Next week more than 10,000 insurance executives and risk managers will head for San Diego ? and there will be up to 200 people flying to the West coast from Bermuda alone.

Why? They are all going to RIMS.

RIMS, an acronymn for the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc., is more commonly recognised as the moniker for one of the insurance industry's biggest annual events, taking place this year from April 18 to 21.

From Bermuda alone ? with there historically being about 200 attending from the Island ? there will, as in years past, be a contingent of Government officials, as well as representatives from the Island's insurance sector and business organisations.

Premier Alex Scott, on his first visit to the conference, will walk the conference centre on Tuesday morning, April 20. In what has become known as the Premier's 'walkabout', Mr. Scott will be accompanied around the conference hall ? which boasts a dedicated Bermuda booth, complete with mock Bermuda cottage facade ? by Finance Minister Paula Cox.

Later that evening, Mr. Scott will host the annual Bermuda Reception at one of San Diego's plusher venues, the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel.

On Wednesday, Bermuda will remain in the RIMS spotlight with two panel discussions called Bermuda: The World's Risk Capital.

Leading executives from Bermuda's insurance sector will speak during the sessions including ACE CEO Brian Duperreault, Max Re CEO Robert Cooney, XL Capital CEO Brian O'Hara and Allied World Assurance Company CEO Scott Carmilani.

This week, some members of the Bermuda contingent were gearing up for the trip to RIMS. They are (from left to right): Raymond Madeiros, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Pio Monteiro, PriceWaterHouseCoopers and member of the RIMS sub-committee of the Insurance Advisory Committee of Bermuda (IAC), Geoff Blee AON and member of the RIMS sub-committee, Neal Southham, AAC Saatchi and Saatchi and co-ordinator for the RIMS sub-committee, Allison Towlson, ACE and chairman of the RIMS sub-committee, Kathleen Faries, International Disability Services Ltd., Rhona Emmerson, AAC Saatchi & Saatchi and a member of RIMS sub-committee, Deborah Bean, Bermuda Monetary Authority, Jeremy Parwani, AIG and Delma Parfitt, Bermuda Insurance Institute and a member of RIMS sub-committee.