If your role includes designing, building and managing investment portfolios, you're a member of an investment committee, or you have a professional responsibility to understand how leading portfolio construction practitioners do this, PortfolioConstruction Conference is for you. 

Our 2008 program will again challenge your thinking about how you design, build and manage investor portfolios - it's a two-day, 12-hour-a-day marathon of 33 quality sessions featuring 37 carefully selected, local and international portfolio experts - and is again just $695+GST for Practitioners ($595+GST for those who attended in 2006 and/or 2007!).

Quicklinks

PortfolioConstruction Conference is designed to facilitate debate on contemporary and emerging portfolio construction issues. There are three key components:

1. an independent plenary keynote speaker program which focuses on the big picture issues – markets, asset allocation, portfolios and parameters issues;

2. independent plenary workshops which focus on the same four broad issues, but with an implementation emphasis, combining presentations, debate, Q&A and delegate roundtable discussion to help delegates put the issues discussed into practice in portfolios on a day-to-day basis; and,

3. the unique Due Diligence Forum program which focuses on the fifth broad issue, products. Delegates attend six sessions from a menu of 24 spanning a range of asset classes, each firmly grounded in a pre-approved research paper on a different contemporary portfolio issue.

It's a cram-packed, two-day , 22 hour marathon of 32 quality sessions featuring 36 carefully selected, local and international portfolio experts, to help delegates design, build and manage better quality investor portfolios.
 

G'day!

The singular focus of PortfolioConstruction Conference - debating contemporary and emerging portfolio construction issues - is a key reason it's THE investment conference of the year, and why it has a solid history of featuring portfolio strategies that are well ahead of the curve:

• 2003 - Our "I've been thinking about... 2010" plenary session predicted the bull market in Australian equities, and a global recession in the later part of this decade. We also introduced global listed property as an asset class (at the time, there were no retail global listed property funds available in Australia);

• 2004 - A key theme was whether and how to incorporate global emerging markets (both equities and bonds) into portfolios. Four years ago, the issue wasn't even on the radar of those designing, building and managing investor portfolios.

• 2005 - we introduced the idea of global equity portfolios (at the time, equity funds were managed on country lines). Another session asked "When will the global credit boom end" and warned it was reliant on a US mortgage boom of shaky credit quality.

• 2006 - A key theme was commodities, when it was still considered a high risk portfolio bet. Another session walked delegates through a robust method for setting regional and country allocations in investor's portfolios. The risk of a global credit crunch was again discussed extensively.

• 2007 - The plenary program included showing Delegates a simple method to better manage credit risk in portfolios - those who adopted this approach would have weathered the credit crunch with only minimal portfolio losses.

So if your role includes designing, building and managing investor portfolios, you're a member of an investment committee, or you have a professional responsibility to understand how leading portfolio construction practitioners do this, then PortfolioConstruction Conference is for you and we’d welcome you joining us!

Graham Rich, Publisher, PortfolioConstruction Forum
 

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Wednesday
27  August

7.00am    Check-in opens

8.30am    Opening Keynote - Dr Philippa Malmgren

10.15am   Morning tea

11.00am   Due Diligence Forum 1 (50 minutes)

12.05pm   Due Diligence Forum 2 (50 minutes)

12.55pm   Lunch

2.10pm     Best of Due Diligence Forum 1&2 (50 minutes)

3.15pm     Plenary Workshop 1

5.30pm     Closing Keynote - Chris Cuffe

6.30pm     Closing Networking Reception

8.30pm     Day 1 ends
 

Thursday
28  August

7.15am    Arrive for breakfast briefings

7.30am    Breakfast briefings

8.30am     Plenary Workshop 2

10.15am   Morning tea

11.00am   Due Diligence Forum 3 (50 minutes)

12.05pm   Due Diligence Forum 4 (50 minutes)

12.55pm   Lunch

1.55pm     Best of Due Diligence Forum 3&4 (50 minutes)

3.00pm     Plenary Workshop 3

4.00pm     Plenary Keynote - Dr Woody Brock

4.50pm     Plenary Keynote - Bob Veres

5.15pm     Closing Keynote - Dr Mark Mobius

6.15pm     Drinks reception (ends 7.00pm)
 

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Sneak peak!
In this two minute video, Dr Malmgren introduces the key issues she'll address at this year's Conference

Click HERE >

Markets                                                                                                       Opening Keynote
I've been thinking about... today's key global issues and their implications
Hon. Dr Philippa Malmgren | Canonbury Group, adviser to Deutsche Bank | UK

A world-renowned consultant on the global political and policy environment and its influence on financial markets and the global economy, Dr Malmgren regularly visits with policy-makers in the offices of heads of government, the boards of central banks, and elected and appointed officials among G7 countries. Previously, she served as an advisor on international economic issues to Goerge W Bush during his Presidential campaign, and then joined the White House as Special Assistant tot he President for Economic Policy on the National Economic Council, responsible for all financial market issues.

Dr Malmgren will discuss the key global political and policy issues affecting financial markets and the global economy into the future.

