If you’re reading this, you probably need no introduction to the two flagship conferences of the hedge fund world; Context365 and iConnections. With the event industry going from strength to strength following COVID-19, both are taking place later this month in Miami. Attendees will be hoping for incredible networking opportunities – and let’s not kid ourselves, some excellent hospitality and entertainment.

Of course everyone is there with a business goal in mind. These hedge fund events come with hefty price tags, and more importantly take us from our desks for a week or more; no casual undertaking. For hedge fund managers, the goal is clear; meet allocators and pitch for investment. If they don’t achieve this, the event cannot be considered a win.

So how can you maximise your chance of success? Pre-event preparation is essential, and this should be underway already. Here are some tips to get you going:

• Download the event app and research who is attending. Have both this app and LinkedIn set up on your mobile so you can use them on the fly to connect with attendees at the conference.

• For both the event app and LinkedIn, take time to optimise your profile. Ensure it is written for your target audience (investors in your fund) and not for your next employer, and try to convey some sense of your stellar personality.

• Use LinkedIn to connect with everyone on the speaker list. This is a great way to grow your network. Accompanying your connection request with a comment on how much you’re looking forward to their session will never go amiss.

• Do your research on everyone you hope to meet, so you can really get the most out of your conversations. Approach this like exam preparation; what is their firm talking about, what are they personally engaging with online, what seems to matter to them? You can go pretty deep on your research, even when looking at a complete stranger.

• Target people who are likely to be attending alone (you can usually see this in the event app) and suggest meeting during social time. You could even consider arranging a get-together for solo attendees.

• In all your outreach, keep the tone light and personal, and save the fund pitch for later.

• Prepare your post-event strategy now. Time will be short post-event(s) and you want to be able to move quickly when the time comes.

• Consider how you will share more information with your new connections. Fund performance, thought leadership, your company values, details on your executive team etc. should all be available online for the right audience.

In our recent white paper, “Eight steps to building quality relationships at in-person events”, we go into more detail on your pre-event preparation for hedge fund events, as well as your on-site tactics to get the most out of your investment. Click here to read the paper now.