What An Event! The BW 2022 Due Diligence Conference

After what seemed to be the longest 2 year break from conferences, with all kinds of twists and turns- the 2 biggest being the Covid pandemic and then the Buttonwood ownership change- we were finally able to host the new and improved, revamped and restructured, Buttonwood 2022 Due Diligence Conference.

 

With months of planning, having to bump the conference from February to June due to the omicron outbreak, even more months of planning, we were finally able to welcome a fantastic group of Sponsors, Broker Dealers, Registered Investment Advisors, and Service Providers to beautiful La Jolla-Torrey Pines, CA. It was a long 11 months from start to finish, but it was so worth the wait!

 

First off, I want to thank all our presenting sponsors, service providers, meal sponsors, and every BD/RIA that chose to come to the West Coast and spend their valuable time with us. We greatly appreciate all of them and were thrilled that even the hotel had compliments for what a great group of people our attendees were.

 

We kicked off the conference with our welcome reception and dinner in the beautiful gardens of the Hilton La Jolla-Torrey Pines, overlooking the 18th fairway of the Torrey Pines Golf Course. There was food, drinks, lawn games and great company. It was a relaxing way to welcome our attendees and set the tone for the next few days.

 

 

 

 

The first full day started off with our first group of presenting sponsors. The group of sponsors each gave a 10min quick pitch presentation to the large group of attendees. We then broke into small groups where the sponsors had 15 minutes with each group to get into the details, answer questions, and connect with every BD/RIA. After the small group/breakouts, we kicked the sponsors out of the room for the BD/RIA Only Session where the financial reps could talk candidly with Buttonwood co-owners and principals Steve Ogrin and Vince Brady about the sponsors and programs just presented. I think Steve had a little too much fun throwing the toss-able microphone box at the attendees! After a delicious lunch on the patio, we were back for our second group of presenting sponsors.

 

 

 

 

After our final session on Wednesday, we headed down to San Diego Harbor for the Buttonwood sponsored Dinner Cruise. We spent 3 hours cruising along the harbor, seeing all the naval ships, the beautiful ocean and city line at sunset, and we even got to watch the Navy practicing water rescues! A fantastic meal was shared, conversations abounded, and we finished the evening with front row seats to an incredible fireworks show off the USS Midway Museum. It was a highlight of the conference and capped off an already incredible evening.

 

 

 

Our final day of the conference began with our social/networking activities. One group went whale watching (unfortunately, not a lot of whales, but there were lots of dolphins and other wildlife!) and the other group did a city tour of San Diego in fun little GoCars. If you haven’t tried a GoCar, it’s a fantastic way to see the city and have your car tell you about the history and sites!

 

After another delicious lunch overlooking the ocean and 18th fairway, we settled back into the conference room for our final group of presenting sponsors. It was wonderful seeing the conversations and engagement of all the attendees and sponsors.

 

The conference wrapped up and everyone dispersed for the evening’s sponsor-hosted dine-arounds. Some of our attendees stayed an extra day and played a round of golf at the world-renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course. What an experience!

 

 

Based on our sponsor and BD/RIA feedback, it was an overwhelming success. The format was perfect for allowing the sponsors to engage with the BD/RIAs in a meaningful and productive way for both sides. Questions could be asked, answered, and followed up on. New connections were made. Our goal was to provide an opportunity for learning, engagement, and networking in a smaller, more intimate setting. When people tell you it was the best conference they’ve been to, I’m going to take that as a sign that we hit our goal for the conference!

 

We hope everyone enjoyed meeting the Buttonwood Team, just as we enjoyed seeing old faces and meeting new ones! We’re looking forward to working with everyone to help with their due diligence needs. If you have any questions about anything that was covered at the conference or need any due diligence guidance or support, we’re a phone call or email away! You can also access our completed due diligence reviews through our reports vault on the Buttonwood Due Diligence website.  

 

Until next time, thanks again to all our attendees, both sponsors and BD/RIAs, that participated. Now it’s time to plan for the next one! Let’s hope it’s only a few months away and not 2 years!!