Alternative Investing Summit 2017

Ritz Carlton, Dana Point, CA
December 3, 2017 - December 5, 2017

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The Alternative Investing Summit will bring together trustees and representatives of institutions as well as money managers and consultants to explore the roles of alternative opportunities and strategies. As a strategy, alternatives offer investors a method to obtain the returns they require and break the paradigm of the 60/40 rule, however not all alternatives are the same nor do they come without certain risks. Participants and delegates of this alternative investment conference will investigate a range of critical investment issues, including discussion of the risks and benefits of various asset classes and investment vehicles such as hedge funds and private equity, examining means of cutting costs associated with implementation of absolute returns strategies, reviewing the future of commodities and surveying the landscape of emerging international markets. With the current struggle of obtaining these returns, the question of fees has become of particular relevance, especially within the field of alternatives as investors measure their risks v. rewards. We will also look into impact investing as a way of obtaining returns that are socially responsible as well as many issues involved with fund management and the importance of education for trustees and other investment officers.

The label "alternative" describes a nebulous investment class to many investors, especially those in the institutional world who have strict ethical and fiduciary obligations to their organizations. However, pursuing alternative investments is essential to maximizing returns while maintaining proper asset allocation in plan portfolios of endowments, foundations, family offices, and public and corporate funds.

UNIQUE CONFERENCE FORMAT
This conference will exclusively feature dialogue driven panel discussions led by consultants and family offices. In order to maintain the educational value of our events, we prohibit any use of PowerPoint presentations during panel discussions. *Only Standalone Speakers will be allowed to use PowerPoints during their presentation. All other PowerPoint Presentations can be added to our Mobile App by submitting a PDF/PPT document to an Opal Associate. Speakers must keep in mind the educational objective of this event. Speakers will NOT be allowed to market specific products or services during presentations.

Current as of

9:00am

Exhibit Setup

10:00am

Registration Desk Opens

12:45pm

Opening Remarks

1:00pm

What Matters Now: Navigating the New Investment Landscape

  • Facing the Challenges of an uncertain World: The strategies and sectors that make sense in 2018
  • Putting Capital to work in 2018: The challenges and opportunities facing investors
  • Fund Leverage – A Debate on the Risks and Returns of Subscription Lines for Alternative Funds
Panelist

Kellen Jones, President, Cache Private Capital

Panelist

Josh Smith, CEO & Co-Founder, Solovis, Inc.

Panelist

Robert Grden, Executive Director, Wayne County Employees' Retirement System

1:45pm

Global Macro Outlook: The Search for Value and Betting on The Big Picture

  • Sustainability, Vice And Beyond: Investing In The Trump Era
  • Tail Risk, Black Swans And Hedging For Uncertainty
  • Perspective on Global Trade and Macroeconomic Outlook during the Trump Administration & Brexit
Moderator

Howard Cooper, CEO, Cooper Family Office (SFO)

Panelist

Dan Shainberg, Chief Investment Officer, BHIC LLC (SFO)

Panelist

Arun Sharma, Chief Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Panelist

Adam Choppin, Analyst, Manager Research & Investment Strategy, FIS Group, Inc.

2:35pm

“This Could Never Happen to Us!”

An Insider’s Guide to Avoiding Investment Scams, Cons, and Ponzi Schemes

Mike Paris, Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP

William C. Nystrom, Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP

2:55pm

Networking Refreshment Break

3:15pm

Addressing the Future of Alternative Strategies and What Will Thrive in Today’s Changing Environment

A US economy that seemed locked in some form of “secular stagnation” or “new normal” is at long last showing some signs of being in something closer to an “old normal’.” The New York Times, March 1, 2017

The developed economies appear to be returning to the ‘old normal’ of healthy economic growth, mid-range inflation and increased volatility – which alternative strategies are likely to thrive in such an environment?

Moderator

Peter Gerlings, CFA, CAIA, Senior Vice President, Implemented Investment Consulting, Segal Rogerscasey

Panelist

Stuart Blair, Director of Research, Canterbury Consulting

Panelist

Mark Perry, Managing Director, Wilshire Associates

Panelist

Raviv Wolfe, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Lago Six Capital

4:00pm

Critiquing Institutional & Private Wealth Investors

We constantly hear of what investors’ need from their alternatives managers. However, what do alternatives managers need from investors in order to do their jobs properly?This session will cover what most investors do not understand about alternative investing and how the unknown can hurt their returns.