Markets                                                                                                         Closing Keynote
I've been thinking about... the movement of global emerging markets
Dr Mark Mobius | Exec Chairman | Templeton Asset Management  | Singapore

Dr Mobius is one of the world's most celebrated investors, and commands a following akin to that of Warren Buffet. A pioneer of emerging market investment, Dr Mobius oversees US$47 billion in emerging market equities at Templeton Asset Management. In 2006, he was named one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential People" by Asiamoney magazine, which noted that he "boasts one of the highest profiles of any investor in the region and is regarded by many in the financial industry as one of the most successful emerging market investors over the last 20 years."

Dr Mobius will discuss the current state of the global emerging markets, highlighting the risks and opportunities ahead.

Portfolios                                                                                                    Plenary Keynote
I've been thinking about... old dog, new tricks
Chris Cuffe | Executive Director | Social Ventures Australia

Chris has more 20 years experience in building successful wealth management practices at Colonial First State and Challenger Financial Services Group. For the past two years, he has been applying his investment management industry expertise to Social Ventures Australia, a highly unusual non-profit organisation.

Chris will outline his unique involvement with SVA which includes responsibility for managing an innovative fund-of-funds, as well as using pioneering investment "assistance" to achieve the nirvana of risk-free alpha.

Parameters                                                                                                  Plenary Keynote
I've been thinking about... putting the pieces (back) together
Dr "Woody" Horace Brock | President & Founder | Strategic Economic Decisions | US

Dr Woody Brock specialises in applying modern "Economics of Uncertainty" to forecasting and risk assessment in the international economy and its asset markets. He is well-known for his ability to take complex concepts and make them accessible. His speaking engagements have included the World Economic Forum in Davos, the CIA, family office offsites, conferences for alternative investments and institutional investor forums.

After two days and over 20 hours of intensive learning and interaction, the danger is Delegates lose sight of the woods for the trees. Dr Brock will discuss information overload and how to avoid it - helping you manage the problem, much better - so you see both the woods AND the trees.

Check out Bob's 2007 "My Key Takeouts"
Click HERE >
 

Portfolios                                                                                                    Plenary Keynote
I've been thinking about... my key takeouts
Bob Veres | Editor | Inside Information | US

Bob is one of the most respected and influential financial services commentators in the US. He has been named one of the most influential people in the planning profession by both Investment Advisor and Financial Planning. He is a founding member of the PortfolioConstruction Journal's Editorial Board and has a keen interest in the Australia financial advisory industry. In his business, he attends 10 international conferences a year, summarising up proceedings for his subscribers.

Bob will summarise the most important things he's taken from the two-day program, and the follow up he'd be doing if he was a Practitioner Delegate. So you'll leave Conference with concrete outcomes to implement in your business.

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Markets
I've been thinking about... trends in investment markets
Douglas Hodge | Managing Director | PIMCO | Japan
Steve Burton | MD, Global Strategy Port Mgr | ING Clarion Real Estate Securities | US
Denis Donohue | Managing Director | Solaris Investment Management | Australia
Scott Berg | Associate Portfolio Manager Global Equity Strategy | T. Rowe Price | US
John Angell | Senior Portfolio Manager | RMF Investments Management | UK

No investment Conference would be complete without an in-depth discussion of where markets are at, what lies ahead, and the impact on asset allocation models. We trialed this format at the 2007 Conference and it was the most highly rated of any session.

Part 1 - Our panel of prominent investment professionals present their long-term outlook for global fixed interest, global equities, local and international listed property and hedge funds, identifying key opportunities and risks. Our panel of experts includes:

Part 2 - Our panelists then debate whether the next decade is going to look more like the long-term average, the last decade, the last year, or something else entirely. Delegates then use their electronic voting devices to select their own forecast for each asset class.

Part 3 - The following day, our Implementor, Tim Farrelly, will show delegates the return implications of their forecasts for their chosen portfolio. Last year, many delegates were surprised to find that it was very different from what they expected it to be.

Portfolios
I've been thinking about... building a direct portfolio of Australian shares

The majority of PortfolioConstruction Conference delegates are using direct shares to implement at least part if not all of the Australian equity allocation in investor portfolios. So exclusively for this year's Conference, PortfolioConstruction Forum and BlackRock Investment Management have designed a simulation to highlight the key issues to consider when building a direct portfolio of shares. Using our Gizmo voting technology, delegates will work in their table groups to decide:
- between a concentrated portfolio or a more widely diversified investment strategy
- which stocks to include in their portfolio, and what weights to assign
- whether to run a long-only or long-short investment policy
- between managing to a benchmark or not
- whether to buy and hold, or take a more active trading approach 

We'll identify which is the best constructed portfolio across the delegate table groups, and identify the key lessons learned, so you can apply them back in your business.

