Members of Bermuda's insurance industry are gearing up for the industry's mega networking-fest, the RIMS Annual Conference.

The conference this year will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, from Sunday, April 29 to Thursday, May 3.

Up to 100 people from Bermuda will attend the conference, including some of the Island's top politicians. The Bermuda booth, modelled on Hamilton's City Hall and shown for the first time last year, will be run by the Island's insurance industry RIMS committee.

The Wednesday of the conference is very much Bermuda day, beginning with a breakfast hosted by BIBA (Bermuda International Business Association) at 8 a.m. This will feature Premier Jennifer Smith, Finance Minister Eugene Cox, the Minister of Telecommunications and E-Commerce Renee Webb, and the Minister of Tourism David Allen.

The breakfast, for up to 150 invitation-only guests, will provide the opportunity for guests to interact with leading representatives from Bermuda's key industries. This year BIBA is targeting business people from in and around Atlanta who the association hopes to interest especially in seeing the potential of the Island for e-commerce.

The invitation reads: "At this function you'll be able to learn more about Bermuda's diverse products and enablement services, as well as the business advantages that can provide new opportunities for you.'' In the evening of Wednesday one of the conference's most popular receptions will be held by the Island's RIMS committee. This annual event is considered one of the week's best opportunities to network.

The Premier will welcome people to the reception and the other politicians and key industry people will attend. This year Gita Blakeney, a popular Bermudian jazz singer, will entertain guests while they are at the reception.

The booth will be staffed by people from the Insurance Advisory Committee and from within the industry. Requests have already gone out to industry members attending the conference to give some time to talk to people at the booth.

This is a vital component as many of the queries received are of a technical nature best responded to by industry personnel.

Visitors attending the booth will also receive a CD Rom about the insurance industry in Bermuda. There will be someone present from the Registrar's office to talk to visitors about setting up and regulating insurance companies.

Tourism will also be represented as this presents an ideal opportunity to promote this industry to thousands of conference attendees.

Representatives from Bermuda are not involved in many of the conference sessions this year. The most notable omission is a session on Monday afternoon entitled `Bermuda, Bahamas, Come on Pretty Captives -- Captive Domicile Update'.

There are speakers at the session from Vermont, Guernsey, BVI, Cayman, Hawaii and Turks & Caicos but no speaker from Bermuda or, for that matter, from the Bahamas! But Chris Phelan from Commercial Risk in Bermuda is a speaker in the Wednesday afternoon session entitled `Don't Let It Rain On Your Parade - Weather Hedging'.

RIMS undoubtedly produces one of the biggest educational opportunities of the year for people in the insurance industry and is attended by thousands. But consensus on the street has it that it is not so much the conference sessions that attract so many people, but the vast and numerous networking opportunities.

Jennifer Smith BUSINESS BUC