The 2024 World Captive Forum will take place on the 24 to 26 January at the JW Marriott Orlando Grand Lakes Resort in Florida. Gavin Souter, editor of Business Insurance, provides CIT with an exclusive preview of the event
How has the World Captive Forum grown and evolved over the past 33 years?
Held in New York in October 1990, the first World Captive Forum (WCF) drew approximately 300 attendees from around the world.
Designed as a domicile-neutral conference, the event soon moved to resort-based conference centres in Florida.
Since then it has consistently focused on the concerns of captive owners in the US and internationally.
During the pandemic, WCF offered virtual sessions for attendees but has since returned to a largely in-person format because attendees highly value the networking opportunities that the conference provides.
This year we are expecting an estimated 450 attendees and 50 exhibitors.
What key topics and discussion points do you expect will come up at the event?
The 2024 conference will include coverage of issues of perennial concern to captive owners, such as updates on tax developments and the captive reinsurance market.
The forum will also explore emerging topics, such as cyber risk in captives and potential liabilities arising from the use of AI.
Additionally, there will be small round table discussions where participants can raise their own concerns and interests.
What are some of the highlights captive owners and service providers can look forward to at the 2024 World Captive Forum?
The conference will begin with a golf event and the first session will, as usual, be a ‘Captives 101’ panel to get everyone up to speed.
In addition to sessions focusing on captives, we have a session on the benefits of diversity, including details on how diversity can drive innovation in captives.
How does the advisory board ensure a balanced, unbiased agenda?
The advisory board — which includes captive managers and captive owners — meets to discuss what topics would be of interest each year and reviews session topics submitted by other captive experts. Only after they have been independently reviewed by the board are session topics selected.
What are the key benefits for attendees?
Learning about the latest trends in the industry, networking with other captive owners, potential captive owners, regulators, managers and other experts and utilising the event to hold business meetings with captive owners and services providers.
What advice would you give first-time attendees to make sure they get the most out of the conference?
For newcomers, the ‘Captives 101’ session would be a great place to start. Practical sessions, such as one on off-the-shelf captives and another on cell captives, would also likely be of interest and the round table discussions would give them the opportunity to address specific questions with experts.
Review all the session tracks and make sure you keep your schedule clear for the sessions that will be most beneficial to you. Take some time to organise some meetings in advance, if you can.
Finally, visit the booths in the exhibit hall to get face-to-face time with captive experts and make the most of networking events throughout the conference. It’s a relaxed and friendly environment, with plenty of opportunities to make new business contacts.
