Insurance customers are living in uncertain times. A volatile economy, the residual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in NatCat events and the ongoing tech revolution are causing shifts in what P&C consumers say they need. As a result, the insurance industry is undergoing a significant transformation. To stay ahead in this dynamic landscape, industry leaders and innovators met at Guidewire Connections which took place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN. We at Accenture were proud to be a Platinum sponsor of this premier event that in 2023 brought together more than 2,900 in-person participants, 208 speakers and 115 exhibitors from across the world spanning insurance professionals, technology experts, and thought leaders to discuss the latest trends and solutions in the industry.
Clients share their “secret sauce”
This year, the theme of “Power of Community” was on full display with exciting keynotes and information sessions hosted by a variety of P&C experts and product innovators. One of the best parts of Guidewire Connections is the opportunity to connect with clients and colleagues within a relaxed, fun environment that lends itself well to knowledge sharing and collaboration. Our exhibit space was highly active, and one Accenture attendee hosted an interactive ‘coffee talk’ featuring a lively discussion around hot topics in the industry.
“’The Power of Community’ theme carried right through to conversations on the ground as it was extremely heartening and valuable to hear from other Connections attendees willing to share their own secret sauce when it came to how they are using Guidewire in their businesses.” - John Koepke, Financial Services Technology Managing Director, Accenture
We were proud to be the Recipient of Guidewire's Outstanding Market Growth Award for Asia-Pacific, 2023
Connections Sessions: Decisions, Decisions!
Our teams thought that the sessions offered at Connections featured such interesting topics and fantastic speakers that it was truly difficult to decide which track to attend! One Accenture attendee employed a ‘methodology’ in deciding which talks to attend, i.e. those for which he had specific questions for the speakers. Where there were conflicting items of interest, recordings were made available. All this was extremely useful for attendees seeking a deeper understanding of Guidewire’s future roadmap, architecture enhancements,, new products, and embedded ‘out-of-the-box’ AI-based capabilities that the cloud platform enables to best serve our clients.
Spotlight on our work with Guidewire & Golden Bear
One year following Accenture’s acquisition of Blackcomb Consultants, we have doubled our ability to deliver Guidewire services. Connections was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and further cement our incredible Guidewire partnership which has facilitated all kinds of amazing projects over the years. We had the opportunity to share the stage with our client Michael Hall Jr., Golden Bear Insurance CEO, to showcase the Guidewire ClaimCenter project we jointly delivered for Golden Bear Insurance Company. Following an overview of the project, we took a deep dive into the business problems ClaimCenter addressed for Golden Bear, and how Accenture, Guidewire, and Golden Bear worked together towards a successful, on-time, on-budget delivery.
Looking Forward
The big challenge for Guidewire Connections for the future will be in how to keep this feeling of informality and intimacy that they have cultivated whilst the event continues to grow in popularity and size. But what a great problem to have!
Visit Accenture.com/guidewire for more information on our partnership.