A standout week of major international business conferences will bring hundreds of delegates to the Island from Latin America, the US, Canada and further afield next week.

Bermuda Business Development Agency and its stakeholders are preparing for five significant industry events being held on-island — plus at least three more overseas that will partner BDA and industry teams to promote the Bermuda market to potential new business.

Ross Webber, chief executive officer of the BDA, said: “This promises to be a phenomenal week of international business events across numerous sectors — from captives and re/insurance to shipping and asset management,”

He added that the BDA is a sponsor of each event and is directly responsible for bringing three of them to the island.

Mr Webber said: “One of our key business-development strategies has been to attract new conferences to Bermuda so more individuals can personally experience the beauty of our island, its advanced business infrastructure and explore the advantages of our market first-hand. We are expecting next week’s events to provide such a catalyst for future business activity.”

The events line-up includes the Alarys Congress Bermuda 2016 on Monday and Tuesday at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club)

The biennial conference, held previously in Bermuda in 2004 and 2010, has nearly 130 registered delegates, with experts on cyber, terrorism, kidnapping, healthcare and more speaking on trends affecting Latin America’s risk-management industry.

Produced by BDA in conjunction with the Fundación Latinoamericana de Administradores de Riesgos y Seguros, the event will be officially opened by Premier Michael Dunkley Monday morning. Keynote speaker is organised crime expert Elman Myers, of Hiscox’s special risks department. To register or to register, go to: http://alarys.bm/.

The 2016 Bermuda International Life & Annuity Conference, to be held next Tuesday at the Fairmont Southampton, will be hosted by Bermuda International Long Term Insurers and Reinsurers, the one-day annual conference will explore issues affecting the life insurance industry, including capital markets, cybersecurity, big data, predictive analytics and popular reinsurance structures. Keynote Evelyn Gosnell, of Irrational Labs, will talk about the cutting-edge field of behavioural economics. Some 225 delegates are registered to attend. For details, go to: http://www.biltir.bm/2016-conference

The World Alternative Investment Summit Bermuda will run from next Wednesday to Friday at the Fairmont Southampton Resort.

Writer Mike Reiss, of TV’s award-winning animated series, The Simpsons, and former NBA all-star, Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Earl “The Pearl” Monroe will be VIP guests at this inaugural conference that has registered 160 delegates to date.

Produced by Toronto-based Radius Financial Education, the event will bring investment officers, managers, administrators, prime brokers, lawyers, and others linked to the alternative investment space. To register, go to http://waisc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=310&Itemid=207

And next Friday, the Opalesque Bermuda Roundtable will be held at the BDA offices in Hamilton.

Matthias Knab, founder of alternative investment industry publication Opalesque will moderate a panel discussion with local professionals to provide insights, updates and educational content on Bermuda’s asset management sector. The round table’s content will create a stand-alone article circulated to Opalesque’s global subscriber base of 50,000, including fund managers, investors/allocators and service providers.

The Dive In Festival will be held next Tuesday to Thursday.

A global diversity initiative championed by Lloyd’s CEO Inga Beale, the campaign comes to Bermuda and 15 cities around the world next week. Launched in London last year, the festival promoting inclusion in the insurance industry and will be hosted locally by Aon, EY, Hamilton Re, Marsh and XL Catlin. Events include presentations, workshops and interactive sessions. For details and to register, go to: www.diveinfestival.com

BDA representatives are also teaming with Bermudian-based industry partners at three important overseas events next week.

BDA staff will attend the Superyacht Finance Forum, to be held on Tuesday, September 27.

The prestigious 9th annual Superyacht Finance Forum is held on the eve of the popular four-day Monaco Boat Show, and this year features Bermuda’s Mark Soares as a featured presenter.

Mr Soares, owner and director of Bermuda Yacht Services, will discuss the benefits of Bermuda’s new marinas for yacht owners and operators, leading into next year’s America’s Cup. The BDA’s Lynesha Lightbourne will also attend.

Bermuda will also be represented at the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management in Orlando next week.

A membership group of the American Hospital Association, ASHRM holds the year’s largest healthcare-related insurance conference, attracting thousands of attendees. BDA’s Mark Darko and consultant Raymond Tannock will lead a 20-strong industry delegation to promote Bermuda’s fast-growing market for healthcare-related insurance, notably for US hospitals, care facilities and medical associations.

Around 250 guests are expected to attend a BDA-sponsored Bermuda Healthcare Market lunch on Monday, featuring as guest speaker Johns Hopkins surgeon, bestselling author and medical commentator Dr. Marty Makary. BDA is also an exhibitor, showcasing the island’s re/insurance sphere via a booth.

The Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners LatAm Conference will be held in Panama from Wednesday to Friday.

This year’s trust and private client sector’s STEP LatAm Conference, to be held in Panama City, will be attended by Randall Krebs of Meritus Trust Company and James Stooke of Butterfield Trust. The 2016 conference is themed around the convergence of common and civil law.

Mr Webber said: “We’re looking forward to what is one of the busiest weeks of the year in terms of event organisation & coordination, networking, business development and jurisdictional advocacy both here and abroad.”

“The end goal is to get companies to set up in Bermuda and employ people. There is no better advert for business in Bermuda than having people see for themselves our sophisticated and conducive ecosystem, friendly people, and natural beauty. We intend to leverage the benefits of all these events.”