The 14th Annual Windstorm Insurance Conference is just around the corner, and today is the last day to receive the discounted registration rate. This year, the conference will be held January 28-31, 2013, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. Group rate hotel rooms are available for a limited time; click here to book your stay.

If you have attended a Windstorm Conference in the past, you know how valuable it is to have three days dedicated to professional development, continuing education, and networking with other insurance claim professionals. This year, the conference promises even more benefits to educate members on the current trends and recent developments in the windstorm-insurance industry.

Merlin Law Group will be presenting several panel presentation sessions this year. Chip Merlin will give the Gulf Coast/Southwest Insurance Case Law Update. David Pettinato will present a seminar that public adjusters should attend called, “Insurance Adjusters: How to Prepare for Your Deposition”. Jean Niven will present, “Sinkholes: The Evolution of Florida Claims in 2012”. Donna DeVaney Stockham will instruct the course, “Protecting Your Client’s Interest during Settlement”, and Javier Delgado is faculty for the double session of the WIND Appraiser Certification.

In addition to the WIND Appraiser Certification course Javier is teaching, WIND also provides a certification for umpires. Both of these certification courses are in high demand and always receive great reviews.

Public adjusters may also want to attend classes on Claims Software Training because there is new information that can speed up the time it takes to write estimates. Xactimate has launched a program for the iPad called Xactscope. Xactscope can be used in the field for sketching, estimating, and it also has a photo feature for easy organization and labeling. Not a Xactomate fan? Simsol will provide both an introductory and advanced course for its estimating software as well.

With the ability to log nearly two years worth of continuing education credits in multiple states, this is a must attend conference. Public adjusters specifically need to attend this conference. In the past two years, more than 50 insurance companies have sent their adjusters and representatives. Since the purpose of the conference is to bring all industry professionals together to discuss current trends and recent developments, as public adjusters you need to come to voice your concerns, meet the claims supervisors, and take the opportunity to add more tools to your toolkit. If you take advantage of this opportunity, you can do a better job helping policyholders in the aftermath of the storm.