A DOZEN INSURANCE and financial services executives had a chance to experience a Rocky Mountain high at Colorado's Copper Mountain Resort (see page 42) July 29 to August 2 at the 13th annual Lynette Owens Advisory Board meeting. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Lynette Owens and Associates represents about 27 luxury hotels and resorts around the country. Attendees got first hand news about those properties during the meeting — and also spent several work sessions discussing meeting and incentive trends.

Overall, the industry execs said that their company meetings and incentive programs are going strong. Among their comments and predictions:

• Meeting budgets are stable or increasing for many LOA execs.

• International destinations are hot for incentive groups, particularly Rome with the ascension of a new pope.

• Nonetheless, a typical producer's favorite destination remains, “Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii,”said Jim Henson, senior vice president of Shenandoah Life, Roanoke, Va.

• The trend of insurance marketing organizations — known in the industry as IMOs — planning their own incentive programs continues to escalate.

• On the regulatory front, Henson urged his fellow executives to monitor their states on compensation disclosure issues. Insurance executives are concerned more rigid disclosure requirements will make sales and incentive meetings more burdensome and make it more difficult to sell products.

At the meeting, advisory board business sessions were combined with a variety of outdoor activities, including golf at two spectacular courses, the Copper Creek Golf Course on Copper Mountain and the Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks. One of the recreational highlights was a cattle drive at the 4 Eagle Ranch in Walcott, organized by Destination Services of Colorado. After the program, some attendees went on to enjoy a stay at the St. Regis Resort, Aspen.

News from LOA

Lynette Owens and Associates is looking to open East Coast satellite offices in Florida, and possibly New York. The firm is also expanding to include a full range of meeting management services, says Lynette Owens. The LOA winter advisory board meeting is tentatively scheduled for February in Dallas.

For more information on LOA, go to www.Lynetteowens.com