Alt capacity expected to dominate conversations at Baden-Baden

Alternative capacity and its effect on the market is expected to dominate conversations at this year’s Baden-Baden Reinsurance Meeting, according to an Intelligent Insurer reader survey ahead of the event.

More than a quarter of respondents (26 percent) said they expect alternative capacity to be the main talking point at the event. Nearly one in five respondents said they expect to be engaged in more discussions about rates and terms and conditions than any other single subject, with climate change coming in as the third most popular choice.

Other topics highlighted by respondents included Brexit and casualty pricing.
Intelligent Insurer also asked its readers for their single biggest reason for attending Baden-Baden. The results illustrated the event’s significance as a nodal point the re/insurance industry, and a place where information is swapped and deals are done.

Nearly a third of respondents (31 percent) said they attend the conference to learn new things and gain an understanding of trends. Another 23 percent said networking was their primary motivation, with the opportunity to meet new people and seek new clients their main reason for making the trip.

Around one in five respondents (21 percent) said, rather than meeting new people, they come to Baden-Baden to reaffirm relationships with existing clients in a relaxed environment. An additional 17 percent suggested they would be meeting with existing clients, but gave a specific reason for doing so, saying they would use this opportunity to negotiate year-end renewals.

A candid 8 percent of respondents admitted they attend Baden-Baden as a way to take a break from the office and take the opportunity to spend time in Baden-Baden itself. Whether this 8 percent are really an outlier, or merely the most honest respondents to the survey, was a matter Intelligent Insurer could not possibly comment on.