
THE WORLD'S LARGEST SPECIALTY INSURANCE FESTIVAL RETURNS
JULY 16, 2026 | SANTA MONICA PIER
Bring ideas. Bring your team. Build your advantage.
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InsuranceFest was a ‘wow’ experience – after more than 600 conferences, I’d rank the networking and social interaction on the Santa Monica Pier in my top five.
INSURANCEFEST AT A GLANCE
Network Like You Mean It
1,000+ insurance leaders, founders, and innovators in one place. Brokers, MGAs, agencies, insurers, InsurTechs. From C-suite to NextGen, they’ll all be on the pier.
Join the Conversation
60+ industry voices you actually want to hear from—from Aon to Marsh McLennan to InsurTech founders. Interactive sessions across every zone where you’re invited to jump in, ask what you really want to know, and steer the discussion. This isn’t sit-and-listen; it’s speak up and be heard.
Hands-On Marketplace
30+ exhibitors and interactive InsurTech demos you can actually touch and test. A buzzing marketplace of ideas, solutions, and collaborations where you discover new tools, products, and partners to tackle your biggest challenges.N ot just watching — finding what you’ll take back to your work.
Discussion Table Real Talk
50+ exclusive, 1-hour Discussion Tables for senior brokers and decision-makers. Small-group, facilitated conversations on Cyber, Digital Transformation, Construction, and E&S where everyone leans in, swaps war stories, and pressure-tests ideas in real time.
Bring Your Crew
Team experiences and group sessions designed so your whole organization goes back energized with shared insights and new connections. Build your own festival lineup as a team, join collaborative workshops together, tackle live challenges side by side, and turn the pier into your offsite — complete with shared moments, fresh ideas, and stories you’ll still be talking about back at the office.
Festival Energy on the Pier
From sunrise yoga to sunset sets, food trucks, cocktails, and ocean air — the pier turns every coffee break into a moment.
BRING IDEAS.
BRING YOUR TEAM.
BUILD YOUR SPECIALTY
ADVANTAGE.
InsuranceFest unites 1,200+ specialty commercial insurance leaders on the Santa Monica Pier to transform the industry. Join curated meetings, dive into expert-led sessions, solve real problems, and network at the industry’s only true festival experience.
WHAT ATTENDEES ARE SAYING



- Networking
- Content
- Solutions
- Experiences
Connect with 1,200+ specialty professionals -- E&S brokers, MGAs, carriers, reinsurers, tech innovators and risk leaders through targeted networking activities and 50+ focused Discussion Tables built for candid, small‑group conversations that translate directly into better deals, stronger distribution, and sharper insight on complex commercial risks.
This is where specialty insurance gets real: fresh perspectives, honest conversations, and content that actually moves the needle. Join industry peers to explore what’s next in technology, distribution, emerging risks, and leadership, and walk away with practical ideas, new connections, and proven plays you can put to work in your practice the moment you’re back at your desk.
Explore a buzzing marketplace of 40+ providers and live InsurTech experiences where you can try new tools, meet potential partners, and uncover real, ready-to-use solutions to your brokerage, underwriting, claims, and client challenges.
We’re combining festival fun with focused business development — mixing oceanfront bike rides, mixology, wine tastings, volleyball, and more with targeted workshops and immersive activations — so your team can network with partners and prospects, strengthen connections, and leave ready to act on new opportunities.
WHO ATTENDS
SPEAKERS
Christina Lucas
Rochelle Lewis
Rochelle M. Lewis is Director of Risk Management at Red Bull North America, Inc., where she oversees the insurance and risk management program for all Red Bull subsidiaries in North America, including Canada. With over 25 years in the insurance industry, she is well-versed in navigating an ever-shifting risk landscape, anticipating change, and managing complex exposures.
At Red Bull, the world’s leading energy drink brand and a global powerhouse in food and beverage, entertainment, and sports, Rochelle evaluates the company’s domestic and Canadian insurance program, identifying key risks across operations that span beverage sales, media, professional sports teams, and Formula 1.
Rochelle began her insurance career in 1995 and is both a licensed insurance broker and certified paralegal. In 1998, she moved into risk management, serving organizations including a global private equity investment firm and a global lifestyle brand retailer.
