Iowa Association of Health Underwriters

Well here we are again fellow IAHU friends!  The year of 2020 has certainly brought about a lot of unexpected changes. I have been working hard to be patient with myself and others and remember to find gratitude in each and every day as we navigate these unchartered times.

It’s hard to imagine that we are chasing down summer at this juncture. As you know, the IAHU Symposium Planning committee previously made the decision to delay the annual conference. Since then, we have been quietly monitoring the COVID-19 situation carefully to determine the right next steps for the hosting the event. With restrictions on large group gatherings and travel precautions still forecasted into the summer months, IAHU made the tough but logical decision to change the format of our conference to a virtual offering. 

We have watched several other organizations and associations successfully deploy virtual programming for large scale events. While the task seemed daunting at first, the concept has really started to grow on us, and our team is now very excited about this opportunity for change. Virtual programming will allow us to cast a wide net across the entire state and reach more folks in our industry who previously haven’t been able to join us in central Iowa for an in-person event. A virtual environment allows us to join as our availability permits from anywhere – home, work, etc. In addition to this flexibility, we know that delivering online CECs to our membership is long overdue for our chapter! The current COVID-19 environment is moving us into the next phase of programming for our membership and we are gaining the expertise necessary to offer online CECs now and in the future.

If you dial back the timeclock, you might recall that I shared some personal inspiration that I found after reading a book called Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf. The book’s fundamentals center on the mental rigor and mental training that it takes to achieve greatness—such as the following:

• Developing grit through consistency and faithfulness
• Understanding why the process is more important than the goal
• How to develop a heart posture of gratitude
• How to develop true mental toughness
• Greatness isn’t for the chosen few. Greatness is for the few who choose!

As we consider the current environment and the challenges we are facing in our personal and professional lives, the strategies and tools described in this book will serve as the flagship for our keynote programming and professional development. So much so, our committee felt compelled to revamp this year’s theme to more accurately portray the value associated with attending this year’s conference. We are delighted to unveil our new theme: GRIT. GRATITUDE. GREATNESS.  

We will kick off the Symposium on August 18^th as originally planned with our traditional day one conference agenda looking very similar to what was originally planned. Marcie Buckner, VP of Congressional Affairs with NAHU, will provide the main stage legislative address and we are fortunate to retain Lucas Jadin with Train to Be Clutch (T2BC) as our keynote speaker. In addition, we expect to have attendance from the Governor’s office as well as Senator Ernst and Senator Grassley’s offices. And while we can’t share just yet—we have some other creative ideas in the works.

Following the August 18^th kick-off event, the committee will deploy a series of individual break-out CEC sessions on a variety of topics to be held every Tuesday and Thursday until September 10^th.  Your event registration will gain you access to all of this programming with links and login instructions to access each hour included with your registration. 

We know that our members count on us to deliver continuing education and professional development. Therefore, it is our goal to offer a total of +10 CECs to any one individual attendee who fully maximizes all of the classes and sessions offered at this year’s 2020 IAHU Virtual Symposium and CEC Series. Please watch for more information about the amazing keynote speakers, CEC courses and features for this year's Virtual Symposium to be released soon!

We’ve said it before and we will say it again, none of this is ever possible without the support of our amazing sponsors and program contributors! Please take a moment to jump out to our website to acknowledge the 2020 Sponsors and find out more about how to get involved! We also ask that you to stay connected to IAHU at all levels. We are using Facebook and Twitter to share relevant information as local news and regulatory issues are dropping on a near constant (sometimes hourly) basis. If you are running into specific issues or questions and need our support, please reach out to a Board member.

Stay Safe! Stay well! 

Tracy Hitchcock
Chairperson, 2020 IAHU Virtual Symposium & CEC Series

Your 2020 Symposium Planning Committee: Cassandra Mueller (BASE), Tracy Hitchcock (Capitol Benefits Group), Niki Holland (Gallager Benefit Services), Lynn Schreder (KHI Solutions), Marcie Strouse (Capitol Benefits Group) & James West (NCMIC / Professional Solutions).

Member Registration Price - $229
Non-Member Registration Price - $279

The IAHU Symposium is the prime venue to give you all of the tools you need to honor the commitment you've made to your clients. Here's six of the top reasons you won't want to miss this meeting.