The 40th annual Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) conference will be the first major meeting of risk management professionals since the September 11 terrorist strikes against the US - and Bermuda is sure to attract much attention following the unprecedented influx of capital into the insurance and reinsurance industry immediately following the attacks.

The conference and exhibition will be held in New Orleans from April 14 to 18 this year and In the RIMS advance programme, organisers say: "In the wake of the terrorist strikes in the United States, RIMS is currently evaluating additional programs as well as revising some existing programs to make the conference sessions as up-to date and informative for the risk management industry as possible.

"The ripple effect of these incidents magnifies risk management and its function. We are currently working to bring the most relevant information to our conference and exhibition."

Attending this year's conference will be Premier Jennifer Smith, accompanied by her chief of staff and PLP Senate Leader David Burch as well as Finance Minister Eugene Cox and registrar of companies Jeremy Cox.

Tourism Minister David Allen usually attends the conference, but will not this year. It is also understood that Education Minister Paula Cox will be attending the conference in an unofficial capacity.

Chairman of the RIMS organising committee Robin Spencer-Arscott spoke with The Royal Gazette yesterday and said that in excess of 100 people from Bermuda would be attending the conference.

The Bermuda booth, which is a replica of City Hall, will make its third appearance at the conference, having travelled to San Francisco in 2000 and Atlanta last year.

Mr. Spencer-Arscott said Wednesday, April 17 was Bermuda day and from the mid-to late morning the Bermuda delegation, headed by the Premier, would go for a walkabout in the exhibit hall, stopping at many of the booths with Bermuda affiliations.

There will then be a reception at the Ritz Carlton in the evening which approximately 500 people are expected to attend.

"The Bermuda reception has become known as the best reception of the conference," says Mr. Spencer-Arscott.

Background music will be provided by Bermuda's own Gita Blakeney.

He performed to rapturous acclaim at last year's conference in Atlanta, accompanied this year by keyboardist Robert Edwards.

Mr. Spencer-Arscott said of Ms Blakeney: "She is so talented. She has such a beautiful voice," and he explained that the Bermuda reception was all about networking with somewhat subdued background music rather than the loud parties that some other jurisdictions throw with full steel bands and so on.

Mr. Spencer-Arscott says the Bermuda party is ideally positioned in the week, as the conference is winding down and ends the following day. "It has become one of the most popular parties on the circuit," he said.

New for this year's Bermuda booth will be a painting by Bermudian watercolour artist Christopher Marson every day of the conference which will then be raffled to conference delegates at the end of each day. Bermuda delegates are not allowed to buy tickets.

Mr. Spencer-Arscott said that he did not think the bills being tabled in the US Congress that aim to close tax loopholes would have too much impact on Bermuda, and added that companies such as ACE and XL would hardly be impacted.

"Sure it will be talked about," he said, but felt that other issues would take front seat at the conference.

He said that it was the first RIMS conference since September 11 and that hot topics would include the hardening market and the resulting resurgence of captives.

Other talking points will include accounting issues in the wake of the Enron fallout, and the fate of the companies' auditors, Arthur Andersen and a possible takeover by KPMG.

More reinsurance companies are also getting involved in the conference and Mr. Spencer-Arscott said that there had been increased interest from Bermuda's reinsurance companies.

CEO of the Bermuda International Business Association (BIBA) Richard Calderon said yesterday: "BIBA will have a diminished presence at this year's RIMS." He added it had also been decided that BIBA would not conduct a media breakfast.

Mr. Calderon said that either himself or marketing manager Aaron Adderley would go to New Orleans and assist with the Bermuda booth and answer questions concerning jurisdictional issues. He also said that some of BIBA's members would attend the conference through their individual companies. New for RIMS 2002 is a session called "Meet the Masters" where attendees can ask specific questions and get straight answers from a panel of seasoned risk managers in an open but moderated forum.

Also new is the RIMS Fellow Designation where attendees will have the possibility to obtain continuing education credits. These credits count towards the RIMS Fellow designation, the highest recognition of professional achievement in the field of risk management. Back by popular demand is "Hot Topics" which reserves open time slots each day for last minute issues and/or events that are evolving during the early months of conference preparation.

The RIMS exhibition hall will host 400 exhibitors in the largest gathering of industry service professionals in the world.

The Bank of Bermuda is holding their annual pre-RIMS client weekend at the Hotel Monaco from April 12 to 14, which will be hosted by deputy chairman Paul Leseur, chief executive officer Henry Smith, chief operating officer Phillip Butterfield, and head of corporate cash management Michael Collins.

RIMS is a not for profit organisation dedicated to advancing the theory and practice of risk management, a professional discipline vital to the protection and preservation of physical, financial and human resources. Founded in 1950, RIMS represents nearly 4,000 industrial, service, nonprofit, charitable and government entities. The society also serves more than 8,000 risk management professionals through 88 RIMS chapters worldwide. The RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition is widely recognised as the definitive risk management and insurance event and is the largest gathering of risk managers and insurance professionals in the world.

For more information visit the RIMS website at www.rims.org.