No detail, it seems, is being overlooked in the quest to promote Bermuda far and wide as the jurisdiction of choice for international business.

To a casual observer it might appear that Bermuda’s knack of securing guest speaker slots and face-time with key industry figures at major conferences happens by magic, or luck. And perhaps it is merely a fortuitous coincidence that drinks being served at industry reception events include Gosling’s rum.

However, in reality it is the behind-the-scenes endeavours of the events team at the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) that ensures everything falls into place in the right way and at the right time to promote Bermuda effectively to business decision-makers.

Nicole Conrad Morrison and Sophie Burt are at the forefront of those efforts. They work as a team initiating and overseeing arrangements for Bermuda to have a presence at business conferences, forums, meetings and roadshows around the world.

The BDA’s calendar of conference and events this year stretches to three pages. In total there are 35 events on the list.

Choosing which events to attend is something that is decided in collaboration with the BDA’s business development managers, its focus groups and input from industry executives.

“When we decide on a conference we always like to have speaking slots to promote Bermuda, its people and talents. We always try to get speaking slots on the panels so we can showcase Bermuda,” said Ms Conrad Morrison, who is the BDA’s conferences and events manager.

“Often we have booth to represent the jurisdiction. It’s important that Bermuda is represented.

“And we try to target groups, so if we go to a conference we might arrange a series of business development meetings before or after the event and we host a reception with those people. It’s a way of reaching a larger scope of people than just those at the conference.”

With such an extensive list of conferences and events on the calendar this year, keeping track of things and ensuring Bermuda is represented and plays a part is a major undertaking.

Missing one event could mean foregoing an opportunity to attract new business to the Island, a point underlined by the success of two BDA-hosted roadshows in Canada earlier in May which attracted three insurers to Bermuda.

In April, the RIMS conference in New Orleans attracted some 10,000 risk management professionals and other senior executives and decision-makers. The BDA events team was instrumental in coordinating media interviews for Bermuda executives and scheduling appearances by Premier Michael Dunkley, Government ministers and officials from the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

The BDA team does a lot of long-term coordinating and planning ahead of events. The 2016 RIMS conference is still 10 months away, but Ms Burt has already visited the host city San Diego to secure accommodation and check on arrangements.

Ms Burt is a former BHS student. She showed a flair for organising events at school and was encouraged to pursue a career in events management.

“I’m good with people, being organised and giving attention to detail,” she said.

She achieved a batchelor’s degree in event management at the University of East London, England. While living in London she saw much of the pre-planning and behind-the-scenes organising work for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Returning to Bermuda, she worked at Capital G Bank in marketing and events before joining the BDA in an administrative role. Her event management abilities were soon spotted and led to her becoming an events coordinator, working closely with Ms Conrad Morrison.

Attention to detail is a crucial attribute in event management, said Ms Conrad Morrison. The aforementioned Gosling’s rum served up at Bermuda-hosted receptions is one example.

“It’s very important for my team to produce high quality conferences and events, to reflect the level of sophistication and the respected global reputation of our jurisdiction,” she said, explaining this was reflected through promotional and marketing materials.

“We also use these opportunities to promote Bermuda vendors. We serve Gosling’s signature drinks at our receptions, giving guests a taste of Bermuda, in addition to providing local products, reflective of Bermuda, as giveaways.

“We feel strongly about promoting Bermuda as a whole, with those vendors also benefiting from the targeted international guests that attend our BDA functions.”

Ms Conrad Morrison has been producing events for 20 years, having started out in the fashion industry as a creative producer for a retail chain store in Canada. She progressed to TV production work with a number of broadcasters, including CBS, where she honed her production management skills.

She has also worked in advertising and marketing, creating her own company which led her doing work for the BDA’s predecessor, Business Bermuda, producing a video newsletter and working with corporate clients. She is now the BDA’s conferences and events manager.

“It made sense for me. We are here to help Bermuda and grow Bermuda. That’s something that attracted me to working with the BDA.”

She said she is good at dealing with details.

“You have to be, especially when you are dealing with a lot of people, whether producing an event and hiring people to be speakers or presenters,” she explained.

“It’s about pulling all the elements together to produce an event. That’s where my strength lies, getting it all together; taking it from first initial steps to completion of the final product.”

The team also work with event producers to bring conferences to the Island. This year they helped bring The Regulatory Compliance Association’s Symposium 2015, the Transcontinental Trust’s Bermuda Forum, and the Global Fund Forum to the Island.

In September 2016, the BDA will host the Alarys Congress, an event that will be attended by hundreds of risk professionals from across Latin America to the Island.

“We are organising that event from scratch,” said Ms Conrad Morrison.

Supporting one another helps Ms Conrad Morrison and Ms Burt to stay on top of the busy schedule.

“We delegate, so Nicole will take one event and I’ll take another and we work well together. We know each other’s strong suits,” said Ms Burt.

She said that team support extends all the way through the BDA, with colleagues helping one another whenever needed.

“The positive feedback we are getting proves we are doing the right things,” she said.

“The team helps a lot and I love what I do. Every day is different.”

Ms Conrad Morrison said she enjoys working for the BDA for a number of reasons.

“We have a fantastic group of talented and committed staff who are passionate about what they do. Each is highly skilled in their respective field and bring enormous dedication to their roles.

“I’m passionate about what I do — overseeing the conferences and events for our organisation.

“Most importantly, at the BDA we are helping to grow our community. We are here to promote Bermuda as a world-class financial centre, and in turn, we are bettering our Bermuda.

“What we do each day will hopefully result in businesses setting up in Bermuda, thus creating jobs and building our economy — and we have already seen results. We have an important job here and each staff member is key to its success.”