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Conference locale underscores borderless nature of risk

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Conference locale underscores borderless nature of risk

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—With a plan to spur greater international attendance and show that risk management transcends borders, the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. will host this year's annual conference in Vancouver, its first meeting outside the United States in 15 years.

“It demonstrates our commitment to the progressively global nature of risk management,” said RIMS Executive Director Mary Roth.

The annual conference takes place May 1-5 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Ms. Roth said preliminary numbers show an increase in international registrations from previous years, particularly from the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia. She said this year's numbers are mirroring last year and are on track to be strong.

The conference theme is “Advantage: RIMS,” focusing on the advantages of being a RIMS member and attending the conference. Attendees will have opportunities to network, hear about innovations and become inspired.

“You can be a beginner or an expert risk manager and you will still find advantages for being a RIMS member and attending the RIMS conference,” said Julie Pemberton, senior manager of enterprise risk management for Chiquita Brands International Inc. in Cincinnati and head of the conference programming committee.

Educational sessions generating the most interest include driving risk and reputation management into the boardroom, technology, and enterprise risk management, Ms. Roth said.

Drawing strong registrant interest is “Increasing the Impact of Risk Management in Your Organization,” on Wednesday, May 4 at 3:15 p.m. It will cover how to offer executives and board members insight into their organizations' risk portfolios, as well as the risk profiles of similar or related organizations.

Other popular boardroom-focused sessions include “Strategic Risk Management: The New Core Competency” on Tuesday, May 3 at 2:15 p.m.; “Defining your Organization's Risk Profile” on Wednesday, May 4 at 10:45 a.m.; and “Metrics that Matter to C-Suite Management” on Thursday, May 5 at 9:45 a.m.

“I think the interest is there because the boardroom is either coming to risk managers, or risk managers are trying to increase their presence and show the value they can bring,” Ms. Roth said.

Technology sessions focused on cyber security and social media also are attracting registrants. “Cyber Security: Covering Your Assets,” on Monday, May 2 at 1:45 p.m., will cover information technology security and privacy risks and how to mitigate their damage.

Attendees at the “New World of Social Media: Business and Legal Risks,” on Tuesday, May 3, at 2:15 p.m., will learn about the legal risks of using social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as the basis for hiring, discipline or termination decisions.

“Technology changes so fast that all the risks haven't even been exposed yet,” Ms. Roth said. “Given the emerging technology, risk professionals want to know how these risks are being managed.”

An ERM session drawing registrants is “Building an ERM Roadmap,” during which speakers will review how they implemented robust ERM programs. The session begins at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 2. Ms. Pemberton said ERM is gaining usage in the operational risk sector, which likely is driving more risk managers to seek knowledge in this area.

“ERM is unique to every company,” Ms. Pemberton said. “There is no cookie-cutter approach. Professionals want to understand how different companies are implementing ERM—their successes, the value (of ERM) and best practices.”

In addition, hot-topic sessions focused on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, war zone insurance and risk management, and the impact of bedbugs are expected to have wide appeal.

“It's important that the immediate issues of the day are addressed at the conference,” Ms. Roth said.

At “Insurance Implications of Japan's Devastation and its Global Impact,” on Tuesday, May 3 at 10:45 a.m., RIMS President Scott B. Clark will speak about his experience visiting the RIMS chapter in Japan when the disaster struck in March.

RIMS' off-site education session will be a bus ride along the Sea-to-Sky Highway and then a tour of the Britannia Mine Water Treatment Plant to learn about the cleanup of one of the worst environmental contamination problems in the history of British Columbia.

Conference keynote speakers will include Olympic gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno; “Freakonomics” and “Superfreakonomics” co-author Stephen Dubner; and Ron Holton, vp-risk management and assurance services for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Numerous networking events also will be offered, including the popular “Lunch & Learn” roundtable discussions, at which risk managers can discuss topics of interest to them or their organizations. It takes place Tuesday, May 3 at 12:30 p.m. at Vancouver Convention Center West, Level 1, Ballroom. All RIMS attendees are welcome, but they must indicate they will attend when they register.

“Those who attend the conference are sure to get the very latest in tools and information from our exceptional session lineup. But that's not the whole story,” Ms. Roth said. “Each year, the conference is where lifelong connections are made that lead to an unparalleled level of knowledge sharing.”