Attend the 72nd Annual Employee Benefits Conference Virtually!
Don’t let travel hold you back from being a part of the Nation’s largest employee benefits conference. Register today and receive access to over 30 of the most anticipated sessions for this year’s conference. You can watch them live or on demand through Monday, November 30, 2026 allowing you the flexibility to view the sessions when it is convenient for you.
Access to the virtual environment will be available starting October 25, 2026.
Hit the Right Note Through Education
Learn from top industry leaders who will tackle the latest trends and regulations, and take what you learned into your role and apply to your fund.
Stay Compliant and Competitive
Understand the evolving regulatory environment and get expert advice on staying compliant while optimizing benefits for participants.
Discover Cutting-Edge Tools
Learn about the latest innovations, technologies and resources available to enhance plan management and participant engagement.
Join From Anywhere
Can't attend in New Orleans? Joining from anywhere is easy! Over 30 sessions will be presented online, allowing attendees the flexibility of viewing each session live or on demand through Monday, November 30, 2026.
Pricing
Through September 14, 2026
US$1,925.00
Member
Members Only
Nonmember
After September 14, 2026
US$2,225.00
Member
Members Only
Nonmember
Certificate of attendance are offered to virtual participants who meet session requirements. In-person attendees will not be able to complete their requirements by attending virtual sessions.
Continuing education credit for professional licenses and designations are not available to those attending the event virtually.
Attending the Annual Conference virtually is a great way to get the fresh perspectives, timely updates and necessary education needed to fulfill your fiduciary duties all from where ever works best for you.
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
The central challenge for all organizations is adaptation. How do you build a new plane while flying the old one? How do you bring your people along when the path is difficult, uncertain and risky? This talk explores the hidden psychological barriers that make organizational change difficult, then offers specific and actionable ideas (including one “ninja” technique) to bring about real change.
7:30 AM - 8:45 AM
In this powerful and provocative program, Seth Mattison brings together his signature ideas, The Human Advantage and The Human Moat, to help leaders and teams get clear on where they create real value in a world shaped by AI.
As speed, knowledge and execution become easier to access, the edge moves somewhere else. Not in doing more, but in how you think, how you decide and how you show up when it matters.
This experience invites people to take a hard look at the way they are working and leading today, and to step into a different standard. One where agency matters, where alignment is real, and where the human elements that can’t be automated become the foundation for how you lead, perform and move forward.
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
- DOL oversight practices
- Recent enforcement overview
- Evaluating the investigation process
- Current enforcement trends
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
- Basics of stocks, bonds and interest rates
- Terms used in investments
- Separate accounts, commingled funds and mutual funds
- Cyclical nature of investments
- Historical views of portfolio design
- Why market timing doesn’t work
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
This session provides an informative and comprehensive analysis of recent, pending or upcoming legislation activities that will continue to shape your plan decisions.
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
- Understanding your obligations regarding:
- Financial oversight and benefit payments
- Collections of contributions and withdrawal liability
- Securing data and privacy.
- Trust fund business vs. other business
- Familiarity with fund policies and procedures
- Duties/activities that can be delegated
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
- Evolving fiduciary responsibilities
- Disclosures, conflicts of interest and parties in interest
- Areas vulnerable to breaches in fiduciary responsibility
- Oversight of professionals, investments and fees
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
With so many new reporting requirements, it has become increasingly difficult for fund offices to manage their timelines.
- What is due and when?
- What if your plan year is not the calendar year?
- Communication strategies
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Attend this session to learn about updates in the legislative and regulatory environment for health and welfare plans.
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Join this session to hear the latest trends and hot topics in employee benefit plan regulation.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
- What types are out there?
- Participant vs. trustee directed
- 401(k) vs. other plan types for the multiemployer world
- SECURE 2.0 implications
- How to complement your defined benefit (DB) plan (if you have one)
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
- Industry update: Pipeline changes, impact of direct-to-consumer advertising, oral medications and more
- Balancing plan costs and outcomes
- Managing member expectations
- A view from the fund office
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
This session will examine real-life scenarios that demonstrate the fine line between outside interests and the interests of the participants.
- Difficult and uncomfortable decisions
- Understanding your co-fiduciary responsibility
- Tools and processes for effective decision-making
- Appropriate documentation and due diligence
This session is one of two required sessions TMP candidates must attend to receive their pin.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
- Understanding investment consultants and managers and their roles
- Understanding fee arrangements and negotiations
- Ensuring that strategies align with your fund’s goals
- Reading the reports from your consultant and fund managers
- Maximizing your advisory obligation while maintaining a strong relationship
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- Building a model of education
- Goals of the retirement plan
- Planning for the future
- Understanding distribution options
- Appropriate messages for participants, employers, trustees and administrators
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- Timely transfer of worker contributions (wage deferrals) and employer contributions to the recordkeeper
- Choosing and monitoring investment options
- Understanding the various share classes and fees
- Participant loans and hardships
- Monitoring administrative reserves and forfeitures
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- Determining your appropriate reserve level
- Factors to consider: Funded status, population characteristics and more
- Impact of plan investment metrics
- Creating and maintaining an effective plan reserve policy
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Attend this session to learn about updates in litigation and fiduciary responsibility for employee benefit plans. The speaker will cover a range of new and/or updated cases within the federal court system.
