Zurich connects with customers, brokers, media and the community at RIMS 2019

Once again, Zurich had a major presence at the RIMS 2019 Annual Conference & Exhibition, the largest gathering of insurance professionals and risk managers in North America.

Zurich’s booth was prominently displayed near the main entrance at Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. (Zurich was booth #617 in area code 617—coincidence?) Two blocks away at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Zurich executives and other market-facing leaders maintained a busy schedule of face-to-face meetings with customers and brokers.

In all, about 150 Zurich employees attended RIMS this year. And Zurich’s sponsorships throughout the four-day event made sure that the company’s presence was felt—and seen.

More than 5,000 attendees received conference backpacks with the Zurich logo prominently displayed on the front.

Zurich also was a sponsor of the 2019 Spencer/Gallagher Golf Tournament on Sunday at Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass. And a few dedicated Zurich employees participated in the Spencer 5K Fun Run, which took place at Boston Common on a cold and rainy early morning (6:45 a.m. start). The race helped raise more than ,000 for the Spencer Educational Foundation.

Zurich hosted a number of invitation-only events, including a customer breakfast, a customer dinner, the Zurich LIVE! For Women Luncheon and a dessert reception at the House of Blues, across the street from Fenway Park, home of the World Champion Red Sox. (The Zurich party ended about the same time as the game, so finding an Uber/Lyft/taxi back to the hotel was like trying to survive the Battle of Winterfell.)

Paul Horgan, head of U.S. Commercial Insurance for Zurich, was at the Harvard Club of Boston to donate ,000 on behalf of Zurich to Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program in support of their mission to heal the invisible wounds, for veterans, service members and their families.

At the Renaissance Hotel, Marie Wiersema, Zurich innovation consultant, was on hand to discuss Zurich’s approach to innovation and provide demonstrations of new vendor products that can help customers reduce their risk: wearable technology to help reduce employeed back and shoulder injuries; and a water-leak detection and shut-off device to help reduce water damage losses.

The Zurich booth, branded with “The passion to protect what you love,” drew hundreds of visitors during the conference. There, conference attendees could learn about My Zurich, Zurich MIA, Zurich Risk Advisor, Zurich RiskIntelligence, Zurich Risk Appetite Mobile App, Zurich Edge II Property Form, International Programs or just grab a plastic tube filled with blue and white gumballs to take home.

Some lucky visitors to the Zurich booth were able to catch a glimpse of Ashley Cinardi, Zurich social media coordinator, who challenged conference attendees to “Find Ashley,” a variation of the “Where’s Waldo?” game. Ashley was decked out in a blue and white striped shirt and blue Zurich knit cap, so she was easy to spot. Those who found her and tweeted a photo mentioning @ZurichNA were eligible to win a prize.

RIMS 2019 was also a great opportunity for the insurance news media to meet with and interview industry experts. Zurich spokespeople participated in more than 20 interviews during the event. Here are some of the highlights of those media interviews:

• Marcus Cooper, head of Middle Markets, spoke with reporters from several insurance publications and appeared on a RIMS TV Live broadcast;
• Lori Bailey, global head of Cyber Risk, also appeared on RIMS TV Live, in addition to doing other media interviews;
• Michelle Chia, head of Cyber and Professional Liability, sat for several interviews, including a panel discussion with AM Best TV;
• Suzanne Garrod, head of the Americas Region for Credit & Political Risk, also participated in a panel discussion with AM Best TV;
• Sumeet Bhatia, head of innovation, spoke with AM Best TV and several other media outlets about Zurich’s approach to innovation.
• Al Crook, head of HR business partners, spoke with a reporter after his RIMS presentation, “Apprentices and Insurance: Addressing the Insurance Talent Gap.”

After their media interviews, Chia, Garrod and Crook each spoke about the messages they were hoping to deliver at RIMS. Cinardi also talked about how her “Find Ashley” social media challenge. See their videos below.