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1.
Practitioners first and foremost
Conference is for portfolio construction Practitioners first and
foremost – by that, we mean those who design, build and/or manage
investment portfolios (or who must understand how others do so),
including:
- principals, researchers/analysts, investment committee members,
investment
advisers, and paraplanners within financial advisory firms and
family offices;
- researchers/analysts with investment research houses, asset
consulting firms, and
platforms;
- analysts/portfolio managers with manage-the-manager fund managers;
and,
- super fund executives and trustees.
To retain the focus on Practitioners, we tightly manage to a 4:1
ratio of Practitioners to Non-Practitioner and limit the total
number of delegates to 750 over the three days.
2. A singular focus and a firm emphasis on
substance, not sizzle
Conference is a jam-packed, marathon three-day, 25-hour program
featuring 50 intensive, interactive sessions and more than 40
carefully selected local and international portfolio experts. It
comprises a 12-hour Critical Issues Forum featuring quality keynote
presentations, complemented by our unique six-hour Due Diligence
Forum elective program and preceeded by our concurrent, one-day
PortfolioConstruction Masterclass elective programs. Think of the
Conference as a university extension course (not an exhibition
bazaar!).
3. An independent and interactive
plenary program
The Critical Issues Forum plenary program is designed by our
specialist, experienced and independent team to cover two of our
three pillars – Markets and Strategies. It comprises a core, 12-hour
program independent of any specific investment product discussion.
None of our Critical Issues Forum speakers appears on a “cash for
comment” basis. We decide the topics and we find and invite speakers
based on their expertise in our chosen subject areas, giving them a
detailed brief and vetting all presentations.
Then, in each session, we have our independent Inquisitors –
investment experts we select for their forthright, analytical
thinking – whose job it is to quiz our Critical Issues Forum
speakers in order to get them to clarify points that were not made
clearly, defend assumptions implicit in their presentations, and
challenge them on how delegates could implement the ideas presented.
Finally, in each session, our interactive Gizmo technology enables
delegates to send their comments and questions in real time to our
Inquisitors, who ensure these are addressed during the
Q&A/discussion time in each session, closing the loop for delegates
on their issues/questions.
4. Specialist elective programs
Due Diligence Forum
Our unique Due Diligence Forum elective program focuses on
Investing, PortfolioConstruction Forum’s third pillar.
Each morning on the second and third days of Conference, we feature
two Due Diligence Forum timeslots, each with six concurrent DDF
electives, delivering 24 unique sessions over the two days. In
these, our carefully-selected Partners deliver presentations driven
off a pre-approved Research Paper written by them specifically for
Conference. These papers are available to delegates before
Conference, to help them identify which DDF electives they wish to
attend. Each DDF session fits into one of seven categories (six are
covered in each timeslot, with no doubling up of categories within a
timeslot, and diversity of topic and product solution within each
category:
- Fixed Interest / Credit
- Property
- Equities Global
- Equities Speciality (regional, sector, or theme specific)
- Alternatives
- Multi-asset class
- Strategies (e.g. currency, structured strategies).
In the afternoon of days two and three, our “Best of DDF” program
features the six sessions rated most highly by delegates from that
morning, rewarding excellence. Delegates therefore attend six of the
24 DDF sessions at Conference, and afterwards, they can “attend” the
other DDF sessions via the Conferences Resources Kit.
PortfolioConstruction Masterclasses
The first day of Conference features concurrent
PortfolioConstruction Masterclass programs. Each features six
carefully designed sessions presented by a faculty of subject matter
experts selected for their particular expertise in the arena. All
sessions are supported by an Opinion Paper written specifically for
the Masterclass.
Emerging Markets Masterclass, in association with the BRIC+
Program
This century, we’ll see the move to a more balanced, multi-polar
world economy in which developing nations influence investment
returns far more than ever before. Our annual Emerging Markets
Masterclass aims to help delegates develop a deeper understanding of
the global emerging markets and their role in investment portfolios.
Asset Allocation Masterclass, in association with farrelly's
Investment Strategy
Asset allocation is a key driver of quality portfolio
construction, and quality results for investors. Our annual Asset
Allocation Masterclass focuses on the outlook for markets, and what
that means for asset allocation, as well as the latest ideas from
academia and leading edge practitioners.
5. A strong focus on implementation and
continuing education
Conference is not just a talk-fest. Delegates are issued with an
Implementation Worksheet for each program (the Masterclasses,
Critical Issues Forum and Due Diligence Forum), so they can record
their key takeouts during the sessions. Plus, each program includes
a Key Takeouts session in which our Inquisitors provide their key
takeouts from the presentations and discussion/debate, and actions
they think delegates should be considering as a result when building
investor portfolios.
Post-Conference, delegates’ learning continues via the online
Conference Resources Kit – an invaluable set of continuing education
material including presentations, podcasts, videos, papers and
member comments – across the Masterclass, Critical Issues Forum, and
Due Diligence Forum sessions. It allows delegates to:
- revisit the jam-packed program;
- access support material referred to during the program;
- review the key takeouts and portfolio implications; and,
- determine actions they’ll take, to build better quality investor
portfolios. |
