An Experience of a Lifetime
First Financial Security’s 2016 Dream Destination Conference was full of fabulous food, exciting events, and accomplished agents who deserved to be celebrated. Once we arrived at the luxurious St. Regis Bahia Beach, the only AAA Five Diamond resort in Puerto Rico, the extraordinary service, the sun-sational festivities, —and the fierce competition—began!
FFS Olympics
An event new to Dream Destination Conference was the first annual FFS Olympics events. When DDC16 winners checked in at the St. Regis Bahia Beach, they were assigned to one of four teams: RED (led by CEO Phil Gerlicher), GREEN (led by President Meg Jones), BLUE (led by COO Vince Rokose) and YELLOW (led by Director of National Training Andy Fiorenza).
If you’ve read our previous post, you already know that the BLUE Team’s “Changing the Face of Insurance” themed sand castle helped them climb to the top spot of our FFS Olympic scoreboard. That was just the beginning of the Dream Destination Conference Olympics adventure.
The Aquatic Center, located on one of the largest lakes on the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, hosted the incredibly popular and highly anticipated FFS kayak races. Whether it was a men’s, women’s, or couple’s heat, the competition was intense and the team camaraderie was strong. In the end, though, it was the BLUE Team who paddled away with the win.
The final Dream Destination Conference Olympic event was horseshoe pitching, a sport that we all agree is much more difficult than it looks! The Red, Yellow and Green Teams were determined to thwart the Blue Team’s efforts to sweep all three events. While the teams put up a good fight —and had a ton of fun—the BLUE Team, once again, rode off into the sunset with the win.
The FFS Olympics were a blast, but what we enjoyed most was the team building and community that our friendly competition fostered among the team members. The events allowed us to spend quality time getting to know each other, paved the road to building new relationships and offered valuable networking opportunities, all while having a ton of fun!
Shall We Salsa?
In Latin America, especially Puerto Rico, salsa dancing could be its own Olympic event. Liz Brotherton, an accomplished competitive dancer and wife of EFC Bob Brotherton, hosted an afternoon of salsa lessons in the St. Regis Conference Center Ballroom. In the evening, she entertained us with a captivating dance exhibition that included some of the island’s local talent and then invited us all to join in. Even if you had two left feet, it was a new, fun, and highly enjoyable experience!
Carrier Sponsorships & Provider Training
We had a great time at the Dream Destination Conference, but it wasn’t just about relaxing in paradise. Any time we’re together, there’s always the opportunity to learn.
We were thrilled to have our provider partners, Craig Klenk and Michael Hardin of American National Insurance Company (ANICO), and Matt DeSantos, David Gilmore and Ross Marchant of National Life Group (NLG), join us in Puerto Rico. During a morning of training, they provided small group product training, field underwriting, and sales tips. On a tastier note, they were also extremely generous in their sponsorship of some of our amazing island meals.
FFS’ carriers’ eager participation and presence on our trip only highlighted our strong strategic partnership and their overall commitment to the success of our business. It is through this partnership that the three legs of FFS (Field, Home Office and Carrier Partners) will continue to create a strong and stable business for FFS’ next 10 years of business growth and development.
Pure Excellence
One of the most notable memories of Dream Destination Conference 2016 was experiencing the culture and the service of the St. Regis staff. Each and every one of their employees went above and beyond in fulfilling their promise to exceed all of our expectations. They continually made the comfort and needs of their guests their top priorities and took an incredible amount of pride in delivering excellent service. It didn’t go without notice that these employees were expertly demonstrating two of the FFS core values: Commitment to Excellence and Putting the Customer First.
It was truly a trip beyond words. From the luxurious hotels, the first-class service, the extraordinary food and the exceptional people with which to share it, this was an experience of a lifetime. If you’re ready for the next amazing adventure, we’re headed to Alaska for the 2017 Dream Destination Conference. We hope to see you there!