Voluntary Advantage in Perspective

There are some times in your life when it is a good idea to sit back and reflect. Today we are pausing to reflect on 2023 year-to-date.

This all started with a crazy idea that we needed to do something for the voluntary benefits industry that could bring us all together. The only way we will grow as an industry is to work together. The only way to stop the commoditization of our solutions and the race to zero is to drive the conversation to what is important.

In that spirit, Voluntary Advantage was formed. Knowing that we would need diversity of thought to reflect the industry properly, our Advisory Board was formed. Each member of the Advisory Board is a part of Voluntary Advantage not only because of their unique perspective of the industry, but also their passion for doing business the right way in our industry. I’ll stop here to say, not only are they amazing businesspeople – but they are just amazing people. We officially kicked off Voluntary Advantage in January of 2023, with really nothing.

• We built a website where we can all go and find industry resources

• We built a LinkedIn page to share content and drive conversations

• We have published a digital magazine each month featuring content submitted from individuals across our industry – with a goal that all content be educational/informative and not a sales pitch

• We started a Speaker Series and have thus far featured a LinkedIn expert to assist in our individual marketing and an industry leader to talk about trends

And this brings us to "The Future of Voluntary Benefits is Now" – our inaugural, virtual, conference in July. We truly didn’t know what to expect. As a team, we just approached this from the viewpoint of what content would you find engaging at an event like this? Our Advisory Board stepped up to the plate and put together some excellent sessions Every single speaker during those 2 ½ days really brought it, and those 2 ½ days made me so proud to be a part of our industry. “Together We Rise” was something I saw in every session as our industry came together to do better for the employers and employees we help.

We had panels of direct competitors discussing the future of our industry, our Board facilitated discussions on AI, engagement, DEI(b), recruiting the next generation of leaders, technology, what the new world of “work” looks like as we return to the office, our key contributors shared market updates and so much more.

To put it simply – while we may have helped to provide the platform, our industry, the voluntary benefits industry, made this event a success. We know that there is more demand for the solutions we provide in voluntary benefits than ever before and this is just the beginning, there is so much more we can, and will, do together. Thank you all for your support and let’s continue to collaborate to drive innovation – the future really is now.