The 2013 Morningstar Ibbotson Conference, set for Thursday and Friday in Hollywood, Fla., is not for the faint of heart. It squeezes in an intense series of finance talks delivered by academically talented and quantitatively focused professionals.
Organizers say it also offers attendees lots of chances to chat in person with Morningstar and other experts about financial theory and practice. And, for better or worse, the event takes place near the warm, sunny beach and pool area of the Westin Diplomat hotel.
“This is Morningstar’s premier conference geared to sophisticated professionals and institutional investors, and its content is very different from the yearly advisor-focused conference most of the industry is familiar with,” scheduled for June in Chicago, said Thomas Idzorek, CFA, president of Morningstar Investment Management, in an interview with AdvisorOne.
Idzorek compares Morningstar’s February confab to the CFA Institute’s annual conference. “It’s a mix of leading academics and leading professionals in the industry, with general sessions and a large number of breakout sessions,” he explained. “It’s hosted by Morningstar speakers.”
The conference is “really intimate,” he notes, and usually has about 350 attendees. “This means that those attending can interact directly with Morningstar experts,” Idzorek said.
Agenda for 2013
Joe Mansueto, chairman and CEO of Morningstar, will kick off the event early on Thursday. He’ll also introduce Roger Ibbotson, now chairman and chief investment officer of Zebra Capital Management.