In case you missed the Lockton Benefits Conference last week in Scottsdale, Ariz., I wanted to provide you with the highlight reel.

Number of Lockton Attendees: 196

Number of Sponsor Attendees: 232

Lockton Offices Represented: 25

Rounds of Golf: 101+

Day 1: Welcome The Future

A Bright Future– Mike Brewer, President of Lockton Benefit Group, addressed his final conference (as he is throwing in the towel later this year…okay…maybe just retiring). He spoke to Benefits Associates about what lies ahead. Some of the things he mentioned:

• Strengthening and formalizing our commitment to talent acquisition and development
• Continuing to garner market share in sectors that remain viable post Healthcare Reform
• Continuing to diversify our revenue stream through folks like us in HR Technology and Outsourcing
• Maximizing Lockton’s advantage in data analytics
• Establishing a collaborative methodology to share local market knowledge

Growth Continues– John Lumelleau, President and CEO of Lockton, Inc., discussed the past year’s growth and predications for the future. Lockton has experienced organic growth of over 11% the last fiscal year, which is twice as much as our competitors! And the growth is projected to continue, with the next billion dollar milestone closer than we think!

Smart Hiring- Ed Schloesslin, Director of Human Resources at Lockton Inc., gave an update on what the future Lockton workforce looks like. He said that Lockton works hard to reward, recognize and retain Associates. He also armed the audience with some tips for hiring in the future.

Day 2: Win The Future

There was a mix of breakout sessions: something for every appetite. Everything from Health Risk Solutions [Insight on On-Site Clinics] to InfoLock® [Transparency Tools and InfoLock Integration] to Compliance Services [Thorny Questions on the Compliance Rose] — among eight other opportunities to learn — were covered.

Our team held 3 breakout sessions:

• War Stories of Vendor Management- a Lockton panel discussed employer and Lockton office experiences in dealing with the different HRIS and Ben Admin vendors and ways to overcome issues. (Shooting people in the leg was briefly contemplated, then discarded.)
• ACA Compliance- partnering with Ed Fensholt of LBG’s Compliance Services, we addressed the crowd on what is required of them and their clients reporting-wise due to the Affordable Care Act. The majority of the time focused on the myriad of approaches the vendors are taking to support employees.
• The Big Bang Theory of HR- we gave an update of what is happening in the world of HR Tech, including Change Management, PEOs, BPOs, ASOs and some new vendor partnerships.

Day 3: We are The Future

Private Exchanges- Mike Smith, Director of Exchange Solutions, updated the audience with the latest information and statistics for the private exchange marketplace. He also laid out Lockton’s strategy for dealing with private exchanges. Brad Mandacina and I showed off the new iPad app, Marketplace Analysis Tool (M.A.T.) that will help our Account Teams and Producers help employers choose from over 35 private exchange options.

Opportunities and Challenges– Mike Brewer addressed the crowd with a list of Opportunities and Challenges. Some of the challenges include:

• Keeping Lockton Benefits on the upward trajectory, revenue-wise
• Being certain that everyone understands the power of Lockton Global Partners
• Making sure to have more fun
• Welcoming and embracing the new President of LBG

 If you have any questions on content covered at the conference, shoot me a message!

Mark your calendar for next year’s Benefits Conference in Ponte Verde, Fla., May 17-20.