Happy Wednesday! In this week's Big I Buzz, we are discussing our August Sales & Leadership Conference, the Memorial Day weekend travel forecast and states hit hardest by inflation. 

AAA 2022 Memorial Day Travel Forecast Shows Pre-Pandemic Travel Levels

AAA has released their 2022 Memorial Day Holiday Travel Forecast, and it seems as though travel through this holiday is full-steam ahead! Travel for the holiday weekend is nearing pre-pandemic levels. 

Highlights from the forecast: 

• Memorial Day travel to increase 8.3% over 2021 to 39.2 million. Rising prices are not deterring travel's resurgence this Memorial Day weekend, with travel volumes expected to reach 92% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019. 

• Car travel to increase 4.6% over 201 to 34.9 million. Despite historic highs in gas prices that began in early March, car travel remains a popular choice and will approach 93% of 2019's volume. 

• More than 3 million people will fly this holiday weekend. Air travel continues to rebound, up 25% over 2021 and will make up 7.7% of all holiday weekend travelers, the highest share for air travel since 2011. 

• Travel by other modes will triple from last year's level, with 1.3 million people using transportation like buses, trains and cruise ships. 

The IIAW has shared a graphic outlining the forecast highlights on our Facebook page and in our Big I Buzz email. Feel free to share this with your clients to encourage safe & alert travel this holiday weekend. 

2022 Sales & Leadership Summit  - An IIAW & MarshBerry Partnership

Join the IIAW on August 23 & 24 in Neenah, WI for our 2022 Sales & Leadership Summit, a partnership with MarshBerry. MarshBerry is a nationally recognized advisory firm and top growth consultant for insurance agents, brokers & carriers. MarshBerry instructors will deliver an action-packed 1.5-day summit filled with fantastic topics you won't want to miss. Whether you are looking to train a new sales producer or develop a sales management team, this summit will provide solutions to build and maintain sustainable sales practices and strategies. Stay tuned for our June magazine, where we'll be giving an in-depth look at the different topics that will be covered throughout the summit. 

Registration is $249 per person and includes your ticket and dinner for the Timber Rattlers game. We have limited space available for the event and we encourage everyone to sign up early to secure your spot. Learn more about the event here. 

QuoteWizard: States Hardest Hit By Inflation

A recent study by QuoteWizard, an insurance shopping website, compared the impact of inflation in 2021 versus 2022. Their study found that these are the top 10 states affected (spoiler alert: Wisconsin is among the top 10 states impacted!).

10. Idaho - 5% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 12% in May 2022. 

9. Montana - 5% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 12% in May 2022. 

8. Maine - 6% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 15% in May 2022. 

7. Washington (tie) - 4% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 10% in May 2022. 

7. Louisiana (tie) - 10% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 25% in May 2022. 

6. Wisconsin  - 5% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 13% in May 2022. 

5. New Hampshire - 5% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 13% in May 2022. 

4. Indiana - 5% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 13% in May 2022. 

3. Missouri - 6% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 16% in May 2022. 

2. Florida - 8% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 22% in May 2022. 

1. Arkansas - 5% of people had a "very difficult time" in June 2021 vs. 15% in May 2022. 

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.