8th M&A Mid-Market Forum

8th M&A MID-MARKET FORUM


Deal making. Networking. Delivered in one day.


Friday 21 November 2008
Hotel Principe di Savoia
Milan, Italy
 

• Introduction
• Plenary session
• Private Meetings
• Workshops 		• Special events
• Organisation & Sponsors
• Multimedia
• Photogallery
The 8th M&A Mid-Market Forum, held in Milan, Italy on 21 November, was attended by over 350 senior industrialists, M&A advisors from more than 40 countries, private equity managers and bankers. The event focused on generating M&A deal activity, and was based on a “speed-dating format”. In total over 1,000 one-to-one meetings were held during the Forum. A unique opportunity to discuss and generate business opportunities, all in one place, all in one day.
 

"The record number of attendees at the 8th Mid-Market Forum clearly indicates that despite the current market situation, the appetite for doing deals remains high. Companies with sound balances and financial capacity are interested in the opportunities offered by the current market situation, taking advantage of the fall in demand and, therefore, in prices. We can foresee a very dynamic 2009 for the M&A sector." 
Attilio Arietti - President of M&A International Inc.

Plenary session

Professor Alberto Alesina from Harvard University opened the Forum by sharing his views on the current global financial crisis (click here to download his presentation). He noted that the crisis has generated a large anti-market reaction and even a more anti-liberism retort, with talk of the end of capitalism, the death of the financial system, the return to state intervention, the end of globalization and state supremacy over the market.

However, noting that the past 20 years have seen a level of economic stability and growth never previously experienced, Professor Alesina expressed optimism that the combined efforts being made by both developed and developing economies would see a relatively quick return to stability and growth.

Following Professor Alesina’s presentation, a panel of experts composed by Henry Gibbon (Thomson Reuters), David Derain (Hay Group), Massimo Milan (Arietti & Associati) and Mauro Castellano (Ersel Investment Club) considered potential measures which could be taken to promote growth and allow confidence to return to the markets. The audience of over 350 industrialists, advisors and senior bankers also expressed their views on these measures via the live voting system. The key conclusions were:

  • Taxation policy has limited ability to immediately resolve the current crisis
  • The Private Equity industry will not be shut down by the credit crunch
  • Corporates will continue to prefer acquisitions over organic expansion to achieve growth
  • Many of the recent, hastily put-together acquisitions will have significant problems regarding integration
  • M&A opportunities will be greatest in China, and Central and Eastern Europe

Private Meetings

The M&A Mid-Market Forum was based on a "speed-dating format", with over 1,000 private meetings lasting 20 minutes each focused on generating M&A deal opportunities.

One-to-one meetings involved:
  • Industrialists
  • Entrepreneurs
  • M&A advisors
  • Lawyers
  • Private Equity managers
  • Bankers 

Workshops

The Forum programme included 7 workshops addressing different aspects relevant to the M&A sector:

  • Managers and M&A: research on the Italian Market, by Prof. Valter Conca, Università Bocconi (presentation, in Italian)
  • The M&A option as a tool for success: how to lead the consolidation process in a fragmented market, by UniCredit Corporate Banking
  • Use of holding companies in M&A Transactions, by Dr. Arietti & Associati - Baker Tilly International
  • Start at the beginning - the long-term perspectives to M&A Integration, by Hay Group
  • Streamlining the due diligence process in mid-market M&A, by Merrill DataSite
  • What the future holds for M&A, by Acquisition Monthly
  • The recent provisions of Italian Law on Financial Assistance: a new opportunity for leveraged buyouts?, by d'Urso Gatti e Associati Studio Legale

    • Special events

    The programme of the M&A Mid-Market Forum 2008 included several special events addressed to delegates, guests and journalists.

    Three dinners in impressive venues such as the Principe di Savoia Hotel, the Teatro Sociale of Como and Villa Borromeo, accompained by exhibitions of international artists: Flux, Kataklò and Opera singers from the Coro della Scala.

    Furtheremore, the Teatro Sociale of Como hosted the third edition of M&A International Media Awards, prize assigned to journalists who have contributed in an outstanding way to the reporting and analysis of the global mergers and acquisitions market.

    A specific Spouses Programme has been set up, allowing guests not directly involved in the Forum to discover the cultural herritage of Milano.

    Organisation

    M&A International Inc.Acquisitions Monthly

    Sponsors

    Merrill Corporation Hay Group UniCredit Corporate Banking

    d’Urso Gatti e Associati Studio Legale Dr. Arietti & Associati - the Italian member of Baker Tilly International ERSEL

    Multimedia

    PRESS REVIEW
    Click here to download the press review of the M&A Mid-Market Forum 2008.
     

    VIDEO
    The following videos are available in our Multimedia section:

    TV report by Class CNBC on the 8th M&A Mid-Market Forum (in Italian).

    Video realized by M&A International Inc.

    Furthermore a video collection presenting the event and the one-to-one meetings system is available here.

    Photogallery

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