Vermont Captive Group To Make August Conference a Virtual Event

The Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) has decided to hold this year's annual conference in August as a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a message to conference sponsors and exhibitors, the VCIA said its staff has "been recently immersed in discussion, research, and contingency planning due to the pandemic. Since our largest event, the August conference, is obviously held in person, we have thought intensely about the best way forward and whether presenting the event as usual would be safe and wise."

The message notes that though the social and economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic are still developing, "we believe it will require recovery time to get back to 'normal' for all of society, including our industry."

The association said that, having studied various conference format alternatives, it's decided to make this August's conference fully virtual. "We recognize this is a big change, and it will take time to adjust to the concept.," the VCIA's message said. "But we are fully confident that VCIA will deliver a virtual event that satisfies our attendees' needs for top-level education, our exhibitors' needs to have their products and services highlighted (and generate leads), our sponsors' desires to be associated with a leading enterprise, and the public health system's need for social distance."

The VCIA said there will be more information to come about the virtual event as the organization investigates how to provide the best interface, and that it's "studying ways to make the event feel cohesive, interactive, very professional, and fun."

The VCIA is the latest in a growing number of industry organizations that have rescheduled, reworked, or canceled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.