The EAIC Executive Board has set the dates for the 29th East Asian Insurance Congress to be from 6-9 May 2018 in Manila, in summer rather than in the traditional fall period. The decision was made at a board meeting in Manila last month.
Chairman of the 29th EAIC Organising Committee, Mr Ramon Dimacali, said the Congress to be held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom near the airport, will have the theme: “Managing Disruptions, Driving Change”.
The Conference will aim at being different to ensure that it not only tackles the current challenges of the day, but also offers solutions and strategic tips to cope with issues and guide industry players to emerge as winners, as well as provide for extensive networking opportunities for delegates.
More important, the EAIC will strive to draw more life market players as the Conference is aimed at the whole insurance industry – both life and general – and not just the non-life players.
Drawing maximum number of people from around the world
Mr Augusto Hidalgo, Chief Delegate of the Philippines, said the early dates were chosen taking into account the various potential conflicts in the market and to draw the maximum number of people from around the world.
The Conference will also attempt to draw delegates beyond the 12 EAIC markets, as well as young insurance professionals within the region. The programme will draw on the expertise and talent within the Philippine business community and the TED Talks (a global initiative about ideas worth spreading).
Mr Chris Ma, Chairman of the EAIC, stressed the important role of the EAIC in bringing the different markets together not just in networking but in sharing experiences for better understanding and learning. The last EAIC was held in Macau 2016 with some 1,600 delegates from 43 countries. Macau scored two firsts in giving away a tablet with all Congress-related data on mobile apps and staying paperless, as well as sponsoring two young professionals under the age of 35 from each member city to the event.
The Philippines, which hosted the second EAIC in 1964, also played host to the EAIC at the turn of the millennium in 2000. Over its 55-year history, EAIC has been billed as the premier biennial insurance event of the region. EAIC with its 12 member cities namely Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Manila, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo, has named Asia Insurance Review as its official media partner for the past 25 years since 1992. A