Group hard net rebounding conference team visionary award

When a group of PCMA members join the Design Lab in Chicago in the fall of 2023 to evaluate the annual visionary award program, a key question arises: Why only honor solos in celebrations? After all, it rarely happens without the creativity and logistical expertise of others.

In 2025, innovation is more than just a personal story. The PCMA Foundation has accepted group nominations for the first time in decades of visionary history in three professional excellence award categories – the Impact Award, Experience Design of the Year and Digital Experience Strategist of the Year – acknowledging many of this effort to groundbreaking achievements.

“By introducing team and group nominations, we will respect the collective talent, creativity and dedication that drives our industry forward,” said Meredith Rollins, Chief Community Officer of PCMA PCMA and Executive Director of PCMA Foundation. “This enhancement ensures that the people behind the most impactful experiences, whether in one organization or across multiple, are due to their due recognition.”

Before the April 10 ceremony in Washington, D.C., Stuart Ruff-Lyon, chief event and sales officer of RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Association) shared how to be a finalist for the year’s Experience Design, which is largely a team effort.

Create the best performance ever

Every year, when Stuart Ruff-Lyon and his core team of nine event professionals look forward to the organization’s annual gathering of about 10,000 risk management leaders, they have a three-word philosophy: the best risk world ever. “Every year is the best ever because it has to be.” Convened. “There is no rest in the laurels.”

Ruff-Lyon’s team includes veterans who can look back on many minor experiences, while others have less crowded rearview mirrors. “Our team includes employees who have worked at RIMS for over 40 years and are likely to be retiring people in their 20s,” he said. “We have people from all backgrounds.” (The ones in the team shown above are Theresa Medina, Blanca Ferrez, Karina Evelyn and Ted Donovan.)

The entire team is spread across a common thread of the entire team: they feel comfortable with the design process. “I like being challenged,” Ruf Leon said. “Just because what I said doesn’t mean it’s right, or there’s no better way. Our relationship allows us to ensure we always make decisions that best suit the world of risk.”

These decisions also need to be consistent with the organization’s decisions on the 365-day plan. Ruff-Lyon said his team worked with RIMS’s HR leader to oversee diversity and inclusion efforts to develop a strategy for the San Diego Convention Center’s environment for 2024. To ensure that participants can find communities at larger conventions, African Americans, Asian Islanders and Pacific Islanders, Latinos, LGBTQIA+ and female risk professionals are all invited to attend Affinity Group Meets. Additionally, RIMS has introduced a device-free tranquil area for attendees with neurologic abnormalities.

Ruff-Lyon said the world of risk also had a first-ever keynote speech on hearing loss from deaf actress and activist Marlee Matlin. “We really worked hard to make sure the entire event design experience is right for everyone,” he said.

Regardless of where the attendees are most at home in the environment, they have the opportunity to be part of what Ruff-Lyon calls “surprising moments”: circus performers, DJs, acoustic guitarists and more in the registration area. “The public tends to see risk management as boring,” he said. “It’s our job to make sure people understand that risk management is a fun and dynamic career.”

In all the fun processes, Ruff-Lyon has to do what his audience does: deal with serious risk management efforts. He said the 2024 edition includes a new security plan that locks the convention center on an access point for a magnetometer and bag search. Together, the team balanced the logical elements of security personnel in resident security and displayed appropriate signage in a stylish way to make the show feel welcome, rather than creating a sense of alarm. Everything worked, and on the closing day, Roof-Leon found himself walking through the conference center and a little nervous about seeing the #BestriskWorldever series, which will soon start to appear in team communications and start planning for the next edition.

“How will we rank next year?” he asked himself. “What are we going to do differently? But we always do that.”

David McMillin is the former Convene Editor and freelance writer.