ATLANTA, GA – October 7, 2009 - The Life Insurance Direct Marketing Association (LIDMA) recently held its 6th annual Fall Meeting & Business Showcase at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.

Attendance at this year’s Fall Meeting & Showcase grew more than 9% and set a new record for the annual event.

According to Pat Wedeking, President of LIDMA, the new attendance record and the adaptation of new technologies championed by LIDMA by many carriers and producers is another clear sign of the shift occurring in the life insurance industry to direct response sales and streamlined policy processing.

“There has been a real shift in the last 18 months in our industry.  More and more producers and carriers are incorporating new technologies such as eSignature and eDelivery into their processes.  LIDMA has been a catalyst for this industry evolution and it was great to learn about the benefits our members are receiving through this industry-wide change.”

This year’s Fall Meeting & Showcase featured representatives from more than 50 life insurance companies, producers and business partners.  Attendance also included COOs, CTOs and technology vendors.

“Consumers continue to lead the push for innovation and growth in the direct response segment of the life insurance industry,” said Shervin Eftekhari, a principal at ReliaQuote and founding member & membership chair of LIDMA.  “One of our founding objectives at LIDMA is to accelerate the creation and adaptation of new technologies and processes that can deliver life insurance to customers faster and at the best possible price.  The many hours of work our members have dedicated over the last several years are paying huge dividends to everyone in the industry that is adapting the benefits of our LIDMA E-Process.”

Under the theme ”LIDMA’s World Fair: Igniting Innovation & Progress,”  this year’s Fall Meeting & Showcase featured presentations from industry and technology experts from companies such as Prudential, Transamerica,  iPipeline, Portamedic, EMSI, Ebix Exchange, ReliaQuote, ING, AccuQuote, Pinney Insurance, Insurance Central and Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell.

Updates were also provided on the newly developed LIDMA E-Process which features the application of technologies including e-signature, e-delivery and credit card processing to substantially reduce the time it takes for a new policy purchase to be initiated by the consumer and delivered by the carrier.

“As the industry incorporates key elements of the LIDMA E-Process, we are turning our attention to the next generation of improvements that can deliver policies with even more efficiency and price value for consumers,” said Wedeking.  “We are proud that more and more companies are realizing better margins and greater customer service levels by adapting LIDMA’s E-process and we pledge our continued support to their bottom line.  We will continue to do our part in the effort to protect more American families with the miracle of life insurance.”

For more information on membership and upcoming events visit www.lidma.org.

About LIDMA

LIDMA is the primary association dedicated to supporting businesses and professionals active in direct sales of life insurance products to consumers – the fastest growing sales segment in the life insurance industry.  The not-for-profit organization is committed to helping members boost their revenues derived through direct response sales as well as assisting new entrants adapt and succeed in their direct response efforts.

Media Contact:

Michael Biagiotti
(800) 652-7157
mikeb@madisonenvoy.com