Comments on the 2018 Chicago and NYC education events

Academia should learn more about what the needs of the insurance/re-insurance industry are so that we can do a better job serving you. I look forward to other opportunities to learn more and maybe also show some of what we have been working on that could be of interest.  If offered again next year, I will definitely plan to attend it again
- Paolo Gardoni, Professor - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Thanks again for organizing the conference last month. Overall, I thought it was very good.  Dr. Gensini’s presentation was the highlight, and I really liked the approach of the morning presentations breaking the models into the parts of hazard vs. vulnerability vs. financial modeling. I thought all of those were good presentations as well. The presentation on the ISCM/iCAS credential generated a fair amount of discussion between me and my two staff members that attended the conference, so that update was useful.  Well done on the topics that were chosen and I hope you consider organizing another Chicago event next year!
- Derek Berget, ERM Modeling Director - American Family Insurance

I am glad to hear the ISCM is considering Chicago again.  I thought all sessions were good, especially the keynote by Dr. Gensini.  I also enjoyed having the round table discussion and wish it could have been longer – There really are some big topics we need to discuss about the changes of the Insurance Industry and in CAT modeling.  I would like to see a more detailed presentation on what others do in pre-event and post-event projections and reserving.  I am looking for new ways we can increase our effectiveness with the tools at hand.
- Zach Antle, Senior Reinsurance Catastrophe Risk Analyst - EMC Insurance Companies

 I wanted to tell you all how impressed I was with the NYC educational seminar, the venue, and the people.  Over 40 years of attending conferences to date the RAA cat school is in my mind the best and as such the benchmark to which all others should be compared.  My favorite RAA seminars were the very early ones because the size was more intimate.  The smaller numbers gave everyone a chance to interact with each other as well as the presenters.  The early events also lacked the pressures of client meetings, other distractions, and typically people learned more.  This event brought back memories of what the RAA Conference first set out to be.  Even as an old man I found each session to be more open, educational, interactive than any other seminar that I can recall.  This is not to distract from the RAA cat school which is on another level with a different and more robust agenda, it is just to say how impressive this event was.  Personally I like the intimate settings better than the gigantic settings since it feels more comfortable to engage.  I would encourage the ISCM to do more of these and see your niche as one that no one else occupies!  You really taught others!
- Andy Castaldi, ISCM Past President

I very much enjoyed the NY Education Event last month.  Thank you to the ISCM for the work you do for seminars like this.  With me being new in the field, it is great to hear from people with such expertise and experience.  I can look to them and see all possibilities in Cat Modeling.  Yet it also is great that I get to meet people around my age, in similar points of their careers, and share experiences.  I thought the seminar covered a variety of topics.  My favorite part was the roundtable session.  It was informative to have an open session with a back-and-forth style conversation.  I think it would be beneficial to have more sessions like that.  Specifically, an information-type session, where people in the earlier part of their career are able to talk with people who have been in the field for years.  We would be able to ask questions related to career advice, how to become more involved and the future of the field.
- Megan Royek, Reinsurance Analyst - The Toa Reinsurance Company of America

The quality of the speakers and their presentations were very good in the sessions I attended.  the presenters effectively broke down complex topics into ways a newbie could easily digest.  I liked that I saw students in attendance.  When I attended my first seminar in 2016, I believe I was the only student. Everyone that I met there was already employed.  This is a great networking opportunity and was happy to see more students there.  Attending these seminars are beneficial.  Overall, I think the experience was totally worthwhile. I look forward to attending future events and learning more about CAT Modeling and Re/Insurance. I’m especially interested in the ISCM / iCAS designation that will be coming in the near future!  I’ll be taking advantage of that opportunity ASAP.
- Albert Betancourt - American Family Insurance