Premier Paula Cox and Bermuda’s largest-ever delegation will be “shaking the trees” and “pounding the pavement” at the world’s largest insurance conference this week in hopes of attracting more business to the Island.The annual RIMS conference has direct benefits to Bermuda and Bermudians, says Premier Cox, and she is there to help make it happen.“It’s an opportunity for face time, an opportunity for business development,” she said in an interview with The Royal Gazette. “The conference has clear collateral benefits for Bermuda and Bermudians. More companies, more jobs, more economic activity. That’s what we want.”Planes departing Bermuda were jam packed over the weekend and nary a hotel room available as more than 10,000 global insurance professionals descended upon Philadelphia for the annual RIMS conference.As reported in The Royal Gazette last week, it has been estimated that upwards of 200 Bermuda-based attendees are there.Premier Cox said that she has a busy schedule at RIMS — promoting Bermuda’s attributes as a good place to do business both for existing and prospective companies.“We don’t want the industry or the market to feel that we are taking them for granted,” she said. “We can’t talk about the value of the re/insurance industry in Bermuda and then sit on our laurels and wait for business to come to you — it doesn’t work that way. You have to show you are humble and we have to be out there pounding the pavement and shaking the trees, telling the Bermuda story. Never take success for granted.”The conference is important venue for Bermuda’s re/insurance industry to to meet personally clients on the ground in Philadelphia. Bermuda’s reinsurers had a rough 2011 — according to the Association of Bermuda’s Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR), their members make a total combined net income of nearly $1.5 billion, down from $11.4 billion in 2010.“It’s been a difficult year [2011] in terms of losses for insurance companies but they are still standing, still strong and still well capitalised and they are letting their client base know that they, like Bermuda, are open for business,” said Premier Cox.Overall, the RIMS conference, in its 48th year, has had a long history of Bermuda attendance.The Premier estimated that the Island has been at RIMS for more than 20 years and in fact, her father, Eugene Cox, had attended while he was the Finance Minister.When asked why it was so important to have a presence, Premier Cox said: “We’ve been in the business of coming to RIMS for some time. We can’t say ‘we’ve arrived’ and send a minimum delegation or send no delegation at all. That in and of itself is making a statement. We have to let people know that we’re in good shape and value their business.”It has been confirmed that Premier McKeeva Bush, Cayman’s leader, who has made no secret of his desire to attract Bermuda’s insurance industry away from the Island, will not be attending the conference.Asked what she thought of his absence, Premier Cox said: “Cayman’s Premier is not in our position,” she said. “He doesn’t have the insurance business. That’s why you have such a clear signal from the local market that Cayman is not a credible threat to Bermuda.”The Royal Gazette will be on-site at the conference, follow our Twitter, Facebook and website updates to find out more about the Bermuda’s delegation’s activities.