In-Person Conferences Returning This September

In-person events for financial advisors will be making a comeback starting this September so long as federal and state guidelines allow them. Several, however, may be hybrid, combining on-site and virtual presentations and attendance.

The FPA is moving “full steam ahead on planning an in-person annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 22-24,” said a spokesman, adding that the organization will continue to pay attention to government guidelines and make adjustments if needed.

SkyBridge Capital’s SALT conference, which focuses on alternative investments, is also scheduled to be an in-person annual event, but far from its usual venue. Its annual conference is set for the Javits Center in New York City from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15, instead of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Anthony Scaramucci, the firm’s founder, said he chose his hometown this year because “New York is going to be coming back and I want to be part of it.” The conference will accommodate as many people as allowed on-site, and if that’s limited, will mix in-person and virtual events. “Everything is conditioned upon health and safety,” Scaramucci said.

Morningstar says its annual investment conference is set for Sept. 22-24 at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, its usual venue, but will be “a hybrid event that reflects our gradual steps into a post-pandemic world.” Sessions will be available in person and online.

Last year, Morningstar’s annual conference as well as FPA’s were virtual events because of the coronavirus pandemic. The SALT conference was canceled.

An Old and New ETF Conference

That wasn’t the case of Inside ETFs, whose annual conference in late February went ahead as usual, at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida since it took place just before the massive shutdown of the U.S. economy. This year the conference has been reorganized, in partnership with WealthStack, to take place Sept. 27-29 at the same venue as an in-person event that will be run according to CDC and local guidelines.

A new ETF-focused in-person event, called Exchange, organized by ETF heavies including Tom Lydon, Dave Nadig and Tom Hendrickson, of ETF Trends and ETF Database; and Matt Hougan and Matt Middleton, both formerly of Inside ETFs, is set for Feb. 13-16, 2022 in Miami at the Fontainebleau Hotel. More than 2,000 attendees including more than 1,000 financial advisors are expected.

Schwab, which held a  virtual Impact conference last fall, will likely hold another virtual conference this year, although it is considering potential in-person components “when and where it is safe to do so,” according to a statement from the company.

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