The National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) annual convention has been rescheduled to February 7-21 as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all battle COVID by restricting social gatherings.

The new date represents a delay of more than four months from the previously scheduled September 28 kick off.

Delegates will still have the option of attending four days virtually and a day face-to-face, or all five days virtually. The face-to-face options are now Adelaide on February 7, Melbourne on February 8, Perth on February 14, Brisbane on February 16 and Sydney on February 21, concluding with a dinner.

NIBA CEO Dallas Booth says after monitoring advice from health authorities, the decision was made to postpone the event to protect staff, delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and suppliers.

“With the ongoing lockdowns and border closures, it is very unlikely that NIBA will be able to hold a face-to-face event in Sydney in October. Similarly, the situation in Melbourne and Brisbane is uncertain, and a face-to-face event may not be feasible during September and October,” Mr Booth said.

“This uncertainty is likely to be reduced in the new year as the community reaches higher levels of vaccination and, as such, travel and events will hopefully become more feasible.”

Mr Booth says a February convention gives NIBA members, sponsors, and exhibitors the best opportunity to enjoy connecting face-to-face while still maximising the online virtual component of the event.

Following are the new convention details:

February 7, Adelaide Convention Centre

1pm | State of the Industry –NIBA President Dianne Phelan

1:30pm | ICA project of availability and affordability of insurance – Ms Phelan and John Trowbridge

2pm | 2022 General Insurance Remuneration Review – Ms Phelan and Mr Booth

2:30pm | Introducing technology to streamline claims – Paul Sedgwick

2:45pm | DDO and technology to keep up with regulatory burden

3pm | Exhibition hall open

5pm | Cocktails in the exhibition hall

February 8, Crown Melbourne

1pm | Future of Financial Services regulation – Dr Rhys Bollen, Senior Executive Leader, Insurers, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)

1:15pm | Meet the Regulators: Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – Dr Rhys Bollen, Senior Executive Leader, Insurers, ASIC

1:30pm | Meet the Regulators: Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) – Emma Curtis, Lead Ombudsman Insurance at AFCA

1:45pm | Meet the Regulators: Insurance Broker Code Compliance Committee (IBCCC) – Michael Gill, Chairperson, IBCCC

2pm | Working practices post COVID-19 – Mark Carter, Presenter l Author l Trainer l Coach l Igniting Human Potential

2:30pm | Working practices post COVID-19

3pm | Exhibition hall open

5pm | Cocktails in the exhibition hall

February 14, Crown Perth

1pm | Guest speaker – Dr Fiona Wood

2pm | Insurance brokers and workers' compensation system

2:30pm | COVID-19 related Business Interruption claims and test cases – Adam Squire, Head of Claims, Gallagher and Ken Wise, Managing Principal, Marsh

3pm | Exhibition hall open

5pm | Cocktails in the exhibition hall

February 16, Sofitel Brisbane Central

1pm | Storms, floods, fires: insurance for weather-related incidents | on the nature and trends on major risks from an insurance perspective – Ryan Crompton, MD, Risk Frontiers

1:30 pm | Storms, floods, fires: insurance for weather-related incidents | on mitigation and resilience measures for domestic, strata, and SME – David Henderson, Chief Engineer, Cyclone Testing Station, James Cook University

2pm | Storms, floods, fires: insurance for weather-related incidents

2:20pm | Northern Australia Cyclone reinsurance pool: a perspective from insurers

2:40pm | Northern Australia Cyclone reinsurance pool: a perspective from brokers

3pm | Exhibition hall open

5pm | Cocktails in the exhibition hall

February 21, International Convention Centre Sydney

1pm | NIBA National Award Ceremony

2pm | Closing Keynote – Chris ‘Boo’ Boucousis

2.45pm | Convention Close – Mr Booth

3pm | Exhibition hall open including 1 hour of drinks

7pm | NIBA Gala Dinner

Register here.