Deep in the heart of Texas Hill country, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) held its annual conference in San Antonio from 10-12 November. As the world's largest professional liability conference with more than 3,000 industry professionals in attendance, PLUS provides an outstanding opportunity for attendees to discuss the future outlook of the industry, learn about emerging trends and network with clients and brokers.

At the three-day conference, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions was represented by Nik Beck, the Head of Specialties and Markus Zwyssig the Head of Professional and Financial Services together with a good delegation from his team. More than 50 client/broker meetings were conducted and for the 4th consecutive year, Swiss Re was a gold sponsor of PLUS.

In addition to sponsoring the event, Swiss Re carried on the tradition of its much-anticipated client/broker cocktail reception.  With Nik Beck and Markus Zwyssig leading the Swiss Re Corporate Solutions delegation, the team welcomed approximately 120 clients and brokers.  Arriving by river taxi, guests enjoyed an evening of hors d’oeuvres and Mariachi music at the Iron Cactus on San Antonio's famous Riverwalk. 

Swiss Re's objectives for the conference were two-fold:  1) increase the visibility of our broad suite of professional liability capabilities and 2) develop leads by promoting our broad professional liability footprint.  Achieving these objectives was a priority and evident in our marketing presence and messaging throughout the conference. 

"Many of our clients and brokers know us and value us for our deep expertise in a particular segment," commented Markus Zwyssig. "It was our goal to increase visibility to the full spectrum of our professional liability capabilities across multiple industry segments. Our team delivers value through the collective strength of our client focus, broad capabilities and deep industry expertise."

"We are committed to ensuring that we can address the needs of our brokers and clients," added Nik Beck. "In addition to the deep industry expertise and disciplined underwriting, our product offerings and client servicing are critical components of a strong, stable and reliable partner for our clients. The dialogue with our clients and brokers is particularly critical in the challenging market environment we currently are in. Throughout the cycle, we want to be a predictable partner -- this is a key goal for Swiss Re."

The response from the market clearly affirmed that the Swiss Re Corporate Solutions' Professional & Financial Services team is well-positioned for future challenges.

Swiss Re's Corporate Solutions provides broad, global insurance capabilities, including solutions for commercial insurance, industrial insurance, large corporate risks, aviation and space and environmental and commodity markets. It offers structured, multiline programs and can customise our offerings in order to help our clients mitigate their most complex risks. Swiss Re also offers insurance-linked securities and catastrophe bonds, and has among the highest available capacity in the industry.

Swiss Re's Nik Beck, Markus Zwyssig and Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) Mark Wolf at the Swiss Re-sponsored reception during the 2010 PLUS Conference in San Antonio, TX.