Available Virtually
View Presentation7:30 AM - 8:45 AM
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Attend this session for an overview of many key policies and documents to consider for plan administration, such as:
- Education policies
- Trustee expense and reimbursement policies
- Delinquent and collection policies
- AI policies (staff, trustees, etc.)
- Document retention policies (physical and electronic)
- HIPAA and PII policies
- Plan documents, summary plan descriptions, SMMs and SBCs.
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
- Understand how AI is shaping markets
- Explore impacts on productivity and labor markets
- Examine market concentration and mega cap dominance
- Assess shifts in capital investment and valuations
- Identifying risks and opportunities for plans
Available Virtually
View Presentation9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
- Plan-related expenses vs. other expenses
- Areas of potential concern
- Documentation and policies
- How good people can make poor choices
- Training your new trustees
- Areas drawing DOL attention
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
- Mental health initiatives
- Inclusion considerations
- Financial wellness
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
- Performance metrics and standards (including performance penalties)
- Fees and reporting, including §408(b)2(B)
- RFPs and RFIs
- Vendor cybersecurity best practices and questionnaire responses
- Reviewing service provider succession plans
- Understanding the trustee’s fiduciary responsibility of selecting the fund professionals
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
- New legislative and regulatory developments
- State initiatives that may affect the plan sponsor
- Defined contribution litigation
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
- Identifying causes, symptoms, risk factors and preventive steps
- Provider landscape update
- Overview of psychedelic offerings
- Plan design considerations
- Where your plan participants can access appropriate resources
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
- Raising difficult issues
- Conflict resolution
- Handling difficult and disputed decisions
- Creating trust through conflict
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
- Understanding the valuation report
- Key assumptions and how they impact valuation and costs
- How changes in benefits affect long-term costs
- Understanding zone status
- What are present values and how are they calculated?
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being evaluated by benefits organizations as a tool to support benefits administration. This session focuses on how AI is being applied in practical, measured ways within benefit plans, with an emphasis on practical use cases rather than future promises.
- Operational tasks
- Governance, risk and oversight considerations
- Current capabilities, limitations and appropriate use
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
- Big data and data analytics
- What your vendors bring to the table
- Audits—Dependents, death, cyber and compliance
- Policies and procedures
- Contract language
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
- Current market review
- Understanding the market shifts and opportunities they present
- Exploring alternative property types
- Liquidity and valuation risks
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- Internal controls
- Large office vs. small office
- Responsibilities—Administrator and the auditor
- Competing priorities
- Policies and procedures
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- GLP-1 survey data: Industry and plan-level insights
- Coverage for diabetes and weight loss
- Impact of cost-control mechanisms
- Using data to guide plan action
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
This session will share guidance and tools for you to help your members transition into retirement.
- Retirement readiness: financial and emotional support
- How to explain different retirement plan structures and benefit options
- Health care options
- Activities beyond the workplace
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- How to read the plan’s financial statements and tax returns
- Ratios and reserves
- Creating and following a budget for the plan/trust
- Internal financial statements vs. external
- Trustee roles and responsibilities
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
- Bridging language barriers
- Driving utilization of existing offerings
- Being creative while fulfilling legal obligations
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Congratulations—Your plan is well-funded. But don’t get too comfortable. A solid funded ratio today doesn’t guarantee long-term success.
- What does it mean to be “well-funded”?
- What are the key risk factors to consider?
- How do assumption choices influence risk profile and stability?
- What is the impact of plan maturity?
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
- Overview of emerging technologies
- Evaluating practical applications: Member chatbots, data analysis and more
- Dos and don’ts in implementation
- The importance of an AI policy
- HIPAA considerations
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
- Defining alternative investments and core strategies
- Understanding fee structures
- Evaluate liquidity constraints and capital calls
- Assess pacing, commitments and cash flow impact
- Diversification and risk strategies
- Questions to ask before investing
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Once you’ve assessed your plan risk, it’s time to consider the options. From investment strategies to benefit design to funding policies, a well-funded position opens the door to important—and sometimes difficult—decisions.
- Investment strategies tailored to plan maturity and cash flow needs
- Plan design features for long-term sustainability
- Considerations around benefit improvements
- The importance of stress testing and stochastic modeling
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
- What’s coming down the pipeline?
- Specialty drug update
- Cost-containment strategies
- Legal and legislative implications
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
“What if there is a better way?” As the innovator of an audacious new category of public speaking that brought poetry to industry in unprecedented ways, Sekou has mastered the art of audacity. His 20-year career helping global brands humanize messaging began with two words: “What if?” What if we could define business our own way? What if our way could set the standard for our industry?
This inspiring and interactive speech will help you ignite that same audacity needed for you to defy convention, deny limitations and define yourselves for yourselves. It focuses on redefining the word “touch” as a metaphor for how leaders and brands can impact communities in increasingly purposeful ways. Prepare to engage your imagination and learn new strategies to help your business get in TOUCH with its humanity.
