Drones and ‘Braindates’: How FICP Tried to Set its Conference Apart

An indoor drone show opening the Annual Conference of FICP (the association for financial and insurance conference professionals) at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel left 700 attendees with the sense that this would be a different kind of meeting.

Among many new features, a revolving schedule of ‘Braindates’ invited people to pick a topic for a deep 45-minute discussion – not your typical conference chit-chat.  

Braindate topics varied, from Demystifying DMC Pricing to Building Resilience and Thriving as a Small Business Owner. 

The planning team still paid close attention to popular speakers from past meetings. 

Jim Spellos, president of Meeting U, led a group of panelists who shared their hands-on experiences using generative AI for everything from seating charts to attendee surveys. Mike Dominguez, president and CEO at Associated Luxury Hotels International, presented research on the global economy and geopolitics, as well as the state of the hotel industry.

Two motivational keynoters – Justin Forsett, former NFL Pro Bowl running back, and Justin Wren, Elite UFC/MMA fighter – came from the world of sports. Denver is the smallest city in the country with four major professional sports teams, including the Denver Broncos), and an evening reception at Tom’s Watch Bar, overlooking Coors Field, was a big hit.

Sustainability at the Forefront

There were many green meeting elements – aluminum cans of water instead of plastic bottles, saplings instead of cut flowers for the centerpieces, recyclable paper room cards instead of plastic. FICP also introduced environmentally responsible amenity vendors, such as Joycoast sunglasses, which plants 10 trees for each pair sold. 

All were part of FICP’s effort to achieve a Sustainable Event Certification from the Events Industry Council, and the team behind the effort, led by FICP events director Ellie Hurley, shared their experience during a fireside chat.

A keynote session on neurodiversity featured Megan Henshall, partnership strategy and engagement lead at Google, and founder and chief impact officer of The Neu Project. She was joined by Rachel Lowenstein, founder and chief creative office of The Neu Project. 

Both speakers, who were diagnosed with autism as adults, shared their personal stories and discussed aspects of live events that can be challenging for this population. Sensory support kits were available throughout the week for neurodiverse attendees.

Following its tradition of corporate social responsibility, FICP tapped Alan Ranzer at Impact4Good to organize teams to pack up 1,200 meals for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. All proceeds from the FICP Silent Auction were donated to The Above and Beyond Foundation, which awarded two $10,000 grants to outstanding front-line hotel workers from the hotel.

The final night evening was an homage to Colorado’s beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater, with the hotel’s ballroom awash in sunset, huge rock formations and creative local F&B, including a whisky tasting. 

FICP will mark its 70th Anniversary in 2027, and announced at the meeting that the celebration will be held November 7-10 at El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico. Next year’s Annual Conference will be held November 2-5 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.