Mergers and acquisitions are booming in wealth management. The first quarter of this year saw 75 transactions, the most active first quarter on record and the third most active of all time, according DeVoe & Company. This comes after a historic 272 transactions in 2024.
This guide to M&A conferences is part of our Guide to Industry Conferences series, which distills the details you need to know to decide which of the industry’s dozens of conferences fits you best, including the top events, locations, dates, who attends and why, speakers, sponsors and more.
In this installment, we cover the wealth management industry’s two leading annual M&A events – the ECHELON Partners Deals & Dealmakers Summit and DeVoe & Company’s M&A+ Succession Summit.
ECHELON Partners Deals & Dealmakers Summit
ECHELON Partners will host its annual Deals & Dealmakers Summit (DDM) from Aug. 27 to 28 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in California. Registration is $995 per attendee.
The firm expects over 200 C-suite executives and more than 55 subject experts to attend the conference, which aims to educate buyers, sellers and investors on the most current M&A topics in the wealth and investment management industries.
“Expect advanced, high-impact sessions enriched with worksheets, analysis, and visual tools. Our speakers are distinguished, often undiscovered voices offering fresh, non-recycled insights. Every session is tailored to our audience, forming a powerful trifecta of depth, relevance, and emotional resonance,” the event website says.
The featured speakers are Mark Tibergien, an independent board member, consultant and speaker; Dan Seivert, CEO and Founder of ECHELON Partners; and Peter Mallouk, President and CEO of Creative Planning.
Subject matter experts in attendance will range across M&A strategists and experts in valuation, law and consulting. These will include David Mainzer, a Partner at Buchalter law firm; Megan Carpenter, CEO of marcoms agency Ficomm; and Richard Lofgren, a Navy Rear Admiral and Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in its Asset & Wealth Management Division.
The firm will host a golf event on August 26, prior to the event, at no additional cost. Last year, the golf event was held at Monarch Beach Golf Links. Last year’s conference concluded with a Surfing Social at Salt Creek Beach.
Sponsors include BNY Pershing, Seward & Kissel, Addepar, NewEdge Advisors and Cerulli Associates.
DeVoe & Company’s M&A+ Succession Summit
DeVoe & Company will host its ninth annual M&A+ Succession Summit from Oct. 8 to 10 at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. The conference covers the current state and outlook for RIA M&A, transition stories, one-on-one meetings with experts and lessons from acquirers to prospective sellers.
“This event is designed to equip you with the fundamentals of transition planning while diving into the latest trends in the RIA space with the most experienced industry leaders,” according to the event website.
The price to attend the conference for RIAs with less than $10 billion in assets is $795 until July 21, then rises to $1,175. The price for RIAs with more than $10 billion in assets is $1,600. Non-RIAs must pay $2,500.
Keynote speakers include Michael Nathanson, CEO of Focus Financial Partners; Peter Mallouk, President and CEO of Creative Planning; and Rohit Mahna, Head of Client Growth for Fidelity Investments.
Other speakers include Ben Harrison, Managing Director, Head of Client Business Services at BNY Pershing; Martine Lellis, Principal, M&A Partner Development at Mercer Advisors; David DeVoe, Founder and CEO of DeVoe & Company; and Rick Dennan, Founder and CEO of Oak Street Funding.
Sponsors include Invesco QQQ, Charles Schwab, Hightower and Modern Wealth Management.
Janeesa Hollingshead, Contributing Editor at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at editor@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
