Plenty of financial industry conferences are hosted every year. Choosing which ones to attend or “invest in” is no easy task. We have compiled and analyzed a number of them to help you make a strategic decision.
Like many other parts of your PR and marketing plan, deciding which industry conferences to attend depends upon your goals and audience. Are you targeting institutional investors, financial advisors or the retail sector? Are you launching a new mutual fund or growing an established one?
With these questions in mind, you will be able to decide whether your money is best spent at large industry conferences like Morningstar or SCHWAB Impact, or at smaller regional or firm-specific conferences.
Financial Advisor Conferences
Conferences that target financial advisors are a major marketing opportunity for mutual fund companies. Typically, these conferences focus on topics such as wealth management, portfolio construction, tax planning, retirement and industry trends.
| Conference | Month | Location | Attendee(A) & Sponsorship (S) Fees (approximate 2016) | # Attendees (approximate) |
| TD Ameritrade (TDA) | January or February | Orlando, FL |
A: $1,000 S: $10 - 15 K |
3,200 |
| IMCA Annual Conference | April or May | Varies |
A: $1,250 S: $10 K |
1,700 |
| Pershing INSITE | June | Varies |
A: $1,000 S: $10 - 15 K |
2,000 |
| Morningstar | June | Chicago, IL |
A: $1,200 S: $15 K |
2,000 - 3,000 |
| FPA | September or October | Varies |
A: $800 - 1,300 S: $1 K – 8 K |
2,000 - 3,000 |
| NAPFA | October | Varies |
A: $800 - 1,400 S: $8 K – 90 K |
500 - 1,000 |
| Schwab IMPACT | October or November | Varies |
A: $1,200 S: $8 - 130 K |
4,000 |
Industry Conferences
Industry conferences are good educational events for mutual fund companies. Topics typically include: industry trends, operations, accounting, compliance, product development, growth, marketing and distribution.
| Conference | Month | Location | Attendee Fees (approximate) | # Attendees |
| NICSA | January or February | Hollywood, FL |
$1,700
|
700 |
| MFEA Technology | February | Varies | $750 | 100 - 200 |
| MFEA Strategic Summit | April or May | NY, NY | $750 | 100 - 200 |
| ICI General Membership Meeting | May | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 2,000 |
| MFEA Digital Council | June | Varies | $750 | 100 - 200 |
|
MFEA Distribution/ Product Council Roundtables |
September | Variable | $750 | 100 - 200 |
| MFEA Star Awards & Marketing Council | October | Varies | $750 | 100 - 200 |
Client Conferences
Client conferences offer attractive educational opportunities for mutual fund companies that are clients or prospects of the host company. These conferences may focus on the same topics covered by some of the industry conferences but are more targeted towards the informational needs of their clients.
| Conference | Month | Location | Attendee(A) & Sponsorship (S) Fees | # Attendees |
| Gemini-Orion Fund Services Client | February | Varies | Free for Gemini-Orion clients & prospects | 1,000 |
| Strategic Insight Client | June | NY, NY | A: $1,000 | 300 - 400 |
| US Bank Client | June | Milwaukee, WI | Free for US Bank clients & prospects | 100 - 400 |
| Cohen Fund Services Client | August or September | Varies | Free for Cohen clients & prospects | 100 - 200 |
| UMB Client | September | Varies | Free for UMB clients & prospects | 300 - 400 |
| Ultimus Client Summit | September | Cincinnati, OH | Free for Ultimus clients & prospects | 60 - 100 |
Need more info on conferences and conference prep? Check out our conference series here, or download our infographic "The Mutual Fund Manager's Guide to Financial Advisor Conferences."