Kader Sakkaria
Jacqueline Waters
Josephine Gartrell
Reid Eanes
Mariya Coleman
Mariya Coleman brings over 15 years of experience in the energy industry as Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s insurance and claims leader. She was responsible for the insurance placement, program management, and claims management of over $140 billion of assets including her management of just over $46 billion of renewable energy assets for one of the nation’s largest independent power producing renewables companies.
With an MBA in Finance and industry designations including CPCU, ARM, and AIC, Mariya is also an active contributor to insurance advisory boards and legislative initiatives in the energy sector. She is an experienced leader in the US renewable energy sector and intimately understands all functions of both the development, ownership, and operation of renewable technology. Mariya partners with clients in the US to navigate all functions of the business to ultimately ensure the insurance solution is specifically tailored to each client's individual and unique business needs. Her reputation in the industry has followed her to the insurance market, allowing her to gain intimate trust with senior executive management, ensuring the most innovative and competitive terms, pricing, and program structure for her clients.
Edward Cha
Thomas Fitzgerald
Tom Fitzgerald is President of Retail at World Insurance Associates, leading one of the industry’s fastest-growing insurance brokerages. With more than 30 years of leadership experience, he has built high-performing teams and driven innovation across the commercial insurance sector. Before joining World in 2023, he held senior executive roles at QBE North America, where he led the transformation of Specialty and Commercial underwriting, and at Aon Risk Solutions, where he served as CEO of US Retail and Global Broking. He holds a finance degree from Drake University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
THEMES AT A GLANCE
Digital Transformation & Innovation
Cyber, Risk & Underwriting
Nat Cat & Climate
Regulation, Legal & Compliance
Next Gen
E&S Unfiltered
Construction & Specialty Reports
Market Capacity, M&A & Economic Headwinds
THEMES AT A GLANCE
FROM INSURANCE TRANSFORMATION TO GROWTH
Explore how data, automation, and digital tools are reshaping underwriting, distribution, and service to unlock faster execution, better risk selection, and more profitable growth across the specialty and E&S market.
UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES IN SPECIALTY & E&S
Learn how to identify, underwrite, and price fast‑evolving exposures—from cyber and supply chain to climate‑driven risks—to build resilient, future‑ready portfolios.
MASTERING EMERGING & COMPLEX RISKS
Equip rising leaders with the tools to build influential personal brands, strengthen broker and client trust, and accelerate their impact inside and outside the organization.
NEXT‑GEN LEADERS & PERSONAL BRAND POWER
Turn regulatory complexity into a competitive edge by tightening controls, improving data transparency, and building a culture of “right‑first‑time” compliance across specialty lines.
NAVIGATING REGULATION & COMPLIANCE WITH CONFIDENCE
Discover how the specialty commercial insurance ecosystem can stay ahead of evolving regulations, strengthen compliance frameworks, and reduce regulatory risk while maintaining operational agility and customer focus.
SEIZING MARKET & M&A OPPORTUNITIES
Explore how insurers, intermediaries, and specialty market participants can use partnerships and M&A to expand capabilities, enter new niches, and capture profitable growth while avoiding integration pitfalls – and discover proven strategies to increase business valuation.
DISCUSSION TABLES
Step into action with our all-new themed discussion tables—built for leaders who want results now. These fast-paced, interactive sessions go beyond theory, delivering tactical conversations and proven takeaways you can put to work immediately.
Cyber
How do you keep up with rapidly evolving cyber policies while driving client education on emerging risks and solutions?
Digital Transformation
What are the transformational benefits of implementing AI effectively across your business?
Construction
What are the biggest hidden builder’s risks brokers and clients need to watch for, and how can you identify them early?
Excess & Surplus Lines
How do you build and maintain client trust in E&S placements, especially in a volatile market?
Cyber
How are you leveraging AI to outpace cyber threats, and what challenges are you facing in the cyber arms race?
Digital Transformation
How can brokers turn data into actionable insights that drive revenue and growth?
Construction
What strategies help brokers navigate high-risk construction projects in a tightening market?
Excess & Surplus Lines
How do you stay ahead of volatility in the E&S market and make confident placement decisions?
Cyber
What strategies have helped you convert cyber skeptics into loyal, proactive clients?
Digital Transformation
How do you design a digital-first client experience that truly delivers value and loyalty
Construction
How do you evaluate and implement jobsite technologies that deliver real value for clients?
Excess & Surplus Lines
What creative strategies help brokers secure E&S coverage when traditional markets say no?
