Property Conference Programme

If you would like to listen to the Audio Recordings and view the Presentation Slides from each of the Property 2007 presentations please click here to purchase the E-Conference.

8.30am	Exhibition and Registration Opens
9.25am	Chairman's Welcome Ant Gould, editor in chief, Incisive Media's Insurance Division
9.30am	The Present: Where is the property insurance market now? Property insurance has recently been met with some new and severe threats. This plenary session will summarise the risks facing us in 2007 and beyond, and the progress the industry. Speaker: Jane Milne, head of household & property, general insurance, Association of British Insurers
9.55am	The property market: a broker's perspective • Historical factors that have influenced dramatic changes in the market • The current state of the property market across the world • Review of recent global and national pricing trends including year-end 2006 and first quarter 2007 results • Critical risk issues for buyers and insurers and what both sides are doing to identify and mitigate the impact from these risks • The responsiveness of the insurance industry to emerging property risks and how buyers can improve insurers' understanding of these risks • Predictions for the next few years under different loss scenarios Speaker: Oliver Schofield, executive director, Aon Global Large Corporate
10.20am	Reduce costs, improve service, drive strategy and strengthen brand through effective supplier management Working effectively with suppliers is a crucial part of any holistic property claims strategy. This session will look at how insurers can develop a strategy that meets the expectations of both customers and suppliers, as well as streamlining internal processes. • Supply chain as an integral part of a property claims strategy • Aligning supplier competency with customer and claim segmentation • Maximising the trade offs between service delivery and cost management • Aligning insurer and supplier brands to gain competitive advantage Speaker: Adrian Spencer, property claims director, Zurich
10.45am	Questions, comments & discussion
11.00am	Morning coffee
11.20am	The benefits of specialist, independent validation for building claims • Demonstrating storm damage: why weather records can be an injustice to both policyholders and insurers • Achieving realistic settlement figures • Real customer choice • Case studies from real life claims experience Speaker: Kevin Skillin, chief executive officer, Imperial Consultants
11.45am	Fire risk assessment: the competent person This session will look at methods of analysing fire risks in property, enabling insurers to write comprehensive policies and handle claims efficiently. Speaker: Ian Gough, fire safety consultant, Gough Associates
12.10pm	The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order: what it means for insurers • Comparison of old and new legislation • Advantages and disadvantages of new legislation from an insurer's perspective • What assistance are insurers able to provide? • What happens when there is a claim with no fire risk assessment? • How can we solve this going forward? Speaker: Mark Newton, property technical manager, Royal & Sun Alliance
12.35pm	Questions, comments & discussion
12.50pm	Lunch
1.50pm	Workshops: delegates will split into four groups for more interactive, focused discussion, led by an industry expert
	Workshop 1: Unlocking the value of your data through location Tony Darwall, strategic development manager, Ordnance Survey Workshop 2: Arson and property insurance fraud Jonathan Lowe, partner, Keoghs Matthew Rogers, partner, Keoghs Workshop 3: Minimum standards for claims repairs Mark Baxter, operations director, Trust Mark Workshop 4: Reduce disposal costs whilst minimising environmental damage: a new approach for property insurers Aiden Rogerson, head of sales and marketing, Munters
2.35pm	Afternoon coffee
2.55pm	Modern Methods of Construction: the insurance implications This session will look at the problems this growing construction trend poses for both underwriting and claims professionals - and what the industry can do to mitigate the risks. • How can we underwrite buildings with no performance history? • Anticipating the cost of repair to MMC: how accurately can it be done? • Steps towards standardised testing and new loss prevention standards for MMC • Other new construction trends and their insurance implications Speaker: Robert Vandewinkel, senior consultant, MTech Group
3.20pm	How are property insurers and contractors working together to manage drain damage risk? • Drainage forum: what is it? Why was it set up? • What has the drainage forum done so far to establish best practice? • Benefits for contractors, insurers, investigators and the public • Co-operations, protocols and claims agreement • Future initiatives and challenges Speaker: Doug Shaw, chairman, Drainage Forum
3.45pm	Panel Discussion: Working together to develop best practice disaster management strategies This session will be driven by questions submitted by delegates in advance of the conference, and will be focused on collaborative approaches to managing disaster scenarios. Topics for discussion may include: • The development of standards and protocols • Roles of various stakeholders • What can we do to prepare ourselves for the unexpected? There will also be an opportunity for panellists and delegates to comment on any new issues that have been raised during the conference. Panelists include: Doug Shaw, chairman, Property Claims Forum Sub-Group Andrew Dear, director of technical service, AMG Mark Newton, property technical manager, Royal & Sun Alliance
4.15pm	Chairman's summary and close of conference