(Toronto, ON) Today, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) opened registration for the 96^th Annual IBAO Convention, this year being held at the Sheraton Centre Hotel Toronto October 19 – 21. This year’s theme, coined by IBAO President Doug Heaman, is Create Your Future, inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s quote The best way to predict your future is to create it. The schedule of events has dramatically changed – a shift away from the traditional program that has existed over the past 95 years.

“This new format will maximize value and optimize the experience for all delegates,” said Doug Heaman, IBAO President. “The schedule has been carefully choreographed to elevate the event.”

Some of this year’s highlights include:

* The celebration of broker success stories: Presenters include two brokers sharing their stories of growth and innovation. In an attempt to educate, inspire and share, IBAO is pleased to welcome Lance Miller (Broker, CEO & Co-Founder, Surex Direct) and Dario Battista (President, iSure.ca) to the stage.

* A new CEO Panel format: CEOs will take part in one-on-one conversations vs the traditional panel style. Questions will be customized to the insurer and there will be opportunities for real-time feedback during the live event.

* Custom Keynote: This year’s speaker is Jim Harris, one of North America’s foremost thinkers on disruptive innovation and organizational change. For the first time in IBAO history, a fully customized keynote for the broker audience will be presented. Based on feedback collected from brokers across the province, Jim will apply lessons learned from other industries to the broker channel.

* Insurer Town Hall meetings: Brokers can attend presentations ranging from executive roundtables to product updates. Eight markets will deliver their own content in one-hour sessions.

* The largest insurance industry tradeshow in the country.

“This year we focus on celebrating the success of the broker, our strength as a distribution channel and the possibilities for the future,” continued Heaman. “I invite all brokers, the entrepreneurial and the resilient, as well as industry partners, to join us this year.”

The full IBAO Convention program is available online at events.ibao.org/convention.

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