Financial & Insurance Conference Planners has steadily upped the ante on educational offerings during the past few years, and this summer FICP offers many opportunities for both member and nonmember planners to keep up with hot topics while staying close to home—or at their desks.

Get tips and strategies for planning international meetings when a panel of experts leads “The Full 360,” a “talk radio” program set for August 20. Simply dial in, and you will be connected to the live, interactive discussion with SITE President Padraic Gilligan, managing director, Ovation Global DMC; Lisa Perlman, global sales director, Intercontinental Hotels, and moderator Kim Boriin, CMP, Guardian Investor Services LLC. Find more details and registration information at ficpnet.com.

Three FICP regional chapter meetings take place this summer, all of which have excellent track records for both educational content and valuable industry networking. And with registration fees that range from $50 to $150, sometimes including hotel rooms, they are a bargain.

The 2008 Great Lakes/Midwest Chapter Meeting will take place August 3 to August 5 at the Millennium Hotel Minneapolis. Education sessions will cover revenue management, the state of the airline industry, and other up-to-the-minute topics. Interactive discussions will cover the issues that keep planners up at night, and a reverse marketplace guarantees networking time with hospitality partners.

The Hilton New York will host FICP’s 2008 Northeast Chapter Summer Meeting, July 27 to July 29. Keynote speakers include Victoria Labalme on “Crazy, Busy, Nuts: Getting off the Conveyor Belt of Life,” and Pater Ricchiuti on “Market Signals: What the Financial Markets are Telling Us About the Future.” As well, there will be interactive discussions on issues such as the softening hotel market, career development, and professional protocol.

A packed agenda is also in store for FICP’s 2008 Canadian Chapter Meeting, August 21 to August 23, at the Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau-Ottawa, Quebec. Three keynote speakers include Dr. Nick Bontis on “Think Ahead, Take a Knowledge Journey,” Patrick Leroux on “Unleash the Fire Within,” and Dr. J.P. Pawliw-Fry, on leadership and performance.

For detailed information and online registration on all of these programs, go to www.ficpnet.com.