From First-Timer to Advocate: Unpacking the SOA Health Meeting Experience

By Chris Smith

Actuary of the Future, January 2024

Last summer, I had the privilege of attending my first-ever SOA Health Meeting in-person; while this journey started as an attempt to “build my brand” in the actuarial community (by way of a few presentations sponsored by the Actuary of the Future section), I truly appreciated every aspect of my experience. In an effort to persuade other would-be attendees to make their move and join us this year in Baltimore, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few of my thoughts and observations from the event.

The learning opportunities are countless: In fact, there were so many interesting sessions that I was conflicted about which to attend in several time slots! Luckily, each session was recorded and made available to attendees for about a month after the event closed, so there was plenty of time to catch up after the fact; as you’re planning out which sessions to attend, make sure to flag ones you’re interested in but will have to miss so you can circle back to them later! Whether you’re looking to broaden your horizons or deepen your expertise on a field you’re already knowledgeable about, there’s sure to be content that you can find useful and enjoyable.

Networking is made easy: A work conference isn’t exactly a set up for the social event of the century, but the SOA has thought carefully about adding opportunities to make meaningful connections throughout the event. Personally, I attended a Tai Chi class and had a few laughs with new friends when it was interrupted by a fire alarm (briefly—we picked up in the parking lot like it was nothing!), and was lucky enough to be invited to the hottest ticket on the agenda—the Oysters, Beers and Large Claims Solutions networking happy hour. The main after-event receptions hosted by the SOA and Health Section were also a great time, as was the joint networking session hosted by the Actuary of the Future, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Leadership and Development, and Health Sections.

The audience is supportive: Speaking specifically from the point of view of someone who presented, I really enjoyed connecting with attendees afterwards to hear their feedback and key takeaways. If you’re nervous about presenting, like I was, I would highly recommend taking the leap; it’s a great experience, and an opportunity that I won’t soon forget, but hearing from your peers in such a collegial environment is invaluable. Shameless plug here—if there’s a topic you’re interested in speaking about that overlaps with either the Actuary of the Future or Entrepreneurship and Innovation Section’s respective missions (or both!), reach out to me on LinkedIn and we can coordinate to get you involved! In preparing to present, I found it helpful to:

• Start planning early—there are a few months between when proposals are due and the actual event, so procrastinating is an enticing proposition, but it goes by very quickly!
• Reach out to my network—the two sessions I planned were a series of TED-style talks on virtual care and a panel on high-cost claimants/stop loss insurance, so I connected with people I know working in the telehealth and reinsurance spaces to leverage their connections.
• Practice, practice, practice—the ballrooms are big and there are a lot of important people in them, but rehearsing and building up muscle memory goes a long way toward offsetting any nervousness.

You’re not alone: Of course you wouldn’t literally be alone—that would be quite an uneventful conference—but I mean specifically in attending for the first time. Everywhere I looked, there were “first-time attendee” ribbons hanging off of people’s conference badges. This phenomenon might’ve been acutely felt in 2023 as many individuals felt more comfortable traveling and companies relaxed their expense policies around doing so, but there was a distinct “we’re back” energy in the air.

This year’s conference in Seattle was a wonderful time from beginning to end; I learned a lot, made new connections, and had a chance to help advance the profession. Perhaps the only part I didn’t like was dealing with jet lag from crossing three time zones, but fortunately that won’t be a problem (at least for me) at this year’s conference in Baltimore. Hope to see some of you there, proudly sporting your first-time attendee ribbons!

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries, the newsletter editors, or the respective authors’ employers.

Chris Smith, ASA, MAAA, is a senior actuarial consultant in Mercer’s Health and Benefits practice. He is also a current member of the Actuary of the Future and Entrepreneurship & Innovation Section Councils and is the vice chair and treasurer of each respectively. Chris can be contacted on LinkedIn or at Christopher.Smith3@mercer.com.