Finance Minister Paul Cox picked up some tips on dealing with the media and dropped in on a few rival jurisdictions during her visit to the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) 2008 conference in San Diego this week.

Ms Cox did her traditional 'walkabout' around the exhibition hall at the San Diego conference centre yesterday, meeting and greeting RIMS president Janice Ochenkowski and executive director Mary Roth, plus visiting the booths of Bermuda companies and Caribbean jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Barbados and the British Virgin Islands, and even Lloyd's of London.

She also attended a number of sessions, including one on how to handle the press on Monday, and was the main speaker at the Bermuda Reception held in the Omni San Diego Hotel last night.

On her tour, Ms Cox arrived with finance secretary Donald Scott and her entourage in tow at the Bermuda booth where she met with representatives from a numerous companies based on the Island, the Bermuda Insurance Development Council and the Bermuda Monetary Authority among others, before departing to walk around the exhibition hall.

Her first stop was at the booth of the banks and financial institutions including Butterfield Bank and the Bank of Bermuda, before moving on to the insurers such as captive specialists the Quest Group of Companies and Ace.

Ms Cox's next port of call was St. John's University in the US, which has historically had a number of Bermudian students who read insurance on its alumni list, and then she made her way to the Cayman Islands and Barbados booths to talk to representatives there.

A traditional cup of coffee was enjoyed with the new president Lloyd's of London's North America branch, LoriAnn Lowery, before Ms Cox went to renew acquaintances with the British Virgin Islands.

Ms Cox, who had previously sat in on the session entitled 'Reputational Risk: Working with the Media', said RIMS was important to Bermuda because the Island cannot be seen to be complacent or taking the business it receives for granted.

"I think the reason we came is because it is important that we show that we are still in business and we are still out there meeting with the clients, both prospective and existing, and I think has become a regular fixture," Ms Cox said.

"It is symbolic with the walkaround and the red carpet that is rolled out to Bermuda. Because of Bermuda's placement as a jurisdiction, I think it is important that we continue to oil the wheels and continue to foster a strategic partnership and one that works."

The Finance Minister, who it seemed had co-ordinated her attire with the same shade of lime green as the popular Bermuda beach bags, although she later explained it was a complete coincidence, was also keen to keep up appearances with the Island's neighbours in the Caribbean.

"I think you do that to be courteous and politically correct," she said. "With one particular jurisdiction we are working and collaborating on a key legal matter and the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Barbados are important, but they are also going after some of the business out there, and although they are not necessarily there for insurance and reinsurance, it is probably some of the other sectors that they have an interest in.

"I also met the new president of Lloyd's of London's North American operations, LoriAnn Lowery. She said she loves Bermuda and she was there as a broker with Marsh, working on a deal for Ace, and she has a good feeling for Bermuda.

"She asked me if there was anything they could do at Lloyd's to assist Bermuda — I think it is good and what you read in the press about us fighting with Lloyd's is far from the truth, it is a collaborative approach.

"After all, it is a permanent fixture having tea and coffee at the Lloyd's booth at RIMS — it is genteel and we have a mutual respect for each other and the business we do."

Ms Cox was also able to glean some advice from top business editors during the media session she attended at the conference.

"I think certainly it was very useful - it was good to hear from editors and newspaperman talking about the various issues," she said.

"They were talking about building a relationship with the media and they used some key aspects and showed how companies were able to diffuse certain situations by being up-front and transparent about them.

"Organisations need to know that they are going to have to deal with the press and it is important how their image is presented in the paper and its is important there is a quickness and swiftness about the response you give the media.

"I think it is just timely reminder as a risk manager, for Government and for what you are doing, the same set of skill sets are still required and when you deal with the press you should be up-front about it."