Public Policy: Stakeholder Engagement & Strategic Relationships

The Travelers Institute regularly engages with policymakers, business leaders, researchers, students, civic organizations, advocacy groups and others to examine solutions to the challenges facing communities and businesses today. Through educational symposia, strategic coalitions, conferences, webinars, podcasts, publications and other activities, the Travelers Institute helps further dialogue on a variety of important public policy issues, including those outlined under our Approach. These cross-sector collaborations help drive informed discussion and demonstrate our willingness and ability to thoughtfully provide industry leadership.

Collaboration across federal, state and local government is core to the Travelers Institute mission. Travelers Institute programming has featured representatives from various state Departments of Insurance, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, several Federal Reserve Banks, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, among others. The programs offer critical education about selected public policy topics and provide a platform for government agencies to share and promote resources.

Travelers Institute programming not only fills an important role in the public policy dialogue but also enhances our relationships with our customers, independent insurance agents, state regulators and the public. In particular, Travelers Institute educational programming offers unique value to our network of more than 15,000 agent and broker partners, providing a distinguished thought leadership platform. Over the past 15 years, the Travelers Institute has hosted hundreds of events in collaboration with agents and brokers, enhancing these relationships while providing education and risk mitigation strategies to thousands of consumers. Programming leverages agents’ knowledge of how issues such as cybersecurity, distracted driving and natural disasters directly affect families, businesses and communities. Agencies and agent associations regularly co-host programs, invite customers and provide expert speakers, leveraging their risk management expertise and reinforcing their value as trusted advisors for critical insurance decisions. In addition, the Travelers Institute offers presentations on the economic outlook and political landscape at agent conferences and events and provides educational content, including publications, social media campaigns and videos, for agents and brokers to share with clients. These programs are a great example of how our efforts to strengthen our communities also enhance our relationships with our agent and broker partnerships and contribute to our bottom line.

Notably, in light of the pandemic, the Travelers Institute enhanced its convening power and connected with important stakeholders virtually through the  Wednesdays with Woodward^® webinar series. The series launched in June 2020 and explores personal and professional issues impacting our agents, our brokers, our customers, our employees and the communities we serve. Topics discussed have included cross-sector efforts to prevent and reduce cybercrime, the changing landscape of insurance distribution, the future of autonomous vehicles and raising awareness about effective disaster preparation, response and recovery, among many others. Through the end of 2023, the Travelers Institute hosted 103 webinars, which had more than 376,000 registrations and replay views.