Thanks to the near-collapse of favoured airline Ansett, it’s not proving to be the usual easy exercise getting to the NIBA Convention this year. Brokers, underwriters, a wide variety of industry specialists and a record number of exhibitors have had to be on the ball to get there after Ansett bookings fell through.

Convention Manager Helen Jennings said some delegates are going to extraordinary lengths to get to the Gold Coast for the four-day event. One Perth broker, stymied by the lack of seats on planes heading east, finally found a solution: he’s flying to Brisbane via Bali!

Ms Jennings said the final arrangements for the convention are going well, with a last rush of delegates signing up swelling numbers to more than 750. This year’s convention at Conrad Jupiters revolves around a theme of embracing and using technology to enhance business skills.