In October of 2017 The Emerald Group made the journey to the wonderful city of Edinburgh for the annual GIRO conference. With a plane packed full of actuaries we descended upon Scotland with an air of excitement and anticipation.
Tuesday night was a relaxed introduction to the conference, with an enjoyable buffet and plenty of drinks. It was a great time to catch up with familiar faces as well as begin making new acquaintances!
The conference proper began on Wednesday and as a result the demand for teddy bears rose significantly!! We know that going away to conferences demands bribes for the kids, and the teddy bear seem to placate most children (plus a few adults as well 😊).
By the close of play on Wednesday there was a definite buzz regarding the quality of talks so far, and a real passion by many about the development of big data and the significance of developing it. This led us nicely into a fun evening of games and music, which didn’t disappoint. We weren’t alone in spending time on the Scalextric track, racing not only each other but also plenty of uber-competitive actuaries, and who knew that our Executive Director Steve would have been a natural at rolling a small ball into a hole!! With the amazing talent that is the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, it was definitely an evening to remember.
Thursday was another great day of sessions, combining innovative methodologies with thought-provoking predictions about what 2018 will bring. Additional thanks go to WTW for providing hours of comedy with their caricaturist, she was great!
The conference dinner was a great way to round off proceedings, with some excellent food, plenty of drink and a free bar! Needless-to-say that after a heavy night of “networking” there were some sore heads Friday morning. However, after a big breakfast and plenty of coffee, everyone seemed to make it back for the final sessions and some rousing final words.
Another great year for the profession, and a wonderful job from the organising committee as always.
See you all in Birmingham for the 2018 conference!