Insurance Institute of Norwich Annual Dinner 2026: Celebrating 140 Years

On Friday 9 October, the Assembly House in Norwich provided the setting for a very special evening as the Insurance Institute of Norwich came together for its 2026 Annual Dinner and a celebration of the Institute’s 140th anniversary.

This year’s Masquerade Ball theme provided the perfect backdrop for such an important milestone, with the styling woven throughout the evening to create a celebration that looked back at the Institute’s history while bringing members, colleagues and friends together for another memorable night.

For President, Kris Locker, the evening marked his second term in post, making an already significant anniversary particularly special.

Reflecting on the evening, Kris said:

“What can I say other than a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended our annual dinner, The Masquerade Ball! It was so lovely to see you all and celebrate not only my presidency but also our 140th birthday. I hope you enjoyed the look back at our history on display, too.

The whole evening was beautiful, and I would like to give a special mention to Daniella Beacock for bringing it all together. She took my brief, ran with it and helped create exactly the evening I had hoped for.”

Celebrating our past and looking to the future

The 140th anniversary gave this year’s Dinner an extra sense of occasion, providing the perfect opportunity to reflect on the Institute’s long history, achievements and continued contribution to the local insurance community.

As part of the celebrations, a display showcasing the Institute’s history and its journey over the past 140 years was available for guests to explore throughout the evening. It proved incredibly popular, with guests taking time to discover more about how the Institute has evolved over the years, reminisce about familiar faces and moments, and learn more about the people and events that have helped shape the Institute into what it is today.

It was a fitting way to mark such an important milestone, celebrating the generations of members who have been part of the Institute’s story while also looking forward to its next chapter.

During the evening, guests heard from President of the Insurance Institute of Norwich Kris Locker, President of the Chartered Insurance Institute Callum Beaton, Deputy President of the Insurance Institute of Norwich Amaia Robbins and the Insurance Institute of Norwich Dinner Secretary Daniella Beacock, bringing together perspectives from the Institute, the wider profession and those who had worked behind the scenes to make the celebration happen.

Reflecting on the celebration, Amaia said: 

“What a wonderful evening celebrating the Insurance Institute of Norwich’s 140th anniversary at our Annual Dinner on Friday 9 October! 

It was lovely to catch up with familiar faces and welcome new contacts. We also celebrated exam successes and welcomed local employers and sponsors. 

With great food, entertainment and plenty of friendly conversation, it was a celebration to remember. A big thank you to everyone who joined us!” 

Our top table

This year, Kris was joined by representatives from neighbouring Institutes, the CII and our charity partner:

• Amaia Robbins (Deputy President of the Insurance Institute of Norwich)
• Callum Beaton (President of the Chartered Insurance Institute)
• Amy Bramble (Relationship Manager at The Feed)
• Lucy Collett (Client Relationships Director at QuestGates Ltd)
• Andy Brown (President of the Insurance Institute of Ipswich, Suffolk and North Essex)
• Emma van Vliet (President of the Insurance Institute of Cambridge)
• Elvis Ampaabeng (President of the Insurance Institute of Bedford and Milton Keynes)
• Andrew Goate (President of the Insurance Institute of Chelmsford and South Essex)
• Natasha Howles (President of the Insurance Institute of Peterborough)
• Rachel Karn (President of the Insurance Institute of Luton and Hertfordshire)
• Martin Robbins (Customer Service Assistant for Huws Gray)

Supporting two brilliant causes

As ever, the Annual Dinner was also an opportunity to support causes that make a genuine difference.

This year, our chosen charities were The Insurance Charities and The Feed, with guests helping us to raise £1275 over the course of the evening.

The Feed also provided the table favours for our guests, and they were absolutely delicious. It was a lovely way to bring one of our chosen charities directly into the celebrations and showcase some of their work.

Kris added:

“It was wonderful to raise money for our chosen charity, The Feed, and to welcome Amy to the evening. Your generosity, support and donations really did make a difference.”

Want to learn more about the charities?

Visit: The Insurance Charities and The Feed

Everyone onto the dance floor

Of course, no Annual Dinner would be complete without some entertainment.

This year we welcomed Ultimate Event Dancers, a Bridgerton-style dancing duo supported by Aria Collective who brought something a little different to the Masquerade Ball. It wasn’t long before guests were invited to get involved themselves, with the duo getting everyone up on their feet and teaching the room a new dance.

It proved a perfect fit for the theme and made for one of those brilliant moments when everyone could get involved, whether they were already confident on the dance floor or learning the steps for the first time.

For Dinner Secretary Daniella Beacock, seeing the evening come together was particularly rewarding:

“It was a real pleasure to organise the annual dinner for the Insurance Institute of Norwich, particularly as this year’s event marked such a significant milestone: its 140th birthday.

It was a fantastic occasion and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Institute’s long history, achievements, and continued contribution to the insurance industry.

The evening was made even more memorable by the masquerade theme, with everyone fully embracing the spirit of the event. It was lovely to see guests getting involved with the dancing, enjoying the atmosphere, and helping to create such a vibrant and celebratory evening.”

Thank you to our sponsors

An event of this scale wouldn't be possible without the organisations that support the Institute and its Annual Dinner.

We would like to say a huge thank you to this year’s sponsors Howdens, Questgates, Davies, Employment Specialists and Mills & Reeve.

Your support helped us create a fitting celebration for such an important anniversary and is hugely appreciated by Kris, the Council and the Dinner Committee.

We would also like to thank the many local businesses that donated raffle prizes. Your contributions are very much appreciated and went down very well on the night with our prize winners.

A night 140 years in the making

More than anything, the 2026 Annual Dinner was an opportunity to bring our community together.

From the Masquerade Ball styling and a look back through 140 years of the Institute’s history to the dancing, fundraising and conversations around the room, the evening celebrated everything that makes the Insurance Institute of Norwich special: its history, its people and its community.

Daniella summed it up:

“It has been a real honour to organise an event of such importance and to be part of this very special celebration. Seeing the evening come together so successfully made all the planning worthwhile, and I am delighted that it was enjoyed by everyone who attended.”

And, looking ahead, Kris said:

“Looking ahead to the rest of my presidential year, I’m excited to connect with as many of you as possible and visit your offices before handing over to Amaia to lead us through the next year.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all our council members for their hard work and continued support.”

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, donated, sponsored the evening or played a part in making our 140th anniversary Annual Dinner such a memorable occasion.

A particularly big thank you to Daniella Beacock and everyone involved behind the scenes for bringing the Masquerade Ball to life.

And a final thankyou to Mathew Biggin for his 15th year as our toastmaster and to Mary Doggett for capturing the evening so well. Check out all of the photos from the night on the Dropbox link here

Here’s to the next chapter of the Insurance Institute of Norwich.