Cyber
What digital threats are most concerning for your clients, and how are you helping them prepare?
Digital Transformation
What lessons have you learned from your digital transformation journey—both successes and failures?
Construction
How do you identify and negotiate contract clauses that can make or break a construction deal?
THEMES AT A GLANCE
Digital Transformation & Innovation
- Turning AI from hype to ROI in real brokerage workflows
- Building a digital client journey that wins (and keeps) business in a virtual world
- Choosing InsurTech and RegTech partners that accelerate real transformation
Cyber, Risk & Underwriting
- Turning cyber risk into a client‑value conversation, not a fear pitch
- Cyber crisis playbooks: who does what, when it hits
- Underwriting the next wave of cyber and personal cyber exposures
Nat Cat & Climate
- Rethinking nat cat models for a world that won’t sit still
- Helping clients understand climate‑driven pricing and coverage shifts
- Placing and structuring nat cat and climate‑exposed risks when volatility is the norm
Regulation, Legal & Compliance
- What new rules really mean for AI, cyber, and everyday brokerage workflows
- RegTech that actually simplifies audits, file reviews, and reporting
- Staying compliant on claims, E&S, and specialty without killing broker speed
Next Gen
- Career playbooks: what rising brokers wish they’d known earlier
- Mixing veteran experience with new ideas in
- Finding your lane as a NextGen broker in a consolidating, tech‑driven market
Diversity & Inclusion
- Real stories from women and under‑represented leaders on breaking through and bringing others with them
- How brokers can sponsor others, share opportunities, and use their voice even without a hiring title
- Where inclusion has changed client relationships, ideas, and outcomes – not just internal messaging
E&S Unfiltered
- Winning in a capacity‑tight, appetite‑shifting E&S market
- Designing E&S solutions for “wild risks” the standard market won’t touch
- Broker, MGA, and carrier partnerships that unlock specialty placements
Construction & Specialty Reports
- Managing construction risk under climate, cost, and regulatory pressure
- Spotting breakout niches across specialty lines before the market crowds in
- Claims and coverage lessons from large, multi‑party and specialty projects
Market Capacity, M&A & Economic Headwinds
- Broker playbooks for navigating consolidation and staying relevant
- Positioning your firm for sale, scale, or strategic partnership
- Competing when capacity, pricing, and client demand all move at once
Digital Transformation & Innovation
- Turning AI from hype to ROI in real brokerage workflows
- Building a digital client journey that wins (and keeps) business in a virtual world
- Choosing InsurTech and RegTech partners that accelerate real transformation
Cyber, Risk & Underwriting
- Turning cyber risk into a client‑value conversation, not a fear pitch
- Cyber crisis playbooks: who does what, when it hits
- Underwriting the next wave of cyber and personal cyber exposures
Nat Cat & Climate
- Rethinking nat cat models for a world that won’t sit still
- Helping clients understand climate‑driven pricing and coverage shifts
- Placing and structuring nat cat and climate‑exposed risks when volatility is the norm
Regulation, Legal & Compliance
- What new rules really mean for AI, cyber, and everyday brokerage workflows
- RegTech that actually simplifies audits, file reviews, and reporting
- Staying compliant on claims, E&S, and specialty without killing broker speed
Next Gen
- Career playbooks: what rising brokers wish they’d known earlier
- Mixing veteran experience with new ideas in
- Finding your lane as a NextGen broker in a consolidating, tech‑driven market
Diversity & Inclusion
- Real stories from women and under‑represented leaders on breaking through and bringing others with them
- How brokers can sponsor others, share opportunities, and use their voice even without a hiring title
- Where inclusion has changed client relationships, ideas, and outcomes – not just internal messaging
E&S Unfiltered
- Winning in a capacity‑tight, appetite‑shifting E&S market
- Designing E&S solutions for “wild risks” the standard market won’t touch
- Broker, MGA, and carrier partnerships that unlock specialty placements
Construction & Specialty Reports
- Managing construction risk under climate, cost, and regulatory pressure
- Spotting breakout niches across specialty lines before the market crowds in
- Claims and coverage lessons from large, multi‑party and specialty projects
Market Capacity, M&A & Economic Headwinds
- Broker playbooks for navigating consolidation and staying relevant
- Positioning your firm for sale, scale, or strategic partnership
- Competing when capacity, pricing, and client demand all move at once



