CICA Continues Planning for In-Person 2021 International Conference

The Captive Insurance Companies Association (CICA) continues to plan for its 2021 International Conference to be held as an in-person event.

In an email from Thursday, December 3, 2020, CICA President Dan Towle said, "If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us it is to be prepared for anything and everything. Normally at this time of year, we would be launching registration and opening up the hotel block for our conference. However, these are not normal times. At this time, we have decided to move forward with conference planning, but postpone our registration process as we continue to evaluate the ability to safely host our annual conference in March."

The conference is scheduled for March 14–16, 2021, at the Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In his email, Mr. Towle said that he has consulted with CICA members, sponsors, and exhibitors regarding plans for the 2021 conference. "What I, and our CICA leaders, have heard repeatedly is that many of you are burnt out on virtual events and are eager to meet again in-person. Many of us are itching to get out of the house, back on the road, meeting with our clients, colleagues, and friends as soon as it is safe to do so."

While saying that he and CICA officials feel it would be premature to decide to cancel or postpone the 2021 conference or to move to present it in an alternative format, Mr. Towle said that while the organization hopes it will be safe to present the conference in-person in March, "We are not delusional with that optimism. We understand there is a significant chance it would not be safe to hold an in-person event at that time."

If the March conference must be canceled, CICA plans to deliver the educational component of the event through an on-demand platform, Mr. Towle said, adding that the association hopes it can do so for a nominal fee or perhaps free for CICA members "if appropriate sponsorship levels are reached."

However, CICA will not offer a virtual conference, the association's president said. "Having attended many industry virtual conferences, the networking, sponsorship, and exhibitor experience and benefits are less than optimal," Mr. Towle said.

If it's forced to cancel the March conference, CICA may consider holding an alternative in-person event later in the year, Mr. Towle said. The association also "may just look forward to Tucson for CICA's 2022 conference with the large-scale event you all have come to expect from CICA."

CICA was forced to cancel its 2020 International Conference earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.