IACON17 Energizes and Empowers Ohio’s Independent Agents

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Bold. Energizing. Forward-thinking.

Those are just a few of the words used to describe IACON17, OIA’s all-new conference that moved independent agents beyond their comfort zone to transform their futures.

We are truly grateful for the agents and carrier representatives that came with their eyes and ears open, looking to learn and grow with each other.
 

Not your typical insurance conference

IACON17 brought more than 300 industry professionals together at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Columbus for this one-of-a-kind event.

It kicked off with OIA’s mission to be a market differentiator and “change agent” for the IA channel.

OIA is committed to helping the IA channel thrive. That’s why IACON17 content was centered around several critical areas: digital marketing, recruiting and training, perpetuation, improving the customer experience and cyber awareness.
 

All-star speakers

IACON17 kicked off with Marcus Sheridan, a powerful speaker that Forbes named one of 20 “speakers you don’t want to miss the opportunity to see.”

Sheridan talked about the many ways the insurance buyer has changed and the steps agents need to take to successfully adjust to these changes.

With his riveting presentation and no-nonsense approach, Sheridan advised attendees on how to transform their sales and their mindset to bring in more leads and engage clients.

“After listening to [Marcus Sheridan] talk about the importance of online marketing and blogging, I stopped delaying setting up my blog on my website,” said an IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio.

“The speakers were fantastic and gave me many ideas to help drive our business forward.”

IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio

A unique twist to the traditional panel discussion, IACON17 featured IA Talk, a TED Talk-style chat with four different insurance carriers.

Each carrier took the stage for 15 minutes to set the record straight on a variety of hot-button issues:

  • John Ammendola, president and CEO of Grange Insurance, talked about industry-wide digital technology trends and solutions that Grange is providing their agents.

  • Mike Lewis of Nationwide Insurance discussed the changes taking place at his company to give captive agents greater flexibility in the distribution channel.

  • Jon Wade of United Fire Group (UFG) shared why UFG launched in Ohio, what’s working and what’s not, and why Ohio is a truly great place for independent agents to do business.

  • Mike LaRocco, president and CEO of State Auto Insurance, talked about the innovation trends he sees in our industry, and what State Auto is doing to equip agents with tools to stay relevant.

“The speakers were fantastic and gave me many ideas to help drive our business forward,” said another IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio.

IACON17’s next keynote speaker, Bobby Reagan of Reagan Consulting, shared secrets from the highest-performing agencies to help attendees avoid perpetuation “worst practices” and get the most value for their agencies.

“I thought the keynote speakers were second to none,” says an IACON17 attendee from Northwest Ohio.

“A lot of insurance conventions are very boring and have a lack of content. The speakers were very informative, while keeping our attention for the hours they were there. It was nice to hear the speakers talk about how we can make our business better and not just stand up there and rattle off statistics. All of the speakers had a direct message on how we can become better agents.”
 

The fun side of IACON17

The action-packed first day of conference concluded with an entertaining evening at The Bluestone, a beautiful live music venue that is also an historic church!

Some conferences are all work and no play, but having fun was an essential part of the IACON17 agenda.

Attendees enjoyed food and drinks while rocking out to one of the region’s most popular cover bands, Shucking Bubba.

This event was a perfect networking opportunity for independent agents who came from all parts of the state, from major cities to small towns. We proved that insurance agents really do know how to party!
 

Down to business

Day two of IACON17 kicked off with the Annual Business Meeting where Matt Simon, OIA’s Vice Board Chair, talked about OIA’s role as “champions for independent agents.”

He discussed OIA’s commitment to creating resources in critical areas for IA success like valuation and succession planning, business planning, recruiting and training, and digital marketing.

“Our mission is simple – we are here to help YOU,” Simon explained. “Our goal is to make you the best independent agent you can be by equipping you with the highest quality resources, tools and professional development to ensure long-term success in the IA channel.”

Next, OIA’s Board Chair Perk Reichley took the stage to honor the association’s outgoing CEO George Haenszel.

Through his leadership, Haenszel helped grow the association into a strong and vital organization for more than 1,300 Ohio agencies. Haenszel gave a moving speech to the crowd about his 40-year career with OIA.

“IACON17 opened my eyes to the importance of digital media."

IACON17 attendee from Southwest Ohio

Break out of the box

Later in the morning, attendees had the opportunity to attend style breakout sessions featuring experts in the following topics: Digital marketing, customer experience, cyber security and recruiting and training:

  • Kelly Donahue-Piro, founder of Agency Performance Partners talked about how to define and design an agency’s customer experience.

  • Ryan Hanley, SVP of Marketing at TrustedChoice.com and managing editor of Agency Nation, shared digital marketing best practices that agents could implement in their agency immediately after the conference.

  • Bryan Seely, a world-famous ethical hacker, cyber security expert and former U.S. Marine, gave the inside scoop on data breaches and what agencies can do to keep their data safe.

  • Claudia St. John of Affinity HR Group discussed hiring and onboarding best practices. She also talked about teaching teams about behavioral styles, conflict resolution and collaboration.

“IACON17 opened my eyes to the importance of digital media,” says an IACON17 attendee from Southwest Ohio. “Lots of good input from Marcus Sheridan and Kelly Donahue-Piro.”
 

Ready for more?

IACON17 is just the beginning! We’re building more programs to energize and empower Ohio’s independent agents.

Our next event will be March 1, 2018 at the Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati.
 

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