Programming Announced for Absolute Inclusion Conference
A branch of the comedy empire that helped shape American theater for nearly 50 years will use the power of improv to demonstrate the benefits of greater workplace diversity and inclusion during Business Insurance's Absolute Inclusion Leadership Conference in Chicago this September.
Second City Works, the B2B side of The Second City, the world's leading comedy theater and school of improvisation, will showcase its groundbreaking Diversity & Inclusion programming at an interactive workshop featuring comedic scenes to educate and inform about diversity, and bring to life the practice of improv to build skills for more inclusive teams.
The Second City Works performance on Wednesday, Sept. 28, is being held in conjunction with Lloyd's of London's Dive In--the Festival for Diversity and Inclusion in Insurance, and will be free and open to commercial insurance industry employees throughout the Chicago area.
The paid portion of the two-day conference, which continues on Thursday, Sept. 29, will feature Howard Ross, founder and chief learning officer of Cook Ross Inc., on “Managing in a Time of Fear.” Mr. Ross, an internationally known diversity training expert and author, will help insurance industry executives develop a clear sense of how events of the past few years---including the recent police shootings, homophobia and concerns about immigration--are influencing their employees. They also will learn about the science behind fear so that they can adopt effective intervention strategies.
Eric Alva, the first American soldier wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom, will address his battle to overcome his injuries and the difficulties he encountered after leaving the military and coming out as gay. From learning to walk with a prosthetic, to his desire to continue his education and obtain his degree, Mr. Alva inspires audiences to persevere by demonstrating how he conquered such obstacles.
The conference, being held at the Westin Michigan Avenue, also will use gamification to connect the concept of diversity with inclusion. Conference attendees will play Contineo, an interactive game that uses conversations, challenges and other engaging activities, to teach the fundamentals of D&I and link them to improved individual, team and organizational performance. Contineo was developed by inQUEST, a collective of D&I thought leaders, in partnership with Celemi, a global leader in business simulations and customized learning solutions.
Also during the conference, a panel of insurance industry CEOs will discuss the business case for greater diversity and inclusion, publicly pledging to support efforts to foster greater diversity both within their organizations and throughout the industry.
Other sessions will include:
- D&I considerations in client engagement
- Insurance regulator focus on driving diversity in the industry
- Demonstrations of technology designed to facilitate diversity and inclusion
- The impact of “covering” at work on employee productivity
- The latest D&I research conducted by the Institute and in conjunction with the Families & Work Institute
- Executive Insights – short, inspirational speeches by industry leaders from Ryan Specialty Group, The Hartford, Willis Towers Watson and Zurich
To review the complete agenda and to register for the Absolute Inclusion Conference, visit www.businessinsurance.com/agenda.
The Absolute Inclusion Leadership Conference is the inaugural event of Business Insurance's Diversity & Inclusion Institute, which was launched last December to promote and advance diversity and inclusion throughout the commercial insurance industry. For more information about the Institute, visit www.diversityinclusioninstitute.com.