Portfolios
I've been thinking about... current portfolio dilemmas and solutions
Stewart Brentnall | Head of Investment Solutions | BT Financial Group
Amanda Gillespie | Head of Investment Consulting | Lonsec
Tim Farrelly | Principal | farrelly's
Dominic McCormick | CIO | Select Asset Management
David Wright | Director | Zenith Investment Partners

Our panel of prominent research professionals will debate the current portfolio construction dilemmas faced by delegates such as:
- Should I blend 50/50 value and growth, or have a bias one way or the other?
- How should I use small caps in a portfolio?
- Are resources and gold a separate asset class or just part of Australian equities?
- What's a sensible core/satellite mix of active and passive managers?
- How should I be accessing global emerging markets?
- How could I be capitalising on climate change?

We'll finalise the list of topics nearer to Conference. If you have any suggestions  Click HERE >

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Our unique Due Diligence Forum sessions each focus on a contemporary portfolio issue, firmly grounded in a pre-approved research paper. At Conference, you attend your choice of six from the menu of 24. Plus, we podcast all 24 Due Diligence Forum sessions - these, the research papers, and the presentations are published after Conference in an online multi-media library aso you can also absorb the 18 sessions you weren't able to attend at Conference...
 

Of Interest

Debt in 2008: is the worst of the liquidity crisis over?
Claire Harding | Head of Research | Australian Unity | Australia

Measuring credit portfolio risk
Sarah Percy-Dove | Head of Credit Research | Colonial First State Global Asset Management | Australia

Defensive asset allocation in an inflationary environment
Douglas Hodge | Managing Director | PIMCO | Japan

If cash is king, who will see the emper0r's new clothes
Peter Walsh | Director, Retail Buisness | Putnam Investments | Australia

Getting Real

Direct propery - to have and to hold
Matthew Chun | CIO & Head of Funds Management | Becton Investment Management | Australia

The agricultural boom – a real opportunity to benefit your portfolio
David Bryant | Fund Manager, ROF | Great Southern Funds Management | Australia

Inflation, inflation, inflation - are REITs the answer?
Steve Burton | MD, Global Strategy Portfolio Manager | ING Clarion Real Estate Securities | US

Australian real estate in investment portfolios - risk or reward?
Dr David Rees | Director of Research | Mirvac Funds Management | Australia

Taking Stock - Australia

Sitting on top of the mountain
John Robertson | Director | E.I.M Capital Managers | Australia

Capitalising on global themes
Simon Rutherfurd | CIO & Co-lead Portfolio Manager | Northward Capital  | Australia

Why long short is the new long
Vasant Khilnani | Senior Portfolio Manager | Perpetual Investments | Australia

A fundamental view of risk in small cap portfolios
David Wanis | Portfolio Manager | Schroders | Australia

Taking Stock - International Equity (Diversified)

The seven sins of fundamental global investing
Bruce Stout | Senior Investment Management | Aberdeen Asset Management | UK

How to give the market the Freudian slip
James Fairweather |  Chief Investment Officer | Martin Currie Investment Management | UK

The markets are telling you something... are you listening?
David Schaen | Co-President, Portfolio Manager Principal | Marvin & Palmer Assoc brought to you by EQT | US

Why emerging markets are critical to global equity investing
Scott Berg | Associate Portfolio Manager for Global Equity Strategy | T. Rowe Price | US

Taking Stock - International Equity (Specialty)

Structural changes reshaping global agribusiness markets
Bill Barbour | Investment Specialist | DWS Investments | Australia

Water, alternative energy & climate change - environmental investment strategies
Jens Peers | Head of Eco Investment Team | KBC Asset Management (Liontamer) | UK 

Is infrastructure the ultimate inflation-proof asset class?
Dennis Eagar | Portfolio Manager | Magellan Asset Management | Australia

Emerging market equities - an Australian perspective
Geoff Warren | Director of Capital Markets Research | Russell Investments | Australia
Andrew Lill | Director of Investment Strategy  |  Russell Investment Group  | 

Alternatively

Commodities? Absolutely! Intelligent exposure? You bet
Justin Hyde | Director | Barclays Capital | HK

The paradox of passive alpha - passive hedge fund management
Kate Wilkie | Product Specialist for Funds and Alternative Solutions | Credit Suisse | Australia

Fund of hedge funds - do they really add value?
John Angell | Senior Portfolio Manager | RMF Investment Management | brought to you by Man Investments  | US

Blending alternative investments in a complex environment
Robert Graham-Smith | Portfolio Manager | Select Asset Management | Australia

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PortfolioConstruction Conference is at a new venue in 2008 - Australian Technology Park, which boasts a custom event venue including a 500 seat theatre, plenary workshop room, and break-out facilities.

Where is it?
Australian Technology Park is near Redfern just 2 kms from Sydney's CBD, 8 kms from the airport, within 200m of Sydney's rail network.

Map of the venue and surrounds   Click HERE >

Getting there by taxi
The entrance to the ATP for taxis is from West Link Road, Eveleigh

Getting there by car (and parking)
The entrance to the ATP car park is from Garden Street, Eveleigh. Collect a ticket from the boom gate and drive through to the car park - don't worry, you won't have to pay to leave. During the Conference day, go to the help desk in the Cafe, and ask for a complimentary car pass. When you leave, you'll insert that in the machine by the boom gate to leave.

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