Promising start for new ILS conference
Last week a new date was added to the conference season – Artemis’ ILS NYC 2017. The event was full to capacity with 200 delegates and had 80 people on a waiting list – no mean feat for a brand new conference. It was both well-sponsored and well attended – on the face of it a bit of a coup for a newbie event.

A panel at the well-received Artemis’ ILS NYC 20
But its organiser, Artemis has been going for a long time. Started in the 1990s and has morphed from a risk transfer blog into one of the best sites for in-depth news and analysis in all things ILS (insurance-linked securities). It is a trusted source for both participants and investors and its owner, Steve Evans, is a well-respected part of this community.
Content made the conference
So it is no wonder that his first February New York conference was not just full to capacity, but over-subscribed. Steve said: “What made it special, based on the feedback, was the content.” He said the attendees said the day was “unlike any conference in the sector before” and it was more thoughtful, insightful and designed to get people thinking.
He added: “For me it was about giving people a good day, where they felt engaged but also enjoyed the venue space and networking etc.”
Unfortunately, we could not go this year but myself, aka @Ilsdiva and rein4ce boss-lady Mairi Mallon aka @reinsurancegirl kept abreast of what was happening with twitter – #ilsnyc2017 was the hashtag and we got to see a bit of the action.
The ILS community is very active on Twitter – thank goodness – so we can really keep in touch around the globe no matter where they are.
Who are the top tweeters in the ILS community?
Here is a list of top ILS tweeters from the event in case you want to follow this little community:
@artemisbm – the official handle of Artemis
@steve_e – Steve Evans, Owner and Writer at Artemis
@michaeliancoles – Chairman and CEO of Cedent
@conyersdill – twitter handle for the Bermuda law firm Conyers Dill & Pearman
@garrod_chris – Chris Garrod, Partner Conyers Dill & Pearman
@smosstastrophe – Stephen Moss Director, Capital Markets, RMS
@dzarrilli – Daniel Zarrilli, Senior Director, Climate Policy and Programs, Chief Resilience Officer NYC Office of the Mayor
@AMBestCo – Ratings agency’s TV channel, Best TV – featured pictures of the fab Meg Green doing her interviews
@ConvergenceEsq – Matthew Gabin, counsel, Meyer Brown
@tjohansmeyer – Tom Johansmeyer, AVP of PCS Strategy and Development, Verisk Insurance Solutions
@LedgerInvesting – Online marketplace for interactions between investors and insurance carriers.
@Jer_rams – Jereme Ramsay – business development manager at Bermuda Business Development Agency
@rmshemant – Hemant Shah – CEO and co-founder of RMS
Missing from this list are a few other key ILS folks:
@Fiona_InsideTR – Fiona Robertson, Editor of Trading Risk, an ILS publication
@IPTradingRisk – official twitter handle for Trading Risk, the ILS publication
@catbondcat – a spoof handle of a roving ILS cat with meme’s about catastrophe bonds, and a favourite of mine!
@ilsbermuda – annual Bermuda Convergence conference
@Kiffmeister – John Kiff, Senior IMF Financial Sector
@bermudare – Bermuda Re and ILS magazine official handle
@intelligentils – Intelligent Insurer magazine ILS handle
@Inslinked – online resource for cat bonds
@BSXBermuda – Bermuda Stock Exchange official twitter page
@drbenfox – Ben Fox Assistant Portfolio Manager in the ILS group at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
@InsuroSapien – Meyer Mandel reinsurance professional
So if you are not on twitter – get on there. It really is not hard and is an excellent source of information and news on all things – just remember to use the hastags #ils #catbond and #reinsurance to help the rest of us find your tweets!