Each year, an intense series of alternative investment conferences take place in and around Miami. Here are the events for 2024 (and some notable changes).
By Ed Rowley, last updated January 24, 2024
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(This article was originally published on November 15, 2023 and has been updated.)
Miami Hedge Fund Week exerts a gravitational pull on the alternative investment industry.
Beginning in late January 2024, thousands of professionals from investment managers, allocators and service providers will head to Miami and nearby locations for a packed schedule of conferences and dealmaking.
The collection of events, held each year in late January and early February, is commonly known as “Miami Hedge Fund Week”. However, the name is increasingly outdated.
The conferences cover not just “hedge funds”, but also private equity, private debt, venture capital and digital assets. It’s also not a “week”, but more like two weeks. And it’s no longer just “Miami”, since events also take place around South Florida and in nearby tropical locations.
As I looked at the upcoming events, I saw some notable changes for 2024:
- ApexInvest (formerly Context Summits) is now taking place in The Bahamas. For years this conference featuring 1:1 meetings was a mainstay Miami event.
- The Cayman Alternative Investment Summit (CAIS) is back. It was last held in early 2020.
- There’s less focus on “crypto” and “digital assets”, as events have dropped digital assets days and feature fewer crytpo sessions.
Miami Hedge Fund Week Events for 2024
For 2024, there are 12 conferences that I believe alternatives allocators, managers and service providers would want to know about.
For some of these events, it’s debatable whether they should be included, either because of their location or topic. However, I’ve erred on the side of including more rather than fewer events, so readers can get a fuller picture of everything that’s happening.
Apex Invest Bahamas
Organizer: Apex Invest
Dates: January 21-23
Location: Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
Description: This longstanding conference brings together allocators and alternative investment managers for prescheduled one-on-one meetings, as well as panels, networking and socializing. The event was originally held in Miami under the Context brand and was a mainstay Hedge Fund Week event. For the first time it is being held in the Bahamas.
BattleFin Discovery Day Miami
Organizer: BattleFin
Dates: January 24-26
Location: Nobu Hotel at Eden Roc Miami Beach
Description: Data buyers (such as hedge funds) meet with 100+ alternative data providers. At last year’s event, more than 1,600 one-on-one meetings were held. There are also speakers and panels featuring hedge funds, PE/VC firms and data providers.
361Firm Naples & Miami Conferences
Organizer: 361Firm
Dates: January 27-29
Locations: Naples: AC Hotel Naples 5th Avenue / Miami: Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club
Description: 150+ attendees from family offices, institutional investors, fund managers and founders gather for a series of sessions on investment opportunities, with a focus on alternative investment funds and VC and direct deals. Gatherings for this conference take place in a variety of locations and feature pickleball.
Cayman Alternative Investment Summit (CAIS)
Organizer: Dart
Dates: January 28-30
Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
Description: After a three-year hiatus, CAIS returns as a conference for single family offices, investors, alternative investment fund managers, academics and economists. Attendees network, share ideas and learn about global issues impacting control of the world’s wealth.
State of the Industry 2024 Annual Meeting
Organizer: Commodity Markets Council (CMC)
Dates: January 28-30
Location: Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa
Description: The trade association for futures exchanges and their industry counterparts holds this annual conference. Commodities market participants gather to hear speakers and panels on commodity industry sectors, regulations and other commodity markets issues.
Equities Leaders Summit
Organizer: Worldwide Business Research
Dates: January 29-31
Location: JW Marriott Marquis Miami
Description: Buy-side equity traders gather along with the sell-side and technology providers. The conference features numerous keynotes, panels and roundtables that explore equity trading topics including technology, regulation, market structure and data.
MFA Network 2024
Organizer: Managed Funds Association (MFA)
Dates: January 29 – February 1
Location: Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Description: This is the MFA’s flagship business development and networking event for the alternative investment industry. It gathers 850+ allocators, hedge fund managers, and service providers for one-on-one meetings, educational programming and peer-to-peer, investor-led discussions.
