A new business conference in Bermuda that sold out more than two months in advance will get the island’s conference season under way this month.

And 2017 is shaping up to be a bumper year for conferences in Bermuda, with a number of new events on the schedule.

The Bermuda Healthcare Forum, a two-day event that starts on March 15, has attracted 160 delegates, with more than 100 coming from overseas.

The forum is being held at Rosewood Tucker’s Point. It has eight themes with a focus on the role of insurance within the healthcare industry, including the intricacies of risk financing, complex claims and emerging trends.

Brokers, insurance buyers and risk professionals will be among the attendees.

Other conferences on the island this year include the Transcontinental Trusts International Forum, which arrives in May. It is expected to attract more than 250 delegates. There will be at least 65 speakers, including judges, QCs and barristers.

In June, there will be a gathering with a difference — the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta. It is being hosted by Boat International Media, the America’s Cup Event Authority and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. There will be three days of superyacht racing and an exclusive onshore social programme, ahead of the 35th America’s Cup Match.

In order to avoid the busy America’s Cup month of June, the Bermuda Captive Conference this year moves from its traditional June slot to September. The change is a one-off for the three-day conference, which had a record attendance of more than 800 in 2016. That number included 147 captive insurance owners, 70 sponsors and 49 vendors.

Philippe Max Rouja, Bermuda’s custodian of historic shipwrecks, is lined up as a keynote speaker.

In October, ILS Bermuda Convergence marks its fifth anniversary. Last year it attracted more than 300 delegates, and was held at the Hamilton Princess for the first time. It will return to the hotel this year.

The Bermuda Business Development Agency plays a key role in attracting major conferences to the island, and helping facilitating others. It is building on the success it saw last year.

Ross Webber, chief executive officer at the BDA, noted that the organisation brought five major new conferences to the island in 2016.

“These included the Legal Week Private Client Forum Americas, RC44 Bermuda Cup, Alarys LatAm Congress, World Alternative Investment Summit and the Aeropodium aircraft registration conference,” he said.

“We also facilitated the return of events we brought to Bermuda in the first place, such as Transcontinental Trusts, International Forum, Regulatory Compliance Association symposium; Hedge Connection's Global Fund Forum; and the ILS Convergence.

“They all add significant value to the Bermuda economy and help extend the viability of our hospitality industry, particularly during shoulder season.”

Beyond the island’s shores, the organisation promotes Bermuda at a variety of international events.

Mr Webber said: “Our team participated in no fewer than 62 different conferences and events through 2016 — well over an average of one per week.

“Significant highlights included asset management events at Madison Square Garden and the Flatiron Room in New York, Bermuda’s debut attendance at the Posidonia shipping conference in Greece, the Artemis ILS conference in Singapore, Rims in San Diego, private-client events in Europe and Asia, and America’s Cup Louis Vuitton World Series events in New York and Chicago.

“These efforts allowed us to showcase the Bermuda market globally and all it has to offer across multiple industries.”

Among other conferences scheduled to be held in Bermuda this year is an international summit for the American Association of Managing General Agents’ Under Forty Organisation later this month, the Regulatory Compliance Association’s ROC Symposium in April, the Bermuda International Life and Annuity Conference in September, and the World Alternative Investment Summit and Global Fund Forum, both in October.