Live from Miami on Day One of the Equities Leaders Summit (ELS) 2024, we speak to marketing manager Lena Moriarty and conference producer Daniel Davidson to learn more about the background of the Equities Leaders Summit (ELS), the benefits of attending, and why this year is set to be the biggest and best yet…
How long has ELS been running, and has it always been in Miami?
Moriarty: This is our ninth year running ELS but it only came to our team in the US two years ago, so this is the second year our team has been running the event. This year we’re at a brand new hotel, the JW Marriott Marquis, instead of the Eden Roc where it has been historically, and we’re very excited. I can honestly say we’ve seen an exponential amount of growth this year compared to last year – there is a real buzz about the event, and you can already feel that with all the conversations that are taking place on day one.
What do your different roles entail – how do you split the organisation and who does what?
Davidson: I do the heavy lifting for the content for the event – I do extensive research with the buy-side community and also reach out to the sell-side and providers, constantly striving to understand what is happening, where they see things going, and what their biggest themes are for this year, the next couple of years – even as far as five years into the future. I think synthesise that together to arrive at the hottest issues and topics that should be covered. Then I also work to determine the format – some things are better for a smaller roundtable, or a panel of experts, some things work better just before a networking break so that people can continue the conversation – it can be complex.
We have a substantial team that works on this event, both on the ground and behind the scenes. It’s a group effort, and we work hard to make sure everything is perfect.
Do you only target North America or is this a global event?
Davidson: We’re the sister event to TradeTech and that primarily focuses on European equities, although it has some overlap with the US. It’s the same here, we are largely US-focused but we do have some European overlap. It’s a mainly US-centric crowd though.
Moriarty: Globally welcome, nationally focused.
What are the stand-out themes for this year?
Davidson: T+1 is definitely at the forefront, just because of the tech requirted to go through the implantation, the sense of urgency, measuring where people are with that. Another theme that came out of the first buy-side day was how the trader can really add value to the PM – how is that relationship evolving.
Another theme is how to work across our new hybrid environment, how are things changing with the new post-pandemic work practices in place, and how do you connect your team better. And then from a technological aspect, we’re looking at how to improve your day to day workflow – automation, how you can use AI, how trade analytics can help you make better decisions and achieve best execution.
What is your biggest headache when organising an event like this?
Moriarty: What keeps me awake at night is making sure we get the right message across to our audience, making sure that we convey all of the strengths of the event. Daniel said that he did the heavy lifting – to be honest, he is both the brains and the brawn…think of me as the mouth! Daniel puts together that solid, strong program and then it’s up to me to convey that to our audience. We’re one of the only events that brings together buy-side, sell-side and technology provider representatives, all in one place – people are mingling openly and that’s a unique attribute.
Have you seen a shift in enthusiasm this year, and how does it compare to past events now that we’re a few years post-Covid?
Moriarty: 110% yes. You can definitely hear the buzz already. For example, today was the buy-side only day and yet almost every delegate showed up on the dot of 5.30pm to attend the drinks reception, despite not attending the full day. Communication is so big in this community, and they don’t always get the opportunity to come together, bump elbows and really have a good time while still learning, benchmarking and strategizing. That’s what this is really all about.
Davidson: I’d just add that this year we’ve doubled our audience across the board – that includes buy-side, sell-side and providers. We’re so excited to have everyone on board, and we’re looking forward to growing yet further.
For someone reading this who isn’t at ELS right now, why should they come next year?
Davidson: The learning, the people, the timely and relevant sessions, and the experience itself – we’re in a beautiful resort and it’s a great time both inside the conference and outside.
Moriarty: One thing about us is that we know our community, and we love our community, and we know that their time is valuable. So we want to make it worth it.
©Markets Media Europe 2023
