Foundation Grant Application: Deadline This Friday, August 6!
The deadline for Grant Applications to be received in the NAILBA offices is this week. Don’t miss this opportunity to secure grant funding in the 2010 grant awards cycle of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation. Have you worked with your local charity to submit an application yet?

In 2009, the Foundation awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars in funding to a dozen worthy charities supported by NAILBA members.  To read more about the Charitable Foundation’s Grant Funding in Action, click here.

NAILBA member agencies and corporate supporters received the 2010 Foundation Grant Application in the mail recently, and it has also been posted to the NAILBA Web site. Full details regarding the Grant Application process are outlined in the Grant Application Brochure. Applications and attachments must be returned to NAILBA offices by August 6, 2010 to be considered for this year’s grants awards.

You can also support the ongoing work of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation by using the online form to become a Foundation donor (donations are tax deductible).

Questions? Contact Naomi Romanchok at nromanchok@nailba.org or 703-383-3072.

Welcome New Members!
NAILBA is pleased to welcome the following New Members:

Regular Member Agency:
Premier Global Insurance Marketing
8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 945
Beverly Hills, CA  90211
323-944-0486
David S. Marshall, President and CEO

Associate Member Agency:
Ash Brokerage of Southwest Florida
3776 Cracker Way
Bonita Springs, FL  34134
239-676-9598
Robert D. Lombardo, Managing Director, Principal

Qualified Member Agency:
Innovative Underwriters
1700 Market Street, Suite 3232
Philadelphia, PA  19103
215-875-8650
David J. Decker, CLU, ChFC, President

If you would like to recommend an agency for membership, please contact Naomi Romanchok at nromanchok@nailba.org or 703-383-3072.

Mooers Award: Call for Nominations
Individuals in the brokerage community are invited to submit a nomination for the 2010 Douglas H. Mooers Award of Excellence. As you know, this award is the highest honor presented to an individual in the brokerage community, and recognizes individuals whose achievements demonstrate outstanding commitment to independent life brokerage and the insurance world. The awardee will be recognized at NAILBA 29 at the Douglas H. Mooers Award Dinner.

The deadline for receipt of nominations and supporting material is August 27. The complete Call for Nominations can be found here, and was sent in June to individuals in the brokerage community.

Questions? Contact Jack Chiasson at jchiasson@nailba.org or 703-383-3066.

Vote in LIFE Lessons Scholarship
NAILBA, in conjunction with the LIFE Foundation, invites our members and the general public to cast their vote to help determine which of three college-age students is most deserving of one of the top scholarships in the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program.  NAILBA, through our Charitable Foundation, supports this scholarship program with an annual grant, recognition of the scholarship recipient at our Annual Meeting and through our membership in the LIFE Foundation. The three scholarship applicants whose videos are included have already been awarded $2,500 each, through a competitive review of their scholarship entries.

Your vote will help determine which of these three worthy applicants will receive an additional $2,500.

Votes can be cast online at www.lifehappens.org/vote. The deadline to vote is next Friday, August 13, 2010 at 5:00 pm Eastern.

To learn more about the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, visit www.lifehappens.org/lifelessons   

Thank you NAILBA PAC Participants!
NAILBA is especially grateful for the support our members have provided to NAILBA PAC to ensure our legislative interests are effectively represented in Washington.  For the most recent list of NAILBA PAC participants, follow this link.  To learn more about NAILBA PAC and how you can participate, visit the NAILBA PAC information page.

For more information about the efforts of the NAILBA PAC, contact Mark Valentini at 703-383-3073 or mvalentini@nailba.org.

NAILBA 29: Complete Registration Materials Available Now!
Full registration materials including an agenda, General Session details, workshops, an exhibitor/sponsor list, golf information and more were mailed in July to NAILBA member agency principals and staff, exhibitors and sponsors. To view the registration materials online, click here.

Hotel reservations are filling quickly and may sell out – make your reservation now! The Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX is still accepting reservations for NAILBA 29 at the NAILBA Discounted Rates of $240/night S/D. To make your reservations online, use this link or CALL the hotel directly at 866-782-7897.  Be sure to reference the NAILBA Annual Meeting and group code A-ILB10 to receive the discounted rate. Additional details regarding travel discounts through American Airlines, ground transportation arrangements and more can be found on the Hotel and Travel page of the NAILBA 29 Web site. The cutoff date to secure a room at the discounted rate is October 15, or when the NAILBA block is sold out, whichever comes first.

Registration for NAILBA 29, November 18-20 in Grapevine (Dallas), Texas opened earlier this summer. Registration is available online on the registration page of the NAILBA 29 web site, or you may fax or mail your completed registration form to NAILBA headquarters. Agency principals were emailed “discount codes” to facilitate complimentary registrations (one per member agency). If you did not receive your member discount code, please contact Meredith Maslich at mmaslich@nailba.org or 703-383-3074.

The Early Registration deadline is September 1; after this date, Regular registration rates apply until October 15, when onsite rates take affect. 

For more information about NAILBA 29, visit www.nailba.org/nailba29, or contact Michele Liston at 703-383-3069 or mliston@nailba.org.

NAILBA Mourns the Loss of NAILBA Member Jerry L. Thomas, J.L. Thomas & Co, Inc.
Jerry L. Thomas, Founder and Chairman of NAILBA Member Agency J. L. Thomas & Co., Inc., Cleveland, OH, passed away July 5. Thomas began his insurance career in 1950 as an agent with Prudential. Jerry received his CLU in 1953, and relocated to Cleveland in 1962. He and a partner started a brokerage agency in 1970; he bought his partner out and renamed the agency J. L. Thomas & Co., Inc. in 1979. Jerry was preceded in death in 2009 by his wife of 58 years, Larna.  He is survived by his three sons, who run J.L. Thomas, a daughter and eight grandchildren. Thomas was an accomplished trumpet player and he enjoyed spending winters golfing in Naples and summers fishing at the family’s cottage on Crane Lake in Ontario.

