From the first year that some visionary decided to make their trade conference exhibit stand out by giving away popcorn, the 36th annual RIMS Conference has come a long way.

Bermuda as a destination faces significant competition to just get noticed in an overwhelmingly busy conference hall. Yet among hundreds of exhibitors at this ever-growing and increasingly slickly-presented conference, a little Island cottage is attracting a lot of attention.

Part of it is because Bermuda's name is becoming synonymous with innovative risk transfer techniques. New risk transfer solutions were very much on the minds of many in an enthusiastic crowd near the Island's exhibit immediately after the exhibition hall opened for the week at 10 a.m.

Maybe there were some seeking information on Bermuda as a tourism destination, for sure some were just lining up to get their hands on the Bermuda bag, the Island's much-wanted giveaway.

But there are new reasons that Bermuda is again standing out in a crowd. Two that deserve special mention -- ACE Limited and EXEL Limited. Both, for the very first time, have a significant presence at the RIMS Conference, through their recent corporate acquisitions in the US. Previously the companies, for tax and regulatory reasons, were not permitted to market in the US. But through the recent purchases and subsequent re-naming of US companies, new booths have been conservatively placed in the RIMS exhibition hall. Almost as if it was by design they are not only near one another but seem to feed off each other by their very corporate identities. Hence, you have ACE USA and EXEL America.

Premier Pamela Gordon was at the San Diego Convention Centre yesterday morning. She expressed amazement at the amount of effort that went in to the various exhibits. She said Bermuda "is definitely holding its own. We're so very well represented here. We have about 130 people from the Island participating this year, which just shows the significance and importance of the insurance/reinsurance and captive insurance industry to Bermuda.

"Because of our relationship with business, the Government has made a committment to our presence here. We want to be here to see what we can do to help. We're looking at creating something very innovative that will work for Bermuda. It's not specifically geared toward international business. It's about uplifting the people of Bermuda and getting them involved in business in a very real way. But that is yet to come. It will be something interesting and it will be anounced soon.'' PREMIER GORDON -- Island `holding its own'.

BUSINESS BUC