Professional Liability Underwriting Society's Conference in San Diego
1/4/2005

The Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) recently held its 17th Annual International Conference in San Diego from November 3rd through November 5th. PLUS, an insurance industry organization was organized in 1986 by a group of individuals who wanted to create a vehicle for the exchange of pertinent information among its members. The founding members of PLUS recognized that there were issues unique to professional liability and believed that creating a means to openly share information would positively serve the industry. Seventeen years later, the membership of PLUS has grown to over 5000 professionals. The mission of PLUS, “to enhance the professionalism of its members through education and other activities and to responsibly address issues related to professional liability,” was evidenced by the tremendous turnout at the conference. Approximately 2000 professional liability insurance professionals from around the world attended the conference to network at spectacular events and to attend educational sessions.

Freeman Enterprises, a national recruiting firm based in North Carolina, sent two representatives, Lynne Freeman and Jackie Bullington, to the conference. Freeman, founder and CEO, shared “I have attended 3 PLUS Conferences in the last 10 years and I continue to be impressed with PLUS as an effective organization representing the professional liability insurance community.” “The caliber of planning that must happen in order for a conference of this magnitude to come off successfully is demonstrated in that it was both entertaining and educational,” added Freeman.

The keynote address was delivered by Actor and Comedian John Cleese, best known through Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and for playing “Q” in the Bond movies. “Cleese very cleverly injected humor specific to the industry. At the same time, he delivered a meaningful message about how the corrections we make after learning from our mistakes can guide us to great successes in our lives and in our careers,” added Freeman.

Freeman Enterprises finds tremendous value in being a member of PLUS. “Many of the professional liability insurance industry’s major decision-makers and leading professionals are a part of this organization,” offered Bullington, Vice President. “The diverse industry topics covered at the conference helped to attract an interesting mix of people,” said Bullington. “This conference gives us an opportunity to personally meet many of our national contacts and it is also a great time to learn about changes in the current business environment and critical executive hiring needs that are on the horizon,” added Bullington. “PLUS has created a venue where there is opportunity to do some good business networking, to learn about trends in the industry all while having some fun too,” said Jackie Bullington.

(Freeman Enterprises is a leading recruiting company offering contingency and retained searches in claims, marketing, underwriting and risk management to the professional liability insurance industry since 1994.)