The Fall 2022 Wrap-Up of ACG Events

In its eighth year, DealFest Northeast is the largest M&A event in the region, drawing dealmakers who came to network and partake in the region’s finest craft beers.

New this year was a Value Creation Forum at Boston Park Plaza Hotel on June 7. The forum was designed for operating partners, private equity-backed company executives and other value creators, and it was held prior to the beer-tasting event that sold out with 60 attendees.

The Women’s Connection Reception and Deal Hunters (Young Professionals) Reception were held shortly before DealFest, where New England’s top private equity firms and investment banks shared local brews. On June 8, the event continued with DealSource Select for some investment banks, PE firms and other capital providers who partook in a full day of pre-scheduled, 20-minute one-on-one meetings.

ACG SAN FRANCISCO

For the first time in ACG San Francisco’s 30-year-history, ACG M&A West was moved from downtown San Francisco to wine country in Sonoma. Held June 1-2 at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, ACG M&A West drew more than 200 people.

Dealmakers flocked to Sonoma from all over the country and brought their spouses and families to spend a few more days after the conference to enjoy wine country. The event hosted a sommelier in Napa and top winery proprietors to pour wine for the opening VIP reception.

Panel discussion topics included “The Direction of Cyber Risk Management” and “NFTs in the Business Environment—Today and the Future,” among others.

ACG MID-ATLANTIC AND CAROLINAS

Held June 16-17 at AC Hotel Raleigh North Hills in Raleigh, North Carolina, the ACG Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas DealSchool drew 32 attendees who learned about the dealmaking process from start to finish with content provided by seasoned professionals in investment banking, private equity, corporate development, accounting and law.

The attendees not only came away with a great appreciation of all that goes into dealmaking, but they broadened their personal networks and spent time with their fellow attendees as well as the panelists and instructors.

DealSchool was a joint venture between the chapters and networks of the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas regions, including ACG Charlotte, ACG Piedmont Triad Network, ACG Raleigh Durham, ACG Wilmington Network, ACG Richmond, ACG 757 Network, ACG Maryland and ACG National Capital.

ACG HQ

On Aug. 16, ACG hosted its first-ever virtual Operators’ Summit, which focused on accelerating value creation. The full-day event featured panel discussions and opportunities for one-on-one meetings, along with invitation-only roundtable discussions where private equity operating partners and portfolio executives exchanged best practices.

Five panel discussions explored drivers of value creation in the current market, how PE-backed executives can be successful, ways to prepare portfolio companies for growth, outsourcing strategies that support value creation, and key indicators for tracking portfolio performance.
There were 745 registered participants for the event, and more than 140 one-on-one meetings scheduled.

The event is part of ACG’s ongoing effort to serve the full value creation ecosystem, including operating partners and private equity-backed executives.

ACG NEW YORK

The ACG New York Summer Dealmaking Conference at Gurneys Star lsland Resort and Marina in Montauk, New York, is a summer event specially created for dealmaking professionals, offering intimate and unique networking opportunities in conjunction with high-quality, relevant one-on-one deal meetings.

Held over two days in late July, the conference had about 100 attendees who partook in catamaran rides, beach parties and clam bakes.

This year, the event welcomed family offices, limited partners, independent sponsors and corporate strategic acquirers, along with the senior investment bankers, lenders and fund managers.

On July 27, dealmakers started off with a breakfast at Showfish restaurant before two hours of one-on-one meetings. Later in the day, they took a catamaran ride, and attended a reception and a VIP Dealmakers Invitational Dinner.

On July 28, dealmakers spent more time in one-on-one meetings before breaking at a beachside barbecue luncheon. Some dealmakers stopped by the Ascension Invitational Launch Party at Surf Lodge with a special performance by The Chainsmokers.

ACG SEATTLE

ACG Seattle hosted its premier event, the Northwest Middle Market Growth Conference 2022 on July 14 with 230 dealmakers who gathered at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle for a day of networking with the dealmaking community.

Attendees enjoyed the stunning views of the Puget Sound from the 17th floor of the Russell Investment Building as they listened to two panel sessions, titled “M&A Financing and Market Update” and “In the Trenches—Women Deal Makers.”

The keynote lunch featured Ben Saunders, a record-breaking polar explorer, who is also a three-time main stage TED speaker and a TED Master Storyteller. He’s featured in TED Talks: The Official Guide to Public Speaking.

After the panels, attendees spent two hours networking before dining at the Dealmakers Dinner at The Capital Grille.

ACG NATIONAL CAPITAL

On June 8, ACG National Capital celebrated the region’s leading executives and businesses at the 20th Annual Corporate Growth Awards Gala at the Ritz-Carlton in McLean, Virginia.

With more than 475 attendees representing about 160 companies, the awards gala highlighted the most impressive deals and dealmakers, investors and corporate leaders.

The Corporate Growth Awards are presented to the executives, companies and deal teams that were individually selected by the chapter’s awards committee from a long list of nominations.

Categories included Deal of the Year, Deal Team of the Year, Emerging Growth Company Award (Under $25 million), Corporate Growth Company Award and Special Service Project Award.

UPCOMING ACG EVENTS

• • OCTOBER 6: AgTech Investor Symposium – ACG Raleigh Durham
  • OCTOBER 17-18: M&A East 2022 – ACG Philadelphia
  • OCTOBER 27: Wine Tasting 2022 – ACG Orange County
  • NOVEMBER 1-3: Florida Capital Connection – ACG Florida Chapters
  • NOVEMBER 3: 8th Annual Healthcare Conference – ACG Connecticut
  • NOVEMBER 4: Annual Economic Forecast – ACG St. Louis
  • NOVEMBER 7-11: Middle Market Week – ACG New York
  • NOVEMBER 8-9: ACG LA Business Conference – ACG Los Angeles
  • NOVEMBER 9-10: 9th Annual Deal Crawl – ACG Charlotte
  • NOVEMBER 14-15: DealSource North and ACG Capital Connection – ACG Toronto
  • DECEMBER 14: NextGen Lunch – ACG Orange County

For more information on upcoming ACG and ACG chapter events, visit www.ACG.org/events.