The Specialized World of Programs

Welcome to the 12th Annual Program Directory, Volume I. Twice a year we provide this directory for all you program junkies out there. Our print directory is a great resource for those of you who prefer having something you can pick up and flip through, versus our online directory. The programs are categorized by class of business, making it easy for you to locate the one that’s right for you.

Of course, for those of you who prefer the Internet to print, don’t forget that our online directory is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at www.insurancejournal.com. Look to the left of your page, scroll down to “Resources” and click on “Find a Program.” You’ll have plenty of programs at your fingertips, and they are updated continuously throughout the year.

This year, as we did last, Managing Editors Stephanie Jones and Kevin O’Reilly scoured the offerings and selected eight of the most unusual and interesting programs, with an extra thrown in for good measure.

Programs are the most fun and lively coverages to read and write about. If you flip to page 22, you’ll see why. The average Joe normally doesn’t put much thought into insurance. When he’s sitting at the rodeo watching cowboys rope bulls, it’s pretty safe to say he’s not thinking about who’s insuring the cowboy—or the bull for that matter! But more than likely you are. From the smallest hometown rodeos to RODEOHOUSTON, a 20-day event featuring the hottest professional rodeo cowboys and the music industry’s most prolific artists, programs are the answer to any event planner’s prayers.

But programs aren’t just all about rodeos and clowns. They also run the gamut from insuring contractors to laboratories. Programs are invaluable to those risks that are, in general, tough to underwrite. A program writer oftentimes develops a niche in developing their programs, and has carefully and deliberately crafted their expertise through strict underwriting. The essence of a program is a specialized group of coverages geared towards a specific industry.

If you turn to page 16, Tom Harms of Aon Specialty Re will give you some tips on how to successfully market your program. And on page 67, our National Editor, Andrea Ortega-Wells, discusses how the reinsurance program model has evolved over the years to focus on underwriting profitability.

We hope you find our directory useful. If we’ve left anyone out, or if there is anything we can do to improve the directory, please let us know. You can e-mail me at cbeisiegel@insurancejournal.com.

As always, thanks for reading!