Prospective Presenters

We are always looking for great speakers and new sessions for our various Conferences and meetings.

Interactive educational classes that engage our attendees are key. We want the latest and best information on relevant claim topics delivered, and our members expect to have an “educational experience” at each session. Attendees seek practical answers to claim challenges and useful handouts and materials that they can take home and share with their fellow claim professionals.  They tend to be an experienced group of claim professionals who want to hear the latest information, explore workable options and solutions, and network with their industry colleagues as well.   

Here are some things to consider if you are interested in presenting at PLRB Conferences.  Most classes work best when there are two or more speaker perspectives represented.  Attendees often find it most rewarding when they hear various speaker perspectives, such as an adjuster, an attorney, an engineer, or other service provider, rather than from a single subject matter expert.  Attendees usually appreciate getting perspectives from various angles of an issue.  Rather than having two presenters from a particular firm, it is often better for attendees to hear from one person from a service firm, and perhaps from another speaker from an insurance company claims perspective.  

There are some exceptions to this rule.  Some classes might feature a single presenter. Still, we encourage you to think about incorporating at least two presenters in each session. (It’s often more fun, that way.)  Our experience indicates that two presenters are often most effective for 90-minute sessions, and three for a three-hour class. Please speak with our staff if you have questions, need more information, or propose an exception to our multi-speaker approach.  

There are many opportunities to become a speaker at Property & Liability Resource Bureau educational programs. Here’s a rundown of how it works:

Claims Conference

The annual Claims Conference is held in the spring in different cities around the country and draws crowds of 2,000 to 3,500 attendees and exhibitors from across the industry.  It is the largest industry event of its kind.  A Call for Presenters/Presentations icon is posted on our web site www.plrb.org beginning in late March/early April,, soliciting topics and speakers for the following year’s event. 

Approximately 100 classes are selected, and most are offered twice at this three-day conference.  Sessions are grouped under various curriculum areas, including areas such as Adjusting Property, Casualty, Subrogation, Large Property Losses, Claim Management, etc.  Most classes are either 90-minute concept sessions or 180-minute workshops.  We sometimes also offer a few 60-minute classes as well.  90-minute concept sessions are most common.  You can submit multiple proposals through our website and include the following:

• Title and Curriculum Category:  Titles should be short, descriptive, and clearly identify the specific focus of the class.
• Three or Four Learning Objectives:  Learning objectives describe what attendees will take away from the session. (They are not the same thing as major subject areas of your presentation.)  Learning Objectives identify specifically what the attendee will be able to demonstrate after attending your class.  They often start with active verbs like: "demonstrate," "identify," "describe," "calculate," "distinguish," "review," etc., rather than “weaker” verbs like "gain an understanding of," "appreciate," or "become familiar with."
• One or Two Page Outline:  This is what you intend to cover in your session, and (just as important) how you will do it.  Attendees are typically looking for an educational experience when attending our classes, rather than simply an "information dump."  We are thus continually looking for new claim topics or new angles addressing old topics, offered in a creative, interactive, and compelling way.

In early May the "Call for Classes and Presenters" is closed.  In late May/early June the next year’s Claims Conference Planning Committee meets, reviews the submissions, and starts the process of selecting appropriate sessions for the following year.  Work on final selections continues by our staff through the summer, and final selections for topics and presenters are confirmed in late September.  Those who submitted classes/topics that were unfortunately not chosen are also notified in writing later in the fall.

Regional Adjusters Conferences

PLRB offers two Regional Adjusters Conferences; one in the central region and one in the eastern region of the United States. These Conferences are typically held in September, and either October or November, respectively. Registered attendance has averaged about 600 people for these events in recent years.  

The Regional Adjusters Conferences are geared for front-line adjusters, supervisors, and managers. Our aim is to address and provide solutions to the challenges in each topical area that our claim professionals face on a regular basis. Approximately 28 classes are offered, covering Property, Casualty, and General Interest (classes appropriate for both property and casualty claim professionals).  The same topics are offered at both locations. Class discussions and case studies within these 28 topics should be modified by instructors to fit the particular regional location. For example, when we are in the Central Conference, we should discuss “Central Regional” issues or provide “Central Regional” solutions and options for various claim challenges.  

Classes are chosen by PLRB staff after extensive consultation with our member committees and companies.  We seek to address those issues that members identified as “problematic and challenging.”

