Happy Wednesday! In this week's Big I Buzz, we are discussing Fourth of July travel, upcoming webinars to add to your calendar and how offices are changing post-COVID. 

AAA Fourth of July Holiday Travel Forecast

AAA has released their Fourth of July Holiday Travel Forecast and we are seeing upward travel trends showing Americans are ready to get back to their vacations. Similar to Memorial Day weekend, there's an expected increase of travel for the Fourth of July. More than 47.7 million Americans will take to the roads and skies for the Fourth of July weekend (July 1-5), according to AAA. Not only will travel be up 40% compared to last year, but it's expected to be the second-highest Independence Day travel volume on record (behind 2019). 

Americans will be hitting the road, totaling more than 91% of holiday travel this upcoming weekend. Car travel will bll be the highest on record, despite the gas prices being at the highest compared to the last seven years.  AAA says that over 3.5 million Americans will travel in planes, up 2.2 million from last year. 

According to AAA, these are the top destinations for the Fourth of July weekend: 

1. Orlando, FL

2. Anaheim, CA

3. Denver, CO

4. Las Vegas, NV

5. Seattle, WA

6. Chicago, IL

7. New York, NY

8. Atlanta, GA

9. Boston, MA

10. Kahului, Maui, HI

If you're planning to head south towards Chicago for the weekend, prepare for a bit of traffic as Chicago is listed in the top 10 travel destinations for the weekend.  According to the AAA News Room, "INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts drivers will experience the worst congestion heading into the holiday weekend as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers, along with the return trip on Monday mid-day."

Upcoming Webinars to Add to Your Schedule:

The IIAW, in partnership with Godfrey & Kahn, has produced the below webinars to help you navigate upcoming changes within the insurance industry and how these changes will affect you.

Cost for each of these webinars: $99/person

Webinar: Agency Privacy Officer - Duties & Legal Overview

Join attorneys Josh Johanningmeier and Sarah Sargent from Godfrey & Kahn S.C as they provide independent agents with a detailed overview of the duties and legal requirements for an agency privacy officer. Every agency must adhere to specific requirements found in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in addition to NAIC and state-specific requirements. As these laws continue to pass and grow in complexity, there are policies that every insurance agency must follow regardless of size or location.

This webinar is available on the following dates:

• 9AM-10AM on Thursday, July 1st
• 11:30AM-12:30PM on Friday, July 9th
• 2PM-3PM on Wednesday, July 14th
• 10AM-11AM on Thursday, July 15th

Webinar: New Disclosure Requirements for Brokers/Consultants

Attorneys Josh Johanningmeier and Todd Cleary of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. provide legal direction and guidance regarding new disclosures under Consolidated Appropriations Act. These new rules apply to compensation paid with respect to a covered plan to a covered service provider. Listen in to learn what the term "compensation" includes, how a "covered plan" is described and who is included in "covered service provider". Additional details such as advance disclosure requirements, required disclosures and requirements for plan fiduciaries will be important topics of discussion.

• 2PM-3PM on Thursday, July 1st
• 10AM-11AM on Friday, July 9th
• 12PM-1PM on Wednesday, July 14th
• 12PM-1PM on Thursday, July 15th

Offices After COVID: Wider Hallways, Fewer Desks

As more and more employees are returning to work, they're seeing a different office setup than when they first left. The move back into offices is being focused on socialization within their work spaces. 

Associated Press reported, "Surveys show the thing employees miss most about office work is socializing and collaborating with colleagues, said Lise Newman, workplace practice director at architecture firm SmithGroup. Companies are trying to encourage that rapport by building more social hubs for employees. Some mimic coffee houses, with wood floors, booth seating and pendant lamps. "Companies are trying to create the sense that this is a cool club that people want to come into," Newman said."

In addition to adding in social workspaces for employees, businesses are also creating more private spaces so those who need time to work on their own, have that sense of privacy they received while working from home. New York company, Valiant Technologies, has removed rows of desks and put more space between the remaining ones. They're encouraging a hybrid work environment, where employees have a desk to return to when they work in the office. Read more from the Associated Press story here. 

For more news, check out the Action news section of our weekly e-newsletter, Big I Buzz. If you aren’t subscribed, click here to add your email to our emailing list. We hope that everyone has a great rest of their week!