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This article was originally published in the Subrogator, a publication by the National Association of Subrogation Professionals, Spring/Summer 2005, Page 98. © Copyright 2005 by NASP. All rights reserved. Republished by Butler with permission from NASP.
The Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas will truly be “The House of Subrogation” from November 13 through 16, when over 1,200 subrogation professionals from around the globe assemble for the NASP Annual Conference. And this year’s conference is expected to be even bigger, better and more alive than ever before!
Austin offers an exciting backdrop for the 2005 conference, with a natural beauty and an exciting nightlife that rivals any city in the world. The excitement begins at our temporary House away from home – a brand new convention hotel in downtown Austin, just two blocks away from the live music scene on Austin’s world famous Sixth Street. The Hilton is a first class facility, and you will certainly enjoy all the amenities it offers. You will want to arrive in Austin as early as you can and stay as late as possible.
The Conference Committee plans for a lot of lively action. We will start off with a golf tournament and a real live Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament on Sunday. On Monday night, we will hold a live talent show, which we call Subrogation Idol. We hope you’ll be able to participate in these and other fun activities that are scheduled throughout the conference.
But, of course, an NASP Annual Conference cannot be complete without extraordinary educational programs, and this year is no different. The Conference Committee spent a considerable amount of time making sure that this year’s programs were substantively high in content, while also maintaining a strong amount of entertainment value. There will be over 60 quality presentations offered by a vast array of leaders in the subrogation industry. We will feature several interactive presentations dealing with unique issues in subrogation, which will keep the interest of the advanced subrogation professionals. We anticipate using panel discussions, role playing and other fun presentation formats. This should also provide our attendees with more opportunities to discuss and share ideas with each other. The Conference Committee worked hard to make sure that all levels of interest would be addressed at this year’s conference. There will be many intermediate and advanced sessions, while also ensuring that those new to subrogation do not get left behind. This year, for example, we will offer our first “Subrogation College” for three hours on Monday afternoon, where new subrogation professionals can learn the basics, if they so desire.
I am especially proud of the Conference Committee’s empowerment of our Track Leaders to employ new ideas and fresh approaches. By granting our Track Leaders more autonomy, we were able to achieve a greater amount of creative energy that should make this year’s conference even more “alive” than ever before. Our Track Leaders were awesome, and I want to thank all of them for their work on the educational program. Never before have so many of the ideas for this year’s conference come from so many people, and for this, I am most appreciative.
On behalf of the entire Conference Committee – Leslie Wiernik, John Foster, Aaron Browder, Dave Matejczyk, Jeff Baill, and Gloria Issacson – I hope that you will be able to join us in Austin. And when you leave, I hope you’ll agree that it was a time well spent. So pack your bags, get on a jet plane, and join us in Austin for Live . . . from the House of Subrogation!