Conference Update

2015 NWCDC Call for Proposals

Proposal forms for professionals wishing to speak at the 2015 National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference & Expo are now available with a Feb. 6, 2015 deadline for submissions.
By: | December 1, 2014

Workers’ comp services providers, insurers, brokers, regulators, and medical providers are all encouraged to apply to speak at the conference scheduled for Nov. 11-13, 2015 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Proposals seeking to integrate employer presentations into session panels will once again receive the session-selection group’s priority consideration when the group begins building the overall conference program.

That follows from our success in composing the recently-concluded 2014 conference. Employers and service providers attending the 2014 event praised our increased effort to highlight employer knowledge, experience, program strategies, and outcomes.

Workers’ comp service providers, attorneys, insurers and other industry professional also provide conference attendees valuable ideas and information that the session-selection group will eagerly evaluate for potential 2015 presentations.

But including employers in session panels helps attendees evaluate how strategies and ideas ultimately work and how they impact workers’-comp management programs.

We want employers and their service providers to speak on a broad variety of workers’ comp and disability-related topics so don’t hesitate to submit multiple RFPs. We do ask, however, for original content not previously provided at other venues.

Innovative practices and strategies that reduce injuries and costs are welcome. But risk managers and workers comp managers are also encouraged to share their unique experiences with applying tried-and-true practices at their companies.

The 2014 conference saw several employers and others speaking on their integration of measures for addressing both occupational and non-occupational injuries, illness and disabilities. We look forward to seeing more proposals containing information on various integrated disability practices as the integration of disability management strategies appears to be a growing trend.

But with a goal of providing breakout sessions containing a broad range of workers’ comp content we will not be limited to selecting from any one topic area.

Reviewing the criteria guidelines we followed when selecting speaker proposals for the 2014 conference may be helpful at this point for anyone beginning to complete the 2015 RFP forms. The criteria guidelines include:

  • The extent to which a presentation would help attendees resolve real-world workers’ comp program challenges or claims problems.
  • The timeliness of the issues examined.
  • Potential for fresh perspectives from speakers new to the conference.
  • The depth of experience, credentials, and expertise of the speaker in relation to their topic.
  • The speaker’s job description and their position within the industry with particular attention paid to increasing the number of participating risk managers.
  • How well the topic blended with other presentations and the extent to which this would create a cohesive conference program addressing a broad mix of issues.
  • Public speaking and presentation experience of the speakers, when known.

RFP forms and information are available here. Or, for further discussion on potential presentation topics and speakers, contact Roberto Ceniceros, conference co-chair, at (208) 286-1425.

Roberto Ceniceros is a retired senior editor of Risk & Insurance® and the former chair of the National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference® & Expo. Read more of his columns and features.

More from Risk & Insurance