Guidewire’s ‘Connections 2015’ User Conference Draws More Than 1,500 Attendees

Ten percent year-over-year growth in customer attendance at Guidewire’s 11th annual user conference

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--()--Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE), a provider of software products to Property/Casualty (P/C) insurers, recently hosted its 11th annual user conference, Connections 2015, in San Francisco, California. Connections 2015 provided a forum for the Guidewire community – customers, partners, and Guidewire employees – to share their experiences and best practices and receive the latest information about Guidewire’s products.

Connections 2015 kicked off with chief executive officer, Marcus Ryu, sharing Guidewire’s perspective on the key trends impacting P/C insurers. He outlined the consequences for insurers if they don’t take action and for the vendors who serve them. Guidewire is responding to this challenge by striving to provide insurers with the agility they need to succeed while also reducing the total cost of owning their solutions. He was followed by Ali Kheirolomoom, chief product officer, who provided the company’s product vision and was joined by Guidewire’s core, data, and digital business owners Brian Vannoni, Amy Mollin, and Ayan Sarkar, respectively, who outlined Guidewire’s product strategy and design principles in their respective product areas.

Three Guidewire customers presented keynotes on the main stage. Gary Hoberman, executive vice president and chief information officer of Regional Application Development, MetLife, presented on MetLife’s technology-led journey to provide a digital customer experience in its auto business and described how MetLife achieved this success within an aggressive timeline. Jeff Dailey, chief executive officer, Farmers Insurance, discussed teamwork and empathy. Angus Eaton, managing director, Commercial Lines, U.K. & Ireland, General Insurance, Aviva PLC talked about the insurer’s experiences introducing Guidewire technology in both the UK and Canada, providing insights on what has been achieved and learned. Hemant Shah, co-founder and chief executive officer, Risk Management Solutions (RMS), discussed the impact of catastrophe modeling on the P/C insurance industry. On the final day of Connections, Aviva Canada, IAG New Zealand, The Co-operators Group Limited, and Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. participated in a customer panel discussion, where they discussed different aspects of their unique journeys to adapt and succeed in today’s evolving insurance marketplace; the topic areas included the digital experience, analytics, insurance trends, and industry disruption.

108 hands-on workshops, roundtable discussions, expert panels, chalk talks, and educational breakout sessions were held during Connections. These sessions provided the opportunity for Guidewire customers such as Allianz Insurance PLC, AXA Tianping, Chubb, Mercury Insurance, Nationwide, PZU Group, QBE, Rockhill Insurance, State Auto, Tinkoff, and Wawanesa to share their experiences, lessons learned, and best practices.

Connections 2015 was sponsored by 24 Guidewire PartnerConnect™ Consulting and Solution partners: Agencyport Software, Capgemini, CastleBay Consulting, Centric Consulting, CGI, Cynosure, Cognizant, Deloitte, DocuSign, Ernst & Young, GFT, GMC Software, HCL, HP Exstream, IBM, IVANS Insurance Solutions, LexisNexis, Mitchell, OnBase by Hyland, Perr&Knight, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thunderhead, Vertafore, and V-NEO – who were on hand to discuss their services/solutions with attendees. Our Platinum sponsors participated with customers in presentations and other sponsors moderated roundtable discussions. The partner/customer breakout session presentations included:

  • “Case Study: Hitting the Right Chord with the Board: Erie’s Pre-Inception Planning Approach” (PwC with Erie Insurance);
  • “Case Study/Customer Panel: Mercury, Hastings, and Hyland: The Value of Integrating OnBase® Document Management with ClaimCenter using Validated Accelerators” (OnBase by Hyland with Hastings Mutual and Mercury Insurance);
  • “Case Study: A Large U.S. Insurer Takes Customer Communications to the Exstream” (HP with Great American Insurance);
  • “Case Study/Customer Panel: Goldilocks Syndrome: How Can an Insurance Company Tailor a “Just Right” Core Transformation That Drives the Organization to its Next Level of Success?” (PwC with Frankenmuth and Harford Mutual); and
  • “Case Study: Red River Mutual with EY: EY Insurance Nexus™, a Guidewire InsuranceCloud Solution: A Bundled Implementation and Managed Services Offering” (with EY and Red River Mutual).

“We are inspired by the stories our customers share at Connections about how they are using the Guidewire platform to adapt and succeed in a rapidly-changing insurance marketplace,” said Brian Desmond, chief marketing officer, Guidewire Software. “We thank our customers and partners for helping to make Connections 2015 a great success.”

About Guidewire Software

Guidewire delivers the software that Property/Casualty (P/C) insurers need to adapt and succeed in a time of rapid industry change. We combine three elements – core processing, data and analytics, and digital engagement – into a technology platform that enhances insurers’ ability to engage and empower their customers and employees. More than 200 P/C insurers around the world have selected Guidewire. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com. Follow us on twitter: @Guidewire_PandC.

NOTE: Guidewire, Guidewire Software, Guidewire ClaimCenter, Guidewire PolicyCenter, and Guidewire BillingCenter are registered trademarks of Guidewire Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Contacts

Guidewire Software, Inc.
Diana Stott, +1-650-356-4941
Director, Communications
dstott@guidewire.com

Release Summary

Guidewire recently hosted its 11th annual user conference, Connections 2015, in San Francisco, California.

Contacts

Guidewire Software, Inc.
Diana Stott, +1-650-356-4941
Director, Communications
dstott@guidewire.com