When the idea for Cypress University first hatched, it was about creating an educational forum and bringing our clients, brokers and vendor-partners together in one place. The thought was to share strategies and solutions for containing the ever-climbing expenses of health plans and provide all different perspectives in the process.

Well, here we are in 2017, celebrating the milestone fifth anniversary of Cypress University! Held in Las Vegas last month, we are coming off of another enlightening event. It was presented to our largest crowd yet of 260-plus, with registration filling to capacity in less than 10 days.

I think what has always resonated with participants is the chance to get a big-picture look at what’s happening in the health benefits industry in real time and from real industry experts, along with some hands-on guidance for how to control costs. This year we covered topics that ranged from fiduciary responsibility, provider transparency and innovations in telemedicine to medical tourism and employees’ psychological health.

On top of digging into concepts that are most relevant to self-funding right now, Cypress University is structured in a way that is meant to provide the most meaningful learning experience. The two-day event includes informational presentations, panel discussions, Q&A sessions – and plenty of networking opportunities – which allows attendees to learn from both industry experts and their peers.

Based on our post-event survey, it looks like Cypress University is making the grade. Results show that 98% of attendees are not only satisfied or very satisfied with the event, but will likely/definitely encourage others to attend next year!