AI Symposium
January 21, 2027
Embassy Suites, 201 Harrison Oaks Blvd, Cary, NC
About
Speakers
Schedule
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About the Event
Practical AI for the Independent Agency
Turn AI’s potential into a practical plan for your agency.
AI is changing how independent agencies work. Knowing where to start, and how to bring your team along, can be the hardest part. IIANC’s AI Symposium is a full-day event designed to help you move from curiosity to action, with practical guidance, real-world examples, and interactive working sessions focused on the needs of independent insurance agencies.
Explore where AI and automation can save time, strengthen operations, and free your people to focus on clients and growth. Learn how to evaluate tools, protect sensitive information, and lead your team through change. Throughout the day, you’ll apply what you learn to your own agency, building toward a clear, achievable 90-day AI roadmap.
What you’ll take away:
- A starting point: Identify and prioritize tasks in your agency that are well suited for AI and automation.
- Practical applications: See real-world examples and demonstrations of solutions agencies can put to work.
- Guidance for responsible adoption: Understand data privacy, security, and the basics of an agency AI use policy.
- Strategies to bring your team along: Navigate change and define how people and AI can work together.
- A plan for what’s next: Leave with an agency-specific roadmap to guide your next 90 days.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or ready to build on early efforts, join fellow agency leaders and team members for a day of learning, collaboration, and progress.
Bring your agency’s challenges. Leave with a plan to move forward.
Contact Information
Allyson Knott, CMP
Event Speakers
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Jeff ArnoldFounder, RIGHTSURE
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Julien BrandtFounder & CEO, Ampra.ai
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Bradley FlowersFounder, Portal Insurance
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Jack WingateChairman, ALLCHOICE Insurance
Greensboro, NC
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Landon Bentham, MBA, TRAChairman-Elect, Callahan & Rice Insurance Group, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC
Schedule
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Thursday, January 21
8:00am
Registration Open
8:30am
The State of AI in the Independent Agency
Speaker: Aubie Knight
9:00am
The AI Inflection Point: What Independent Agents Need to Understand Before They Act
Speaker: Jeff Arnold
Jeff opens the Symposium by putting today’s AI moment in plain terms: what has changed, what is genuinely different from earlier technology waves, and why independent agencies cannot afford to treat this as “just another software trend.” He will frame both the opportunities and risks ahead while emphasizing that the goal is not to replace the judgment, relationships, and trust that define great agents, but to give people better tools to do their best work. This session sets the stage for the day’s deeper conversations on adoption, security, and building a practical agency roadmap.
10:15am
Buying Back Time: AI in Your Personal Life
Speaker: Julien Brandt
Through live demonstrations, this session shows how AI can free up time for what matters in your personal life, exploring its more fun and creative side. These approachable, hands-on examples lay the groundwork for the rest of the day, making it easier to see how the same tools and ideas can streamline your workflows, sharpen client communication, and deliver real results for your agency.
11:15am
Getting Buy-In: How Our Team Handed Us the AI Roadmap
Speaker: Bradley Flowers
A candid, real-world look at what happens when you put AI adoption in your team’s hands. This session shares the practical lessons behind earning your team's buy-in and turning employee input into an AI roadmap.
12:00pm
Networking Lunch
1:00pm
Using AI Safely: Data Security and Governance for Insurance Agencies
Speaker: Julien Brandt
A practical look at how agencies should evaluate AI tools from a privacy, security, and compliance standpoint. We’ll cover the differences between personal and business AI accounts, handling PII responsibly, and simple governance policies that teams can realistically adopt.
2:15pm
Fireside Chat
Speakers: Jack Wingate and Landon Bentham
No tech jargon, just agents talking to agents. Join IIANC Board Members Jack Wingate and Landon Bentham for a lively, honest conversation about how they got started with AI in their agencies and what they’d do differently. Live Q&A included, so bring your toughest questions.
3:15pm
AI & Automation Opportunity Mapping: Finding the Best Opportunities Inside Your Agency
Speaker: Julien Brandt
A working session rather than a traditional talk. We’ll map opportunities across sales, marketing, operations, finance, and admin, then prioritize them based on potential ROI and time saved. Everyone will leave with the beginnings of a practical AI roadmap for their agency.