The planning and work have been intense. Multiple stages running simultaneous events. State and regional workers’ compensation updates. Excellent speakers. Even a series of video shorts discussing what industry experts have learned from COVID. The National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) Annual Conference will in many ways be bigger than ever before, and it won’t have a single person in physical attendance. It will, however, have more attendees than they have ever seen at previous events.
That is the dichotomy of the COVID pandemic and a resulting virtual existence. In a virtual world where travel and budgets have been restricted, opportunities, attendance and participation soar.
We’ve written numerous times about the NWCDN Annual Conferences. Free to attendees, it has proven to offer one of the best educational and networking values for the workers’ compensation industry. Every year, 300 or so NWCDN clients and other registrants travel from all across the country to attend. This year, of course, it is like every other major event, going virtual. This gives those in the industry, who in previous years due to budget or time constraints could not attend, the opportunity to hear and learn from highly knowledgeable speakers on a variety of topics.
In fact, the NWCDN Conference, taking place on November 12, 2020, is on track to have well over 1,000 attendees. And we are pleased that this year the WorkersCompensation.com Center for Education Excellence has the opportunity to co-produce the event with them.
The theme this year is “Workers’ Compensation in a Post-COVID World.” Two virtual stages will offer panels detailing COVID and Other Emerging Issues in their respective mini-regions. A director from the CDC will discuss the Future of Work in a Post-COVID Environment, and the event will feature a series of “What I Learned During COVID” segments from leading industry insiders. Other sessions include The Future of the Insurance Industry, COVID Presumptions and Beyond, The Future of the AMA Guides, Living in a Virtual World, and more.
The National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network is a network of law firms dedicated to protecting employers in workers’ compensation claims. They offer representation in 47 states.
I recommend that you take the opportunity to register for this annual conference. Even if you cannot make it virtually on the 12th, the sessions will all be recorded and available after the event. The speakers and agenda are excellent, and the virtual world is giving you an opportunity you may not have otherwise had.