A STRING of cities, among them Nanjing, Tianjin, Macau, Jeju, Melbourne and Dubai, have formed a beeline to bid for the world’s largest meeting of Chinese finance and insurance professionals in 2015.
The annual meeting, the International Dragon Award (IDA) Annual Conference, drew some 5,000 delegates when it was held in Kuala Lumpur last year.
Chairman Richard Wu declined to narrow down the contenders for the 2015 host country, saying a decision would be announced during this year’s annual conference in August in Xiamen.
But in an interview with the Daily, it appears that countries that could underscore the value of the insurance industry to the conference attendees would be on top of the pecking order.
In Kuala Lumpur last year, for instance, no less than the Malaysian Premier, Najib Razak, spoke at the event and gave ‘face’ to the profession.
“It is important that the attendees feel the host country has a certain regard for their profession and reaffirm the importance of the industry to them,” explained Wu.
As well, the ability to offer a unique insight would earn a score. When IDA was held in Singapore in 2008, the city included a visit to a desalination plant that was highly interesting and educational to attendees.
Apart from government and convention bureau support, the host country must also have a venue that could host 5,000 pax, including meeting rooms that could hold 1,000 pax, and hotels of different classes, said Wu.
The four-day conference, delivered in Mandarin, is attended by Chinese finance and insurance professionals from 200 insurance companies in 17 countries, including China, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Wu said Chinese meeting participants have not changed much over the last 10 years. “They want enrichment and to learn how to perform better in their workplace,” he said.
That said, in one aspect, there is a marked difference: In the 10 years, they have become “even more driven”, he said.
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