Sounds like some interesting discourse will be had at the annual Society of Insurance Research (SIR) Conference this year.

The conference, which will be held in Charleston, SC, October 22-26, will include an open forum consisting of several insurance commissioners, according to PR News Wire. Attendants will tackle issues related to heightened catastrophe risk, avian flu and other pandemic exposures, the impacts of illegal immigration on demographics, niche marketing to Baby Boomers, the implications of increased lifespan, and more. And, excitingly, they'll discuss these issues as they relate to both P&C and Life and Health insurance carriers. Very cool.

SIR is a non-profit organization geared towards using research to develop new solutions to combat the insurance industry's current and future problems. As far as innovative organizations go—and as far as innovative insurance-affiliated organizations go—SIR fits the bill.

Check out the full conference blurb courtesy of Insurance News Net here; full conference details (including the goods on registration), visit http://www.sirnet.org.