34 RISKINFO MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 2012

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MDRT 2012 Annual Meeting Wrap

Highly-regarded Australian consultant, author and presenter, Keith Abraham, delivers his message to a huge audience of

7,000 advisers at this year’s MDRT Annual Meeting

AIA Australia Head of Retail - Advice Services, Pina Sciaronne (left) and Vicki Writer, AIA’s NSW State Mananger – Client Development. The doors were locked after 1,200 delegates

crammed into the venue to hear Vicki break-out session presentation

Adelaide adviser Richard Campbell was the Australian flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 MDRT Annual

Meeting in Anaheim

Canadian adviser and MDRT Life Member, Brent Peacock (left) was a welcome guest at the Aussie Night at MDRT, sharing some

quality time with Queensland adviser and former Australian MDRT Chair, Stuart Farrell

The 2012 Million Dollar Round Table

Annual Meeting was held in Anaheim,

California in June. Around 7,000

industry contributors attended the

event, 6,500 of whom were qualifying

financial advisers.

The scale of this event makes it the

largest gathering of financial advisers

in the world each year, where delegates

can experience a range of presentations

and focus groups that span the entire

spectrum of issues impacting the

financial adviser.

Approximately 80 advisers and

guests from Australia attended the

2012 MDRT Annual Meeting. Two

Australians, Keith Abraham and Troy

Hazard, were afforded the highly prized

opportunity to deliver main platform

presentations to the audience of 7,000,

while AIA Australia’s Vicki Writer

presented to a focus group on the topic

of referrals. Her presentation was so

popular that the doors were closed to

delegates after 1,200 advisers had filled

the venue to its capacity.

The format of MDRT Annual Meetings

approximates those for Australian

financial services conferences, where

there are main plenary sessions

complemented by numerous break-

out presentations and discussions.

There are trade exhibits where many

institutions are represented and there

is also a huge array of books, dvds and

other assorted business aids available

to be purchased via the MDRT Power

Center Store.

The numerous break-out or focus

sessions covered a large variety of

issues of relevance to advisers, and were

categorised under topics such as:

– Wealth management/retirement

planning

– Practice management

– Risk and protection products

– Marketing/branding

– Sales ideas/strategies

– Whole person

There were more than a thousand

first-time attendees, but many delegates

return to this amazing event year

after year in order to learn new ideas,

share their own strategies, develop

and maintain their personal network

contacts, experience motivational

presentations, many of which relate to

‘whole self’, and to generally recharge

their batteries for the coming 12

months.

While there were so many different

messages of value for advisers, one

of the more consistent messages

across many presentations related to

positioning strategies that would not

simply achieve business success but

also deliver greater value and fulfilment

in the adviser’s personal and family

lives.

Advisers considering attending the 2013 MDRT Annual Meeting, to be held in Philadelphia, would be required to qualify via the Australian MDRT organisations’ criteria (visit: www.mdrtaustralia.net).

SEPTEMBER 2012 - RISKINFO MAGAZINE 35

www.riskinfo.com.au • Industr y

AFA CEO Richard Klipin (left), with Australian advisers Mike Rollinson and Daryl La ‘Brooy

New contacts, global networking

Zurich’s GM Retail Life and Investments, Phil Kewin (left) and MDRT colleague, Phil Campbell, at the Aussie Night

Australian Entrepreneur, Troy Hazard, delivers his excellent main platform presentation

Immediate Past President of MDRT, Julian Good, and MDRT Life Member, Paul McCready

Asteron’s Executive Manager Key Accounts and Operations, Robyn Mohr, flanked by Australian advisers Adam Stuart (left)

and former AFA Adviser of the Year, Adam Smith

Outstanding UK adviser, Derek Mills, tells advisers from the main platform that it’s not about setting goals; it’s about setting

standards. Derek is known internationally as ‘The Standards Guy’.

The incredible story of Michael Schlappi – you just had to be there. It was all about Michael’s journey and the empowerment

of the individual: “If you can’t stand up, stand out”