This was the general consensus of the many advisors and sponsors that attended. Helmed by Ted Lundgren, NAAIM Vice President and the NAAIM Agenda Committee, this conference had a little something for everyone.
The morning kicked off with a rousing tribute by Michael Price on the value of peer-to-peer networking – something NAAIM specializes in. Price indicated networking at past NAAIM events led to his firm establishing a minimum client investment, introduced him to his longtime partner Dexter Lyons, and played an important role in his distribution relationship with Ceros.
Monday’s morning sessions included the first of a three part course presented by 2014 NAAIM Wagner Award winner Dave Walton and his partner Dave Witkin of StatisTrade. In a concurrent session on marketing using dinner seminars, Randy Bailey and Steve Williamson of Legacy Financial Group shared their strategies for producing a successful and effective dinner seminar.
In a throwback to past NAAIM conferences, the morning session also included time for peer-to-peer roundtables. Attendees rotated tables to discuss different topics and many carried over the conversation and networking to lunch.
After lunch, attendees gathered for a Due Diligence panel as part of the NAAIM Showcase. Due Diligence panel members answered questions from moderator Carl Resnick of Guggenheim on the best way to present a strategy for distribution. The panel members also took questions from the audience.
The first day of Outlook finished out with the NAAIM Shark Tank auditions and a keynote address given by John Mauldin. There were 15 Shark Tank presenters, who each had 7 minutes to present their strategy and then 5 minutes to answer questions from the judges. The auditions were held concurrently, in two separate rooms, and attendees were allowed to switch rooms as desired between presentations.
Newsletter editor and economist John Mauldin gave a riveting presentation, touching on multiple, diverse topics such as Japanese and Chinese currencies and their impact on the respective economies to potentially finding a cure for cancer through biotechnology.
Tuesday morning opened strong with a fascinating analysis of Sabermetrics and the investing world by author Joe Peta. After a debilitating accident, Peta spent his recovery time investigating how portfolio managers, like baseball players, can have certain skill sets that make them very successful in one area but not in another. Peta argues that identifying and using the best skill sets of portfolio managers, such as exposure management, is the most likely way to generate alpha. Just as you wouldn’t have a power-hitter catcher who is slow steal second base. You would put him in to hit, then replace him with a faster runner after he gets on base.
Additional Tuesday sessions included a mix of technical and marketing sessions. Dave Walton and Dave Witkin concluded with the remaining two technical sessions related to system bias. Attendees who chose the marketing track worked with Venk Reddy of Zeo Capital Advisors to strengthen the relationship between managers and investors. Jerry Broussard of Broussard Financial Group introduced attendees to new social media marketing strategies, such as how to share articles of interest across a number of social media channels using apps such as Feedly and Buffer.
The “Your Conference, Your Agenda” segment of the conference was highly interactive, with members giving their input on everything from the conference agenda to the general consensus that NAAIM members need and want more marketing help. Fittingly, the last session of the day was a marketing panel! Members shared their experiences on marketing their Active Investment Management practices to the end client.
A big thanks to our sponsors for their contributions to the conference!