The International Reinsurance Congress, held annually in Bermuda, concluded ten days ago. This year's 13th Congress attracted 240 delegates, three times as many as the first conference back in 1986.

If you think of the Congress as an orchestral performance -- both have their stars and each requires a huge amount of staging in a suitable auditorium -- Tawny Hazelwood would be the conductor.

Ms Hazelwood is employed by the Hawksmere Group plc, a British company which organises dozens of conferences around the year and around the world, the majority in England, in the areas of insurance and reinsurance and litigation.

Born and educated in New Zealand, Ms Hazelwood caught the travel bug a little more than eight years ago. She followed what has become a classic course of action for Kiwis, and visited England prior to travelling through Europe. She has worked in England ever since.

"My first job was at the Oval, the cricket ground in the south of London, as director of marketing,'' Ms Hazelwood recalled. "The ground had facilities that were not being used, so we developed the concept of holding business meetings there.'' Organisation's the key to the conference From London's second most famous cricket venue, she joined Hawksmere, which last November became a part of Kluwer, a Dutch company, blending the companies' event management skills with a tradition of academic training.

Kluwer is particularly well respected in the legal field and in corporate acquisitions.

Ms Hazelwood runs the Bermuda reinsurance congress in conjunction with accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

"We cover quite a full range of topics at the Congress,'' she said. "Many of our delegates in Bermuda are European insurers and reinsurers. We like to offer them the ability to select a meeting track that suits them.'' One of the primary benefits of conferences is the networking, and the Congress is no exception. "People tell me that they may live and work nearby someone in London, and not see them all year long, until they rendezvous at the Congress,'' Ms Hazelwood said.

The conference finished nearly two weeks ago, but Ms Hazelwood's work only came to an end in the past couple of days. "I actively review aspects of the Congress for two weeks after it has finished,'' she said. "Part of the process is an in-house debrief, which we do immediately.'' Next year's Congress will be on the boards by the end of this year, Ms Hazelwood explained, as advance planning starts almost immediately after the review process for the current year has concluded.

She readily acknowledges the advantage of working in conjunction with PwC, whose work on the Bermuda Congress is led by Bermudian partner (and conference chairman) Ray Medeiros. "Last year, a speaker called from JFK airport in New York City, to say that he couldn't make it. PwC stepped in and supplied someone on very short notice,'' Ms Hazelwood said.

What makes a good conference organiser? "You need to be thorough and, not surprisingly, organised,'' said Ms Hazelwood. It's about crossing the t's and dotting the i's. People think they can avoid the details, but they will catch up with you.''