Momentum is building and "registrations from Latin America are coming in thick and fast". This is according to Roger Gillett (pictured), chairman of the marketing committee of Bermuda's Insurance Advisory Committee, regarding the Asociacion Latinoamericana de Administradores de Reisgos y Seguros (ALARYS) biennial conference which takes place here next month.

Mr. Gillett is one of the local insurance industry leaders preparing to host hundreds of risk managers and brokers from Latin America who will attend the conference at the Fairmont Southampton from 7-10 September. In what is regarded as a coup for the Island, it is the first time that the event will be hosted outside the Latin American region.

"We already have over 100 delegates signed up and the rate of registrations is picking up fast," said Mr. Gillett, who is president of ACE Risk Management International.

"There'll be a number of very significant companies from the region represented among the delegates.

"For example, four out of five of the top petroleum companies will have representatives here. Generally these and the other substantial groups that will be here can generate the largest volumes of business in terms of premium spent."

Major companies from the telecommunications and natural gas sectors in the region will also be represented, along with the only aircraft producer in the region. Mr. Gillett stressed that the quality of the delegates already registered to attend meant that Bermuda's insurance industry was being presented with a significant business opportunity. "This really is an opportunity for the local industry to make an impression on a very influential group of buyers," he said. "We hope that the Bermuda market will showcase themselves and make the most of this opportunity for developing new business."

Planning and preparations for the conference have been conducted jointly for over a year by Jorge Luzzi, president of ALARYS and a sub-committee of local insurance sector representatives chaired by industry veteran Peter Strong.

"We've liaised regularly with Jorge and have had good input from our local team and long-term champion of this event Eduardo Fox," said Mr. Strong. "Everything is looking good and we have a very strong list of speakers."

Those speakers include Dennis Mahony of AON and Mark Sinnott, former chairman and CEO of Marsh Management Group, two of the largest global companies in re/insurance brokerage and captive management; Nancy Chambers, president of RIMS, Chris Mandel, immediate past president of RIMS and 2004 insurance risk manager of the year; and Susan Meltzer, president of the International Federation of of Risk and Insurance Management Associations (IFRIMA).

"This is in addition to a number of more technically-oriented speakers from Latin America, such as the risk manager from Petrobas (the largest petroleum company in Brazil), and representatives from Bermuda who will speak to the Island's strengths relative to the market in that region," said Mr. Gillett, who will himself be leading one of the panel discussions in the programme.

Tony Hay of Arch Capital, Barrie Meade of local law firm Appleby Spurling Hunter and Barker Keith from Sovereign Risk are among the local speakers.

Deputy Premier the Ewart Brown (in the absence of the Premier) will give a welcome address to the delegates, along with Finance Minister Paula Cox.

The delegates will also be able to meet and mingle at a series of social events during the conference.

"On the Tuesday which is the opening night there will be a special reception and we also have planned a gala event on the Thursday evening," said Mr. Strong. "These will provide another opportunity for the local industry to meet the delegates from overseas and also to bring guests, using the social passes that will be available, who perhaps may not be able to attend the conference." The gala evening will feature popular salsa entertainer Alex Fox. Both men anticipate that the number of overseas delegates will likely exceed 200, and are looking forward to total attendance reaching between 300-400. Mr. Strong added that the event has even attracted registrations from destinations as far-flung as Australia and South Africa.

"There is clearly a lot of market interest in an event of this calibre and the scope of the business opportunity is broad, this is particularly true if markets like Brazil open up," he said.

"Peter and the committee have done a great job and worked very hard," said Mr. Gillett. "The numbers are coming in well and we're looking forward to a great event."