Agenda

Join us for a special in-person gathering designed for all 2026 LEAD Program cohorts. This invite-only event offers a valuable opportunity to connect face-to-face with fellow participants, engage in meaningful networking, and hear from an inspiring guest speaker. Don’t miss this chance to build relationships and strengthen your leadership journey within the industry. A light dinner and drinks will be provided.

Join us as we tee off the PLUS Conference at our exciting pre-conference mixer at Topgolf, conveniently located in the hotel. Enjoy an evening of networking and Topgolf hosted by Future PLUS. All registered attendees are welcome. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be available.

Start your PLUS Conference networking experience by connecting with fellow industry professionals through engaging networking activities. Set in a relaxed atmosphere, this event is hosted by Future PLUS volunteers and offers a perfect opportunity to share insights, build relationships, and compete for exciting prizes. This session is a must-do for those new to the PLUS Conference and Future PLUS.

PLUS opening general session will include bestowing PLUS’s two highest honors, the Founders and PLUS1 Awards followed by Jesse Cole, Founder of Fans First Entertainment, Owner of the Savannah Bananas and Creator of Banana Ball. Never a dull moment with Jesse around!

Change the Game: Break the Rules and Create Unforgettable Experiences

Packed with behind-the-peel stories, hard-earned lessons, and a few other surprises, Jesse teaches you how to stand out in your marketplace, drive explosive growth, and inspire lasting loyalty.
Jesse presents his exact “Five E’s” formula that made the Savannah Bananas wildly popular. They have over one billion social media views and over half a million fans on a waiting list for tickets because their season sells out before the first game is played.
1. Eliminate Friction
2. Entertain Always
3. Experiment Constantly
4. Engage Deeply
5. Empower Action
If this all sounds bananas, that’s the point. If you’re ready to change the game, break the rules, and create unforgettable experiences that strengthen relationships, inspire your team, and set your organization apart, it’s time to put people and relationships first.

Connect with Future PLUS volunteer leaders and other attendees at the PLUS Pop Up Bar in the Marriott Ballroom Foyer prior to taking the shuttle to the USS Midway for the PLUS Welcome Reception. Drinks are at your own expense.

Our presenters will explore key aspects of Professional Liability (E&O). The session will cover which businesses face E&O exposure, effective approaches to placing or underwriting E&O coverage, and how policies respond to real‑world claim scenarios. Conversation will center on E&O considerations for licensed professionals, miscellaneous professional services, real estate organizations, media companies, and technology firms.

Join The PLUS Foundation for an exhilarating lunch featuring Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.).

Harnessing Headwinds – Successfully Navigating Change & Adversity

Leaders across every industry and experience level share one thing in common: To be successful they need to effectively navigate challenges, organizational change, and the unknown. Like headwinds to a pilot, these perceived barriers can force you to change direction, cost you momentum, and even take away options. These headwinds can feel confusing, disorienting, and downright uncomfortable. In this talk, Nicole Malachowski uses the aviation-based idea of headwinds as a metaphor to show how with the right mindset, individuals and teams can learn to harness the energy of these headwinds in their advantage.
Nicole inspires individuals and organizations and bolsters your ability to:
o Overcome personal and professional challenges
o Effectively navigate organizational and cultural change
o Endure the discomfort of the unknown
o Increase resilience, reinvention, regroup, and adaptability
o Have courage to rise above self-doubt and cultural paradigms
o Support and mentor others on the team

This interactive panel puts you in the boardroom of a high-growth software company as it moves from a headline-grabbing private equity buyout to mounting financial pressure and, ultimately, distress. Through a “choose your own adventure” format, the audience will help shape key decisions—refinancing, going public, or staying private—as the company’s story unfolds from boom to bust. Along the way, the discussion will explore the evolving challenges faced by directors at each stage of the lifecycle, as well as how D&O insurers assess, price, and underwrite the risk as conditions shift from optimism to uncertainty and, finally, insolvency. The session will conclude with a look at the types of claims that are likely to emerge in the ensuing bankruptcy.

Join us for a strategic discussion featuring industry leaders as they share their perspectives on global forces reshaping the insurance industry.   Panelists will explore the pressures and impact of geopolitical and economic developments, election cycles, advancements in technology and AI, shifting workforce demographics as Baby Boomers (and soon Gen X) transition into retirement, and the evolving competitive landscape driven by M&A, emerging startups and product innovation.

Join Joan Woodward, Executive Vice President of Public Policy for Travelers and President of the Travelers Institute, for a timely discussion around what the 2026 midterm results mean for Congress and the White House in 2027 and beyond.

How might shifting interest rates, inflation pressures, labor market dynamics, and emerging geopolitical risks affect your business strategy in the coming year? Drawing on her extensive experience as an economist on Capitol Hill and an analyst on Wall Street, Joan Woodward will deliver a data-driven, analytical, and nonpartisan outlook, highlight key economic indicators and examine historical election trends.

Is artificial intelligence an all-knowing oracle or a high-tech liability trap? In this interactive session, we will move past the hype to debunk the most common AI myths, focusing on realistic, AI-driven risks for businesses today. Using high-stakes hypothetical scenarios, our panel will analyze the impact of this rapidly evolving technological landscape on claims exposure, good or bad, under various lines of coverage.