental agency for LOMA. For special discounts, call your travel agent or AVIS at (800) 331-1600, or go online at www.avis.com. Refer to discount #T085399.

The dress code for the sessions and excursions is business casual. Dress for the conferment ceremony and banquet is coat and tie for men, cocktail attire for women. For more information, please contact LOMA at (770) 984-3764 or via e-mail at meetings@loma.org, or visit www.loma.org/annualconference.asp. 

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