The Financial & Insurance Conference Planners West Coast Region (which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) has opened registration for its summer meeting, set for August 15 to 17.

Remember: You don’t have to be based in a particular region to attend that region’s event! So, if you have a site inspection to plan in southern California, why not book it to coincide with the West Coast Region’s packed program of events at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, Calif.? You can even register your non-member colleagues as well.

Highlights of the program include two professional speakers, John A. Jenson and Robyn Benincasa (the latter is sponsored by Goodman Speakers Bureau); roundtable discussions; and a “reverse marketplace” reception on the opening evening. “Each planner will sit at a small table and each hospitality partner will have an opportunity to talk with each planner for four minutes,” says Region Chair Briget Nelson, National Financial Partners, Austin, Texas. “It’s like speed dating. At the conclusion of four minutes, the hospitality partner will move to the next table and speak with the next planner. Our goal is to provide an informal environment for hospitality partners to meet each planner at the beginning of the meeting.”

Also in registration fee is a special evening event on August 16—Pageant of the Masters, a 90-minute performance of “living pictures.” These are faithful re-creations of classical and contemporary works of art with real people posing like their counterparts in the original pieces. The performance takes place in an outdoor amphitheater with elaborate stage sets and accompaniment by a professional orchestra and live narrator. Preceding the Pageant of the Masters, attendees will enjoy a site inspection and dinner at the Surf and Sand Resort, sponsored by the resort and Preferred Hotel Group.

A community service project also is planned, says Nelson, but details have not yet been confirmed. Check in at the FICP Web site for more information as it becomes available.

As with all FICP regional meetings, generous sponsorship keeps registration fees extremely low. Planners pay just $150 for all meals and meetings that are part of the official agenda and two nights’ stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Click here for the online registration form; registration ends Friday, July 23.