Condolences may be directed to the Thomas family in c/o J. L. Thomas & Co., Inc., 1500 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114-3600.

NAILBA 29 Exhibitors and Sponsor Corner
Online Service Kit for NAILBA 29 Is Now Available    
On Monday, August, an email was sent from our General Service Contractor – Hargrove, Inc. – with the link to the Web-accessible service kit.  Look for the email from “Hargrove [hargroveinc@goloyal.com]”.  Exhibitors will need to enter the Show Code 5018065 when prompted to view the manual.

New this year: the primary contact for each exhibitor will be able to log in to online ordering by using your email address and a password that you will set yourself.  Alternatively, you can print off the individual PDF forms available at www.hargroveinc.com/servicekits and mail, fax or email with payment to Hargrove.

Please note: like last year, we will NOT be supplying a CD-ROM in an effort to control costs.

For additional assistance with the service kit, please call Hargrove’s NAILBA Exhibitor Help Line at (301) 731-2522.  You may also reach Hargrove Exhibitor Services at (301) 306-4627 or exhibitorservices@hargroveinc.com,

August Exhibitor/Sponsor Newsletter
The August issue of the exhibitor/sponsor newsletter was sent to each exhibiting company main contact yesterday. This valuable tool is provided every month to each confirmed NAILBA 29 exhibitor or sponsor and contains deadline reminders, program announcements, and additional information designed to help exhibitors and sponsors maximize their time at NAILBA 29. To read the online version of the exhibitor newsletter, visit the Exhibitor Monthly Newsletters page of the NAILBA 29 web site.

Online Exhibit Booth Updates: Due Yesterday
Online booth updates were due to be completed by August 2 – did you complete yours?  When your booth was purchased a confirmation letter with detailed instructions, the link and how to update your online profile and your password were sent to the booth contact person.  If you have not already done so, please go to this link and complete your online profile (This is what is used for all booth contact information for the onsite program).  This is also the place where you can add online welcome messages to attendees, press releases, company logos and more.   Company descriptions are saved from year to year but you must open and check save on these to let us know you have viewed and approved. Logos, press releases and additional information are NOT saved from year to year due to the limitations of space so you need to update these every year. To access step by step instructions please click here.

Product Training University for NAILBA 29
Building on the success of the Product Training University at the NAILBA Agency Management Institute in May, this uniquely-formatted educational opportunity will be offered for the first time at an Annual Meeting, at NAILBA 29!  Previous Product Training University sponsors were rewarded with new contracts and new clients – don’t miss this opportunity to interact with brokerage industry decision-makers!

Available ONLY to current NAILBA 29 exhibitors, these interactive, quickly-paced sessions are designed to facilitate maximum interaction and attendee choice. During each 30-minute window, three companies will be making brief presentations concurrently.  This unique format will allow you to capture attendees in a small group setting to provide more in-depth, focused and specific information than in a busy exhibit hall. 

See the Product Preview guide below for a great place to market your participation in the PTU.

Watch your email for additional details, or contact Susan Haning now to reserve your space!

Advertising Opportunities
Perspectives Print Advertising: Only one issue left for the remainder of 2010 – our November/December – Sales and Marketing – Bonus issue distributed during the NAILBA 29 annual meeting!

Ad sales close September 13, 2010: Ad Copy due September 27, 2010

Product Preview November/December issue of Perspectives
 (Perfect place to let attendees know you’re also a Product Training University participant!)
Do you have a product promotion planned for NAILBA 29? Looking to showcase your booth or sponsorship? Then you need to reserve space now in the NAILBA 29 Product Preview. This is a special opportunity for exhibitors and sponsors who want added exposure at the largest life brokerage event in the industry. This special edition Product Preview will be mailed as an outsert with the November/December issue of Perspectives (designed to hit mailboxes one week prior to the annual meeting) to approximately 1,300 principals, CEOs, exhibitors and sponsors. As a bonus, it is also distributed at NAILBA 29 to every attendee!

Cost for 1/2 page ad: $1,000.00 (Must be a sponsor or exhibitor to be eligible to purchase space.)

Don’t miss out on branding your product or company to our Industry leaders whose agencies collectively represent over 250,000 independent agents in the field.  Download the Media Kit, then complete and return the advertising contract to secure any of these print advertising opportunities!

"Free Advertising"
Would you like to see cost saving advertising opportunities or “FREE” ways to advertise your product? Opportunities are available to combine print and online ads for deeper discounts.

Exhibit Space Available
Exhibit Booths and sponsorship opportunities are still available for NAILBA 29. Currently, the NAILBA exhibit hall is 75% sold. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide you want an exhibit space - commit now! Click here for an updated floor plan.

Sponsorship Opportunities
NAILBA offers a range of outstanding sponsorship opportunities that will give you high‐impact name recognition and exposure to the highest profile audience in the independent brokerage community. Whether you select a food function, general session, breakout or promotional item, your sponsorship will create top of mind awareness with our member agencies and other potential clients. New this year:  added banner and signage exposure to all hotel attendees in highly visible areas. 

Some LARGE impact items still available are: Attendee registration bags, Cyber Café and Email Stations. 

Click here for a complete list of current available sponsorships and sponsorship benefits!

Contact Susan Haning at shaning@nailba.org or 703-383-3068 to learn more about exhibiting, sponsoring or advertising opportunities!