Prepare yourself for emerging activist threats and keep your finger on the pulse as we explore the major trends impacting corporate transactions.

• Covid’s impact: Will M&A activity gain momentum in 2021?
• Learn which sectors provide the most opportunities for strategic consolidations
• Debate whether activism will return to pre-2020 levels and in what form it will manifest
• Discover emerging opportunities to drive growth through strategic M&A activities
• Hear whether we expect an increase in cross-border M&A and understand the associated risks

The new Biden administration and Democratic-led Congress are seeking to bring a wave of changes to policies and regulations that will have direct and indirect implications for M&A and activism.

• Understand what type of regulations could impact M&A activity
• How might regulatory changes at the SEC affect the ability for activists to bring proxy battles or proposals to bring about corporate change?
• Learn how regulations could create opportunities and challenges for issuers
• What is the outlook for antitrust policy under the new administration?
• Discuss what impact the SEC’s adoption of amendments to the financial disclosure requirements for business acquisitions and dispositions will have on M&A activity

Corporate management teams face a very different operating environment from the one that prevailed in 2020, which saw a reduction in activist activity as a result of the economic disruption, leading market participants to delay proxy campaign plans. As markets recover and activist investors seek possible targets again, will ESG play a heightened role in their tactics?

• Learn how to identify activist threats earlier and respond when an activist investor is at your door
• Understand how the rise of social justice, racial equality, climate change, and other ESG issues will increasingly find their way into the tactics used by activist shareholders
• Discuss how to identify and survive bet-the-company situations

Speaker lounge: Join our panelists for an informal follow-up conversation about these critical issues in the lounge. Get your questions answered, share your views, catch up with old friends, introduce yourself to new connections and get some face-time in!

Strategic fit, shareholder support, and legal approval are vital aspects of any deal. In this session, we discuss how IR, corporate development and governance can add value to a corporate transaction. We also debate the pros and cons of having investor relations officers, corporate secretaries and general counsel involved earlier in the deal-making process.

• Debate whether IR and governance need to be involved earlier in the deal-making process and learn how to add value to strategy and corporate development teams
• Explore how different appetites for risk and transparency between strategy, legal and finance professionals can impact deal-making
• Corporate transactions and activism are key career milestones. Learn how to navigate this intense period of work to enhance your career

Meet the attendees: Match with other attendees for a short, fun introduction using our virtual networking tool: it’s as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Visit the networking area and click connect
2. Get randomly matched with another attendee for a three-minute introduction
3. Exchange contact information or move on to the next attendee: it’s up to you!

Pre-deal best practices: Emerging trends and best practices in strategy formulation and target identification
Learn what IR, Governance and M&A professionals can do to ensure success through strategy formulation and target identification.

• Has the past year made companies more aware of tail risks when considering acquisition targets?
• Learn about red flags and synergies when searching for potential targets
• Debate the rising importance of human capital considerations in target selection

Communicating the deal and building consensus with your shareholder base is critical to M&A success. Focusing on the critical time leading up to a shareholder vote, we explore the cornerstones of a successful M&A communications strategy and the governance considerations.

• Top tips for announcing your M&A deal and best practices for filings
• Discover how to best articulate the strategic fit of your transaction through your messaging to analysts and portfolio managers
• Understand whether remote deal-making is likely to continue when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and learn remote engagement best practices
• Prepare for changes in your shareholder base and learn how to deal with increased short interest in the run-up to a deal

Understand the legal and filing considerations around corporate transactions.

• Share board management practices in the run-up to a merger or acquisition
• Learn about the compliance consideration related to activist situations
• Discover how to build an efficient due diligence process in the lead-up to a deal
• Understand how to deal with activist directors who have an M&A agenda

Understand the challenges that occur following a deal, learn how to build trust with shareholders by ensuring the implementation maximizes the value-add intended by the transaction, and discover how to move forward with new shareholders and a new board.

• Learn how to understand your new shareholder base following a transaction and how it will impact your investor communications and strategy moving forward
• Discuss how to preserve a company’s value during integration from the word go
• Discover how to adapt to changes in board composition following a merger or acquisition

When retail shareholders vote, they tend to support the company – but the voter turnout for these shareholders is often low. Technology platforms, the pandemic and social media have created the rise of retail. We examine this trend’s impact on special purpose acquisition companies (Spacs), AGMs, activism and M&A.

• Understand how the democratization of investing and the recent rise of day-traders can change M&A
• Hear best practices on increasing retail shareholder votes over time
• Learn how activists leverage retail shareholders and the communication methods companies can use to build support
• What is the relationship between the rise of retail investors and the rise of Spacs?