Moderator

Guy Pinkman, Trustee, City of Lincoln Police and Fire Pension

Panelist

William A. Pusey, Jr., Senior Wealth Advisor, Keel Point (MFO)

Panelist

Brandon Laughren, Managing Director, Co-Founder and CIO, The Laughren Group (SFO)

Panelist

Jonathan Miles, Managing Director, Head of Hedge Fund Advisory, Wilshire Consulting

4:45pm

Rethinking the Yale Model: Multi-Asset and Tactical Allocation for a New Era

Moderator

David Plants, CIO, Grace Cottage Foundation

Panelist

S. Michael Sury, Chairman, INDORUS Holding LLP (SFO)

Panelist

Ron Diamond, CEO, Diamond Wealth Strategies

Panelist

Howard Cooper, CEO, Cooper Family Office (SFO)

5:30pm

Cannabis: Where is the Opportunity for Investors?

Moderator

Sherri Haskell, Founder, CannaAngels LLC

Panelist

Richard Carleton, CEO, CSE | Canadian Securities Exchange

Panelist

Daniele Piomelli, PhD., Pharm.D., Doctor of Medicine, Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology School of Medicine, Director, Institute for the Study of Cannabis, UC Irvine, Institute for Cannabis Research

Panelist

Scott Smith, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP

6:30pm

Networking Cocktail Reception

Sponsored by:

Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP

7:15am

Networking Continental Breakfast

Registration Desk & Exhibit Hall Open

8:15am

Opening Remarks

8:30am

Non-Correlated Alternative Fund Strategies

  • Investing in Life Settlements
  • How derivative overlays can be used to achieve better returns
  • Is there a new look to alternative assets that are non-correlated or is the party over?
  • What are the assets that investors should consider?
Moderator

Atif Ali, Director of Alternative Investments, G Family Office (SFO)

Panelist

William Corry, Senior Managing Partner, Corry Capital Advisors

Panelist

Gokhan Kisacikoglu, Founder & CEO, CIO, Quants

Panelist

John Liggett, Chief Investment Officer, JL Squared Group

Panelist

Jean-Francois Crousillat, Managing Director, Franklin Templeton Alternative Investments

The Evolution of Value Creation in Private Equity & Venture Capital: Laying the  Framework for Long Term Investing

Moderator

Shawn Quinn, Vice President, Wilshire Private Markets

Panelist

Paul Carbone, Managing Director, Pritzker Group Private Capital

Panelist

Robert Lee, Principal,The Beverly Park Group

Panelist

William Lappas, Managing Director, Woodbridge Capital Partners LLC

Panelist

Andrew Chung, Founder & Managing Partner, 1955 Capital

9:30am

Exploring Opportunities in Real Estate: What strategy best fits for investors in 2018?

Moderator

Phil Morgan, Chief Investment Officer, Earlham College

Panelist

Greg Myers, Managing Director, Cortland Capital Market Services

Panelist

Mike Hubbell, CEO, Portland Development Group Investments

Panelist

Mark Hanf, CEO, Pacific Private Money, Inc.

Panelist

Jack Davis, Investor Relations, The Dilweg Companies

Crypto Currency Market Investments

  • Cryptocurrencies as an asset class. Do cryptos behave like equities, commodities, or something else entirely?
  • What differences are there in managing cryptocurrencies vs traditional alternative investments.
  • Regulation: Will regulators stunt the growth of the cryptocurrency space, or will regulations allow for more robust growth?
  • Overarching affects of the space: Instantly global, infinitely divisible, and largely untraceable.
  • What are hard forks, and how will they affect the stability of the crypto markets?
Moderator

Art Cooper, COO, Cooper Family Office (SFO)

Panelist

Joe DiPasquale, CEO, Bitbull Capital

Panelist

Zach Hamilton, Managing Partner, Airfoil Capital

Panelist

Daniel Parker, Crypto-Economist, DP Global Advisors, LLC

Panelist

Sean Keegan, CEO, Digital Asset Strategies

10:30am

Networking Refreshment Break

Sponsored by:

Kochava

10:50am

Alternative Credit Strategies

Alternative strategies can provide clients with yield many more traditional fixed-income asset classes can’t. This session will examine opportunities in the credit arena that can be an important allocation to offset flat fixed-income returns.

Moderator

Olga Kosters, Director,
StepStone Group

Panelist

Sengal Selassie, Managing Partner, Brightwood Capital Advisors

Panelist

Ric Abel, Managing Director, Prudential Capital Group

Panelist

Matt Baker, Senior Vice President, Prudential Capital Group

Panelist

Aidan Kelleher, Head of Research and Analytics, Nexlend Capital Partners, LLC

Investing in the Real Asset & Energy Markets

  • Finding opportunities inside and outside the developed markets
  • Facing the valuation challenges
  • Are these asset classes over valued?
  • Will they continue to retain their diversification credentials via lower correlation with more liquid asset classes?
  • Current Challenges in the Infrastructure Asset Class – Lessons Learned from Recent Practical Experience
  • Evaluation and Simulation of Renewable Energy Portfolios
Moderator

Bryan Mick, President, Mick Law P.C.

