With life getting back to something approaching normality after the challenges of getting to and working in Venice for the Forum, the general feedback has been positive from those who attended – but the need for easy-to-access venues and cheaper costs was certainly a topic of conversation amongst the exhibitors and sponsors.

It was clear that the exhibitors had increased their spend at the Forum as well as their appetite to invest more in the way in which they engaged with those attending, as well as those who didn’t make the trip. An example of this was the work that Zurich Global did on LinkedIn – a great campaign with lots of content and information being distributed/shared ahead of and during the event. This approach not only extends the reach of the messaging around the event, targeting those that cannot attend as well as those that can, but also provides Zurich with great insight into what their clients are thinking on key topics, via detailed analytics. Generali invested heavily in an AV wall – making the most of content/messaging they had to offer.

The more ‘traditional’ also had their place in Venice. Great coffee from FM Global helped them have a full stand for the entire event and provided a good reason to talk through the issues of the day. Mapfre brought in ham and red wine – always welcome - while RSA had an array of sweets – never good for the waistline! There was also an Apple Watch as a prize for the Swiss Re quiz and more coffee from Canopius on the Lloyd’s stand.

With a range of business meetings in various locations, the two that seemed to attract the most visitors were Zurich with their mobile lounge immediately outside of the Casino – a great place to enjoy the sunshine, and the ever present Ace Business Lounge in the Cinema, but I know that others were equally busy – so clearly this was the time and the place to talk business and market challenges!

For some ‘R&R’, there was the usual range of parties/receptions, with the Monday seeming to be a particularly busy night – did anyone manage to go to all of them?

Planning is already underway for Monaco, but have a look at our video of the highlights of Venice – 2017 will be here sooner than we think!

FERMA 2015 Medley from brandformula on Vimeo.