Emma Jones and Molly Scott reflect on their first ever BIBA Conference as part of the CII business development team
As the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) Conference returned to Manchester, you could feel the buzz among the thousands of professionals from across the UK and the world, as they attended the flagship broking event in-person for the first time since 2019.
With Covid-19 restrictions meaning face-to-face events are only now just returning, it was a joy to work alongside our CII colleagues and surprising how easy it was to be back among the crowds of exhibitors and delegates.
Our CII stand was set up and our team were ready to talk all things related to CII, membership, qualifications and the importance of professional standards.
Chloe Burt, business development executive, began the day by presenting Konseilio with its Corporate Chartered Broker title, with CII business development and marketing director Martin Rouse on hand to present the plaque and give a short speech on the importance of the achievement. It drew much attention to our stand, with lots of applause.
Guiding the profession
Throughout the two days, we spoke with a huge number of professionals at various stages of their career journey, from those just starting out to those shortly looking to retire. Everyone we met, without exception, clearly understood the importance of professional qualifications and the work that the CII aims to do in building public trust in insurance and financial services.
A visit from Wendy Hardman, client director at Arthur J Gallagher, towards the end of the first day was also a highlight, after she was awarded the 2022 Frances Perkin Award in recognition of an outstanding contribution to insurance broking.
On the second day, we had a particularly positive conversation with two individuals who, after a break from qualifications, were looking to earn their CII Diploma. During the meeting, we found that the apprenticeship option may be the best route for them and we were able to introduce them to the Aspire apprenticeship programme – a great option for individuals who like a more hands-on approach.
It was great to finally meet people from many firms that we have communicated with in a virtual format. We also met with professionals who currently do not interact with the CII in a business capacity and were able to explain what we can do to assist them as an organisation.
While exploring the many fantastic stands across the conference, we took the opportunity to have insightful conversations about Chartered status and Affinity Perks as part of CII membership.
Broker Assess, the CII’s online training platform, was the main theme of discussion for our corporate development manager Mick Whatley. He had many positive conversations with brokers, explaining the benefits of the platform, including information on the diagnostic tool designed for colleagues to concentrate on areas they are required to study, rather than on the knowledge they already have.
Far and wide
It was a great surprise to discover that 58 delegates from Nigeria made the trip to the UK specifically for BIBA and many of them visited our stand to discuss getting their membership reinstated, which – working alongside our customer service team – we are pleased to say has now been achieved. During the conference, the team distributed many member, Chartered and Fellowship badges, which professionals walked away wearing with pride – again showing how much membership and qualifications mean to insurance professionals.
Everyone we met, without exception, clearly understood the importance of professional qualifications and the work that the CII aims to do in building public trust in insurance and financial services
Since the conference, there have been many follow-up meetings with new contacts made at the event. If we were not lucky enough to speak with you, please contact us by emailing b2bsupport@cii.co.uk to explore what our professional body can do to support your firm.
Our first time at the BIBA conference was incredibly positive and fulfilling, and we thoroughly appreciated being part of the broking community’s flagship event, collaborating with and supporting not just delegates but exhibitors, speakers and the broking talent of the future..
Emma Jones and Molly Scott are business development executives at the CII