Panelist

Paul Meissner, PhD, CEO, Energy Everywhere INC

Panelist

Kyle Vanourny, Director, Tortoise Capital Advisors

Panelist

Benjamin Tarbutton, Vice President of Investor Relations, Forestland Group

Panelist

Laurance Narbut, Managing Partner, Acceleration Resources

11:50am

How Blockchain Will Revolutionize Digital Advertising

Breaux Walker, SVP, Blockchain, XCHNG brought to you by Kochava

12:10pm

Networking Luncheon

1:45pm

The Resource Efficiency Revolution: How it’s changing the global economy

Former California State Controller, Steve Westly, will outline how new technologies and business models are enabling companies like Tesla, Uber and AirBnB to create some of the best investment opportunities in the market today.  Mr. Westly has a unique background.  After helping take eBay public in 1998, he was elected Controller and CFO of the State of California in 2002 where he served on the boards of CalPERS and CalSTRS.  He then founded one of the larger sustainability venture firms in the United States, where he was an investor and board member of Tesla Motors.  He and his partners have had 10 IPOs.  He also served on the faculty on the Stanford Graduate School of Business for 5 years.

Keynote Speaker

Steven Westly, Founder & Managing Partner, The Westly Group

2:15pm

Investing in the Future: Innovative Technology and How it is Driving Radical Change in Most Industries

  • Disruption — Technical and Medical advancements how to find them –
  • Attracting Investments from the Family Office Community – How to find and build this relationship
  • How much interaction do you expect from your investor — Describe some positive and negative experiences?
  • Connecting Family Office and Institutional investors to unprecedented access to early stage Technology and Medical investment opportunities – Pluses and Minuses for the family office
  • Returns—How does the Family Office best capitalize on these investments—Exit vs. IPO
Moderator

Nathan McDonald, Managing Partner and CEO, Keiretsu Capital

Panelist

Randy Hubbell, President & CEO, Carmell Therapeutics

Panelist

Helen Thomas, Founder and CEO, TouchJet

Panelist

Bill Waller, CEO, Monitor Mask, Inc.

3:15pm

The Hedge Fund Industry: A transitional time for the industry?

  • Hedge Fund Indexation and Replication
  • How Is the Tide Turning for Hedge Fund Strategies?
  • Human vs. Machine – Could Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Disrupt the Entire Hedge Fund Industry?
  • Insights into the opportunity set in 2018
  • Merger arbitrage strategies
  • Value-add of a multi-manager platform
Moderator

Anthony Lombardi, Associate Partner, Institutional Advisory Solutions, Aon Hewitt

Panelist

Carl Ludwigson, Director of Manager Research, Bel Air Investment Advisors

Panelist

Chad Burlingame, Director, Alternative Investments, Ascent Private Capital Management (MFO)

Panelist

Scott Glickman, CFA, CAIA, Marketing & Investor Relations, FQS Capital Partners L.P.

4:00pm

Investing in Sustainable Impact Strategies

  • Exploring the Role of Alternatives in Impact Investing
  • Measuring Social Impact with Big Data Analytics
  • How can Big Data innovate Impact Investing?
  • Top 5 Challenges in Impact Investing Projects
  • ROI strategies for impact investments
  • The Role of ESG and SRI Strategies
Moderator

Brian Smiga, Partner, Alpha Venture Partners / Pritzker Group Venture Capital (SFO)

Panelist

Chad Givens, Managing Director, Nuveen

Panelist

Roland Van der Meer, Managing Director, Ultra Capital

Panelist

Michael Williams, Director, Sixty West

Panelist

Andrew Chung, Founder & Managing Partner, 1955 Capital

5:00pm

Managing Current Market Volatility & Risk to Maximize Investment Returns

  • Risk? What Risk? Risk is more than volatility.
  • Net under the High Wire? Protecting portfolios against volatility.
  • No, Wait, I Can MAKE Trading? Investing in volatility.
  • I Am Carnac the Magnificent? Prognosis for markets, near and longer-term
  • Volatility Strategies In An Uncertain World
  • Monitoring, Reporting and Risk Management of Alternative Investments – What Is State of the Art?
Moderator

Skip Coomber, III, President, Coomber Family Estates (SFO) / Dragon Trust Family Office (SFO)

