Gearing up for BIBA’s first West of England Annual Dinner

With preparations already underway for the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s (BIBA) flagship conference, attention is already turning to Manchester Central and those crucial dates in the diary of so many across the market – May 15 and 16. Yet the opportunities for the insurance market to get together and share insights, experiences and hard-won advice are ever-growing – as evidenced by the recently announced 2024 West of England Annual Dinner.

How the idea for the annual dinner first came about

The BIBA-hosted event is the first of its kind noted William Hone (pictured), dinner secretary and committee member at BIBA, development executive at Higos Insurance (a Brown and Brown business) and an Insurance Business ‘2023 Rising Star’. Having previously hosted a very popular summer barbecue and an even more popular race day, the team decided it was time to do something a little bigger.

As a BIBA committee member, he said, he’s entrusted with representing Higos and the wider West of England broking community in discussions around what can be done to support the broking community, whether through events, professional development or general feedback to BIBA about common issues as they arise.

“I saw it as an opportunity to get involved in the broking community more directly and hopefully do some good,” he said. “I’d been attending events for several years, but wanted to get involved myself and I’m really enjoying the experience so far.

“I am honoured to be elected as the Dinner Secretary; my reputation for arranging get togethers precedes me, clearly! In this role I have been responsible for finding and arranging the venue, creating the budget, and locating sponsors. My fellow committee members have been very helpful in these endeavours and we’re all looking forward to a great event.”

What is the long-term goal of BIBA’s West of England committee?

The long-term goal of the committee is to have this become an annual event and a regular occurrence in people’s calendars, he said. Looking across the profession, he highlighted the shared passion those across the market have for the industry they work in, and the pleasure they take from having the opportunity to get together with their friends, colleagues and even competitors.

With that in mind, having the dinner seemed the logical next step in Hone’s events calendar. It has been years since BIBA hosted a dinner in the West of England, and so he was keen to “resurrect” this and bring the region in line with the others which have been arranging these kinds of dinners for many years. It didn’t seem right that the West of England didn’t have such an event, he said, especially considering the large insurance market in Bristol.

Why networking events are so critical to the fabric of the insurance industry

Hone said he believes networking events represent the backbone of so much of the insurance industry. As everyone is so fond of saying, he said, insurance is a people business.

“They’re not wrong,” he added. “Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I love a bit of networking and I think it’s things like this that elevate insurance as an industry. So much of it could just be sitting at a desk sending emails to faceless addresses, but I love the fact so many of us put the effort into meeting up and making genuine connections.”

What to expect from the event itself

Looking forward to the night itself, he shared that the events team have arranged for a black-tie dinner in Bristol for October 31. It’s an event that’s aimed at anyone in insurance, he said, whether they are brokers, insurers, solicitors or anyone else in this diverse ecosystem.

“We just want to bring everyone together, get people talking, and most importantly for everyone to have a good time,” he said. “We hope everyone will get something useful out of the evening, be it networking, putting faces to names, or just catching up with old colleagues and friends.”

With the event due to be held at the Bristol Harbour Hotel & Spa, Hone has a clear message for any insurance professional considering getting involved.

“It’ll be a great evening with people from all over the Bristol and South West market,” he said. “If we get the turnout we’re expecting then I can guarantee you’ll meet plenty of interesting people. I’m trying to cultivate a convivial atmosphere around the event. I want people to come along and have a good time first and foremost. If you get that part right, the rest all follows naturally!”