by Mark Migallos

Pru Times Special Edition: LONDON

This Pru Times Special Edition on the London International Convention held last April 14 to 18 was conceived to be a written testimony of the unique experience of 47 delegates and 22 guests who attended this year’s annual sales convention. President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Grimes had a big hand in the planning of the annual convention which is Pru Life UK’s most prestigious competition.

After attending last year’s International Convention in Moscow, his first one as the new CEO, Peter observed that though the destination in itself is a source of curiosity and enthusiasm—the places to see during the five-day convention, the hotel amenities, and little things that, for a delegate, spells the difference between just being in the convention and experiencing special treatment as a Pru Life UK top producer, are part and parcel of the preparation to ensure that every delegate will want to repeat those memorable episodes.

With the team from Distribution and Marketing, Peter championed the selection of basic requirements like room and food and transportation, and gave clear guidelines on injecting every single day with the WOW factor! And without exceeding the budget for the convention through careful planning and resource allocation, the team put together a convention that can boast of a great hotel in the most sought-after location in London, amenities, sights, dinners, parties and delights that have been unrivalled in the last 10 years!

Of course, we all know the twist that happened while the delegates were in London. A volcano in Iceland erupted and the ensuing ash fall paralyzed air travel in Europe. While this could have dampened the momentum of the trip, I am proud to say that Pru Life UK, through Peter, made unequivocal assurance to everyone that together, we would see this through. And see this through, we did. Pru Life UK showed absolute commitment to the well-being of its Agency members and no amount of ash fall was able to change the fact that the 2009 International Sales Convention is indeed the best one ever.

The final evening of the convention could not have ended any better with everyone more than content with the camaraderie, the glamour of the event, the dinner and drinks, the music and the dancing to celebrate our sales excellence—and the irresistible inducement to qualify, again and again!

I can tell you all about the other highlights of the Convention but I will let the delegates’ stories and photos speak for themselves. You’ll have to read on to find out. We certainly hope that next year, it will be your stories and your photos that we’ll read about. For now, enjoy! See you in Helsinki!