Panelist

Daniel Zwirn, CEO, CIO, Founder, Arena Investors, LP

Panelist

Andrew Ross, CFA, CQF, FRM. Associate Director, PAAMCO

Panelist

Mike Kamell, CFA, CAIA, Consultant, Verus

Panelist

Aaron Rosen, CFA, Co-Portfolio Manager, Senior Vice President, LCM Investment Management, LLC

6:00pm

Networking Cocktail Reception

8:00am

Continental Breakfast

8:45am

Welcome Remarks

9:00am

100 Things – What’s on your list?

Affected by the loss of a close friend, Sebastian Terry started on a personal journey to find happiness. His story and list have not only gone onto change his life, but have accidentally started a global movement of people who all now chase their dreams and help others in acts of kindness. Guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and inspire motivation, the 100 Things keynote is like no other and will re-engage, connect and inspire you to consider this question – ‘What’s on your list?

Keynote Speaker

Sebastian Terry, Author, “100 Things”

9:45am

How to Access the Best Managers via GP-Co Investments or Direct Investment Structures

Moderator

Ralph Money, Managing Director, Commonfund Capital, Inc.

Panelist

Randy Norton, Managing Partner, Head of Real Estate & Alternative Investments, Green Mesa Capital, LLC (SFO)

Panelist

Chris Winn, Principal, Alternative Investments, Winn Family Office (SFO)

Panelist

Brandon Rath, Chief Investment Officer, Calamar (SFO)

10:45am

Portfolio Harmony: Balancing Your Asset Allocation & Portfolio Construction

  • Understanding new forms of asset allocation
  • Harnessing the power of the emerging risk factor diversification
  • Going from relative to absolute returns
  • Positioning alternative investing in the emerging landscape
  • Which asset strategies are you allocated to? Over allocated? Under allocated? How are you looking at your portfolio mix today?
  • How do you want to see your allocations distributed? Is there anything that doesn’t exist that you would want?
  • What are your challenges? What do you most want managers to know?
Moderator

Will Buividas, Vice Chairman, Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (psprs)

Panelist

Lily Cavanagh, Treasurer, Redford (MI) Police & Firemen Retirement System

Panelist

Chris Walters, Advisor to Family Offices, Family Office Consultant

Panelist

Rick Rodgers, Vice President, Director | MPPP Plan Administrator, Innovest Portfolio Solutions LLC

11:45pm

Conference Concludes

12:30pm

Golf Outing at Monarch Beach

1star
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point, CA, United States
(949) 240-2000

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*Rates are exclusive tax. Please contact jpuchalski@opalgroup.net for additional room categories.
  • Rooms are available only to those participants who are registered conference attendees.
  • The name on the form will be the name of the guest room.
  • Rooms are allocated on a first come first serve basis. Room types/rates are subject to availability.
  • Rooms will not be guaranteed without a credit card.

Registration Pricing

Standard Rate
Asset Managers $3,295
Service Providers $3,295
***Family Offices (Single/Multi), Endowment, and Foundation Complimentary*
Pension/Union Trustee, Administrator, Director or Officer / Non-Discretionary Consultant Complimentary*

*** These include: organizations that are solely investing on their own behalf in alternatives and do not sell any alternative investment products or services to clients including; sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, endowments, foundations, family offices, private clients and treasury.

*Subject to Opal Group’s verification and approval. Only individuals who are solely investing on their own behalf can be verified for a complimentary pass. Solution Providers or Fund Providers to 3rd parties will not be able to receive complimentary access. As investment portfolios/strategies are constantly changing, we reserve the right to re- verify past delegates for future complimentary passes.

Sponsorship, Exhibition & Speaking Opportunities 212.532.9898 info@opalgroup.net

100 Things - What's on your list?

Presented by

Sebastian Terry, Author, “100 Things”

The Resource Efficiency Revolution: How it's changing the global economy

Presented by

Steven Westly, Founder & Managing Partner, The Westly Group

  • Investors perspective on alternatives
  • Volatility
  • Risk
  • Asset Allocation
  • Hedge Fund
  • Real Asset Investing
  • Real Estate opportunities
  • Direct and Co-Investing Opportunities
  • 1031 Exchanges
  • Liquid Alternatives
  • Pension Reps – Trustee, Administrators, Commissioners, Staff
  • Taft Hartley Reps – Trustee, Administrators, Commissioners, Staff
  • Endowments
  • Foundations
  • Family Offices
  • Consultants
  • Attorneys
  • Accountants
  • Hedge Funds
  • Fund of Funds
  • Real Estate Managers
  • Equity Managers
  • Venture Capitalists
  • Private Equity
  • Mutual Funds and ETF Funds
  • Security Lenders
  • Infrastructure Based Fund Managers
  • Investment Banks
  • Insurance Companies

Manager vs. Investor Breakdown

    Investor Breakdown