The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers Acquires Broker Smackdown and Insurance Challenge Programs from PriSim Business War Games

Washington, D.C., July 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (The Council) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with PriSim Business War Games to acquire a leading insurance industry training program suite, known within the brokerage community as Broker Smackdown and across the broader commercial insurance marketplace as the Insurance Challenge.

The deal reinforces The Council's commitment to providing best-in-class professional development programming for its broker members. Today's announcement marks the beginning of a deliberate, multi-year transition of the program from PriSim to The Council (commonly referred to as CIAB), enabling a seamless user experience for Council members and PriSim's clients and carrier partners. PriSim will continue to support its current clients, facilitating Broker Smackdown through 2027 and the Insurance Challenge through 2029.

"Broker Smackdown is a cornerstone of our professional development programming and widely-regarded as the gold standard for leadership training across the industry," said Joel Wood, President/CEO of The Council. "Retention, career-pathing, and succession planning are consistently emphasized as top priorities for our member firms, and we are grateful to Jeff Lefebvre and the PriSim team for entrusting us to carry this successful program forward."

Broker Smackdown is an in-person competition where participants run a brokerage firm in a computer-simulated insurance market, learning by trial and error how their decisions impact financial, operational, and sales outcomes. It is designed to give emerging leaders a broader perspective on how the business operates. The Insurance Challenge allows participants to manage both a carrier and brokerage organization, exploring the entire insurance value chain from product development through distribution.

To date, more than 2,300 Council members and 2,100 carrier participants have moved through the programs. The Council's acquisition of the program suite will allow for increased engagement, new delivery models and additional partnership opportunities within the broader commercial insurance industry.

"Having partnered with The Council for the past decade, I'm confident they have the reach and expertise that is needed to be good stewards of this simulation and curriculum," said Jeff Lefebvre, founder of PriSim Business War Games. "For 25 years, PriSim's simulations have sharpened the strategic thinking and financial acumen of thousands of carrier and brokerage leaders. The Council’s commitment to elevating industry talent makes their organization an ideal home for our programs, and we’re thrilled to pass the baton to their team.”

In 2026, The Council converted It's All About Risk — an on-demand course for onboarding new-to-the-industry talent — from a paid program available industry-wide to a free, exclusive benefit for Council member firms. This decision, in addition to the strategic asset acquisition from PriSim, supports the association's broader efforts to achieve scale and choice across its best-in-class professional development programs for brokerage talent, from interns all the way to the C-suite. Learn more.