NEW ORLEANS — The Bermuda booth stood out from a distance among the hundreds of exhibitors at the Risk and Insurance Management Society’s (RIMS) Conference in New Orleans.Mimicking classic Bermuda architecture in pastel shades of yellow and turquoise green, the brand new exhibit attracted a lot of attention on yesterday’s opening day at the vast Ernest N. Morial Conference Center.

A steady flow of visitors came by, some to discuss business, some to try and track down insurance personnel from Bermuda and others just out of curiosity.

Designed and constructed by US company Exhibit Works, the structure is equipped with an upstairs area where visitors can hold more extensive, sit-down conversations.

“The last booth we had was a replica of City Hall,” Allison Towlson, who chairs Bermuda’s RIMS Committee, said. “It was quite eye-catching and it worked well for us. But we had a number of difficulties with space and access and we thought it was time for it to be retired.

“We feel that this one is more dynamic, but still in keeping with the Bermuda theme and architecture. The first time we saw it was when we walked into the hall and we love it.”

Roger Gillett, chairman of the Bermuda Insurance Development Council, agreed. “A large number of risk managers do business in Bermuda and so they recognise the style immediately,” he said.

Towering impressively over the more modest exhibit of the Cayman Islands nearby, it is as if the structure is sending a message to its rival about who’s boss in the captive market.

Others staffing the booth include long-time RIMS Committee member Raymond Medeiros, of PWC, Delma Parfitt of the Bermuda Insurance Institute, as well as Rhona Emmerson and Neal Southam from AAC Saatchi & Saatchi.