Kathleen Paxton of the Seattle CVB welcomed everyone to the ICPA Seattle kickoff and shared how Seattle had worked for many years to have the opportunity to host ICPA's annual meeting. It would take everyone working together to make the meeting a huge success, she said.
Karen Hopkinson and Jaimee Niles gave the group some insight into the profile of ICPA members and reinforced the importance of the event, including these points:
•ICPA is an organization of high integrity; members come to share with peers, learn about industry issues and trends, and experience the destination.
•ICPA members have a high level of professionalism demonstrated by the high percentage of CMPs, experience level, longevity in their companies and positions, and their positions in their organizations. Members are very influential and are often key decision makers.
•ICPA members plan incentive meetings, a part of the culture in most insurance companies, but also plan business meetings and therefore are looking at a location for many different things.
•ICPA members often work with high-end clients and are always looking for unique experiences. This is a relationship business, and the ICPA Annual Meeting is a wonderful opportunity to establish and maintain those relationships.