It’s all about relationships (but also fun on expenses)

The primary motive for attending the Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous is to consolidate relationships with existing clients, according to an online poll of Intelligent Insurer readers—but there is also a portion who go there for less corporate reasons!

While 72 percent of readers, who were able to select two options, selected networking with existing clients as their main motivation for participating in the event, meeting potential new clients was the principal motive for 43 percent of participants in the survey.

“I believe it is an important event to keep relationships fresh (reinsurance is a relationship business) and to discuss topics that are of mutual interest. One of the reasons this meeting is so important is that you have senior industry leaders totally focused on reinsurance topics without the distractions normally associated with the day-to-day,” said one respondent.

Another added: “It is a unique event where most of the great and the good in the reinsurance world convene and are accessible; I always return from Monte Carlo better informed than when I arrive.”

Almost the same importance is given to the opportunity of starting negotiations with existing clients.

Comparatively few see the Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous as a leisure event: from all participants in the survey, only 14 percent indicated that the primary reason to go to Monte Carlo is to enjoy themselves on the company card. There were a few, however.

“The bill from the La Rascasse is never good when you get home and I have been grateful for the SCOR lounge reducing it in recent years. But what the hell—you only live once,” said one well known market participant. Guesses on a postcard…