A Call for Presenters for these 28 sessions will be posted on the PLRB website with titles, descriptions, and learning objectives from January through February. Proposals to teach a specific session can be made on our website at www.plrbregionalconferences.org.  Prospective speakers should provide a 1-2 page description of how they intend to deliver that particular session.  Presenters will be confirmed in March for the following fall conferences.  Notices will be sent to those not chosen during the spring of that year.

With the Regional Adjusters Conferences, our first choice is to have the same presenters commit to and facilitate at both locations in a particular year. If that is not possible, we will work with companies or individuals to deliver a high-quality educational experience at a single location.  Our primary objective is to work with presenters to present the very highest quality educational experience possible for our attendees.

Large Loss Conference

The Large Loss Conference, typically held in the fall of the year, is a 1.5 day Conference addressing the salient technical claim issues involved in property and casualty losses over $100,000. There is a commercial lines property, a personal lines property, and a casualty claims track of classes. These two-hour classes are adjuster-led, highly interactive, and address the complex issues associated with these types of claims. Workshops are chosen by topic or type of claim by a planning committee. We then identify an experienced adjuster, with extensive experience in the issues associated with that particular type of claim and also one who has demonstrated presentation skills. The adjuster then selects "expert" co-presenters, such as attorneys, accountants, engineers, consultants, etc. to join him/her in the presentation. They will build a presentation around a particular type of claim, with the adjuster speaking for a third of the time, the experts addressing their respective issues for a third, and the audience participating for a third of the two-hour presentation.

The Call for Presentations is posted in November the year prior to the Conference.

With Large Loss the focus is thus on identifying a particular adjuster who will spearhead the presentation, and that individual will select appropriate experts to help explore the relevant issues of the case. The selection of types of claims and adjusters takes place in the spring of each year in anticipation of the fall event.

Technology and Claims Symposium

The PLRB Technology & Claims Symposium focuses on the changes and advances taking place in the ways claims are being adjusted and managed. We want to explore how technology is changing the way we do business. The Symposium will examine current and future trends and possibilities as technology helps us improve current efficiencies and practices. We are looking for knowledgeable and experienced claim industry professionals to deliver sessions.

This two-day Symposium will offer 16-20 educational sessions. Each 60-minute classes will each be offered twice and should be highly interactive. The Call for Proposals is posted on our website in early October. You can submit multiple proposals at http://www.plrbtechnologysymposium.org  and include the following:

• A clear title for the session
• Session Overview: What will participants learn by attending your session? What technologies will be featured?
• Session outline with approximate times for major content sections (describing what the class will cover), including time for demos
• In 1-2 paragraphs, describe how you'll present the class. We are always looking for new and creative ways to present educational sessions. Attendees value a balanced perspective from both service providers and insurance company claim professionals. The main focus of the session should be education, please refrain from a hard "sales pitch;"

Final selections for topics and presenters are confirmed in the beginning of January.

Distance Learning Programs

PLRB also has robust distance learning programs including webinars, modules, and now podcasts!  We are always on the lookout for educational content for any/all of our learning platforms. 

Summary

There are a number of ways we identify presenters for PLRB events. In many classes insurance company members present with affiliates or various service provider representatives to deliver outstanding educational sessions that help improve our industry’s performance. We focus on providing solutions to the real issues and challenges of our various audiences.  Presentations should avoid any type of “infomercial” that attendees might interpret as a sales presentation or self-promotion of any individual or service provider. Our mission is to provide the very best in claims education.

If you are qualified and interested in helping change our industry for the better, please consider offering to present a topic at an upcoming PLRB event.  We are always looking for new individuals with exceptional ideas and talents and new classes to share with our members. If you have questions or need additional information regarding speaking opportunities, please call us to discuss. We look forward to hearing from you and building an educational program that reflects our very best efforts.

Helpful Links

Tools to Go “Paper-less” for PLRB Presenters

Audio Visual Tips for Presenters

PLRB's Helpful Hints for Presenters (2019)

Effective Presentations - The PLRB Way Video (2012)

Interview with Conference Presenter / Suggestions for your Session

What We've Learned About Adult Learners at PLRB Events

Free Image Sources

Sample & Resource Links

Large Loss Sample Proposal

PLRB Presenter Copyright FAQs

PLRB Presenter Guidelines

Sample Outline

Sample Presenter Biographies & Learning Objectives

Training Resources Bibliography