EBNs 24th annual Benefits Forum & Expo: Day 2
September 29, 2011 12:00 AM
Celebration at Benefits Forum & Expo
After a full day of sessions and networking, it was time to party! BFE attendees were entertained by a cirque fantasy celebration at Dallas Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.
Roger Staubach, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys autographed a commemorative football that EBN gave away to one lucky Twitter follower. Staubach also was kind enough to pose for a photo with EBN Editor-in-Chief Kelley Butler, even though she is a die-hard Washington Redskins fan.
Peer Networking Session
Benefits professionals representing mid-sized and large employers (more than 150 employees) gathered at a networking session to discuss benefits challenges. Among the topics were cost-containment, consumer-driven health plans and employee communication and engagement strategies. Many attendees said they feared putting benefits information outside the firewall because of security concerns and giving too much information to their competitors.
Jack Towarnicky, retirement consultant
Jack Towarnicky, a presenter on the Retirement track, offered attendees information on how to cope with new Department of Labor regulations regarding 401(k) fee disclosure. Plan sponsors have their work cut out for them, he said, citing statistics that 71% of plan participants think they pay no plan fees, and 83% of those who know they pay plan fees dont know what they are. Disclosure is exposure, Towarnicky said. When 401(k) communications go out, be prepared that eventually they could be used as Exhibit A.
BFE presenters of Optimize ROI for wellness by creating a culture of health
Presenters at a morning breakout session, Optimize ROI for wellness by creating a culture of health, outlined what a culture of health means to them and offered strategies to attendees for creating, communicating and measuring a culture of health at their organizations. (From left: Leai Spoor, wellness manager at Baylor Health Care System; Jennifer Norberg, director of health and wellness at Hallmark Business Connections; Sally Luck, HR director of corporate services and wellness at Hallmark Cards; Karl Weiss, manager of recognition and culture at Eddie Bauer) Ask employees what wellness means to them, Spoor said. Wellness takes on different definitions so employee responses will provide insights on how to design your program.
Jennifer Benz, founder and chief strategist at Benz Communications
Keynote speaker Jennifer Benz, founder and chief strategist at Benz Communications, offered her three best practices for succeeding with benefits communications: Put benefits information on the Internet, outside the firewall; communicate year-round; and use free/low-cost resources to promote benefits, i.e., social media tools. Find Benzs presentation and materials at benzcommunications.com/expo.