Private Credit Investor Forum 2024
Organizer: Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) and its Alternative Credit Council (ACC)
Date: January 29
Location: Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Description: Private credit LPs and GPs gather at this event to discuss the asset class, network, and participate in a series of “meet the allocator” roundtables and workshops. The event is held in partnership with iConnections, and ends as Global Alts begins (see below).
Global Alts 2024
Organizer: iConnections
Dates: January 29 – February 1
Location: Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Description: Global Alts has emerged as the largest of the hedge fund week events. In 2023 this cap intro event attracted 3,500 attendees and hosted 14,000 one-on-one meetings between allocators and alternatives managers. It also features 150 speakers exploring topics related to hedge funds, private equity and investing.
Breakers Conference
Organizer: Morgan Stanley
Dates: January 29-31
Location: The Breakers Palm Beach
Description: The invite-only Breakers cap intro conference has been held since 1999. It brings together Morgan Stanley’s hedge fund clients to meet, network and share ideas with institutional investors.
2024 Florida Venture Capital Conference
Dates: January 31 – February 1
Location: JW Marriott Marquis Miami
Description: 1,000 attendees from venture capital funds, investors, companies and others from Florida and beyond gather for capital raising, networking and content. As part of the event, 60 companies pitch to investors for venture funding.
Private Placements Industry Forum
Organizer: Informa Connect
Dates: February 4-7
Location: Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Description: The private placement industry gathers for networking, dealmaking, panels and one-on-one meetings. The PPIF conference attracts 800+ issuers, investors, agents and advisors. Content explored includes the market outlook, infrastructure, commercial real estate and private credit. Banks host private spaces for dealmaking.
Other Events and Updates
Many associations, managers and service providers will be holding receptions and networking events during this period. Some that have publicly announced their events include:
- AYU is holding networking and thought leadership events on the AYU Yacht and surrounding Miami locations during January 24-31.
- Placer.ai is holding a yacht reception in Miami on January 24.
- Dakota is holding networking cocktails at the SoHo House on January 28.
- RCM Alternatives and other sponsors are holding liquid alts and commodities panel discussions the afternoon of January 29 at Smith & Wollensky, followed by cocktails.
- Alpine Capital is hosting drinks and dinner events in Miami and Palm beach from January 29 to February 2.
- Arootah and other sponsors are holding cocktails and a casino night on a yacht in Miami on January 29 and 30.
- Black Hedge Fund Professionals Network is holding its 3rd annual Miami reception on January 29 at Eden Rock Miami Beach.
- NexGen360, Castle Hill and other sponsors are holding a 9th Annual Welcome Networking event at the Soho Beach House on January 29.
- Alliant, JPMorgan, KPMG and Meraki are hosting rooftop networking cocktails at 1 Hotel South Beach on January 30th.
- Alpaca is holding a reception to discuss innovation in real estate at Freehand Miami on January 30.
- Cantor Fitzgerald, Enfusion and U.S. Bank are holding a cocktail reception at the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club on January 30.
- Fundviews Capital and partner firms are hosting their 2nd annual Alternative Investments Cocktails and Bites at Sweet Liberty, Miami Beach on January 30.
- Vistra is hosting a happy hour on a yacht in Miami on January 30.
- DLA Piper is holding a lunch and panel discussion on investment prospects within Miami and Dubai, with speakers from the DIFC, in Miami on January 31.
- BankUnited, Citrin Cooperman, Greenberg Traurig and Hazeltree are holding their Mix & Mingle cocktail reception on January 31 at the Betsy Hotel, Miami Beach (click for RSVP or for more information).
- SFO Alliance is holding a members dinner on January 31.
- KBRA is holding a private drinks reception at Byblos Miami on February 4 in advance of the PPIF.
Note that the Greenwich Economic Forum had preliminary scheduled its GEF-Miami conference on January 29, but has since moved it to March 14.
I’ll continue to update this list as I come across new information. To get on the list for updated articles, or to let me know if I’m missing anything significant, please contact me.
For a comparison of this year’s events vs. last year, see my prior article.
Finally, an important note that conference and event information can and does change. Always go to the event organizers’ websites for the latest information and check with them to confirm dates, locations and other information before making any plans.
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