Hurricane Irma prevented about 50 delegates from attending the 13th Bermuda Captive Conference, but the event has been hailed a success after it brought more than 750 attendees to the Fairmont Southampton.

The three-day event wrapped up yesterday evening. Organisers had hoped to set new attendee record figures and looked on course to do so until Irma devastated parts of the Caribbean and Florida last week.

The temporary shut-down of flights through Miami airport meant about 50 registrants, mainly from Latin America, were unable to attend the conference.

The event was, this year, moved from its traditional slot in June to avoid clashing with the island’s hosting of the America’s Cup. The conference attracted captive owners, managers, brokers and service-providers and covered topics ranging from insurtech and cyber-risk to claims handling and investment strategies.

“We’ve had a very successful conference. Notably, several new and prospective captive owners came to see first-hand what Bermuda has to offer. Many of these were from new and emerging markets, including Canada and Europe,” said David Gibbons, conference chairman.

“Through the many sessions and events, they witnessed the depth and breadth of the intellectual capital we have on the island and how we work together to innovate this industry.”

Delegates travelled from as far afield as Canada, the US, Europe and Japan.

Regarding the delegates who were unable to attend because of the impact of Irma, Mr Gibbons said: “Since then, however, many of those individuals have committed to attending our next conference in the spring,” said Mr Gibbons.

Organiser Rhona Emmerson added: “The conference has been very successful. The hurricane activity and closure of Miami airport did affect a few attendees, but we expect to see them at the next event in nine months’ time. Numerous 2018 commitments have already been sent in by both sponsors and delegates.”

The conference was opened on Monday by David Burt, the Premier.

Grainne Richmond, president of the Bermuda Insurance Management Association, said: “The conference successfully showcased Bermuda’s strengths, predominately our high standard of diverse intellectual capital and our ability to collaborate not only within the captive sector, but also with those industry bodies and Bermuda stakeholders in other industry pillars.

“Throughout the conference, I was reminded how important the different solutions that Bermuda offers assist globally in the diversification of risk, which is of ultimate benefit to the policyholder.”

Next year’s Bermuda Captive Conference is from June 11 to June 13.