A Recap of the 2008 Family Office Forum

The 2008 Family Office Forum took place June 18-20, 2008, and featured strong keynote presenters, in-depth content and analysis, and engaging networking and interaction between family offices, advisors and service providers.

Once again, I’d like to thank all of the event sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and attendees for making the 15th Annual Family Office Forum a success.

Highlights of the 2008 Family Office Forum

Strong Keynotes: Robert Frank, Bill Milliken, and Laird Koldyke each received high marks for their respective presentations. Mr. Frank set the stage with his unflinching and interesting observations of the high-net worth crowd.  Mr. Milliken reminded us of the importance of supporting educational programs to ensure the children of today do not become the problems of tomorrow. And Mr. Koldyke took us through the complicated and emotional process of setting up and managing his family’s office.

Content:  Highlights from this year’s conference included the Family Office-only workshop, which included commentary from two young family members themselves who are involved in maintaining their respective families’ legacies; an excellent presentation covering security risks to families of means; a session on pricing and marketing strategies for the expanding MFO marketplace; and insight into the use of life insurance as an integral part of the financial planning process.

Networking:  With newly designed networking opportunities this year, attendees were able to connect with each other in a more relaxed, informal environment. From Archway’s opening welcome reception through the Deutsche Bank Texas Hold’em Charity Poker Tournament, real connections were made among attendees from family offices, advisors and vendors.  The revamped Champagne Roundtables brought together more than 90 people to taste a variety of champagnes, as well as receive a signed copy of The Last Dropout, Bill Milliken’s excellent new book.

Second City Performance:  The renowned Second City theater group provided a lighthearted entertainment experience to kick off the third and final day of the conference, and helped to keep the momentum going throughout the excellent final two keynote sessions from Mssrs. Milliken and Koldyke.

For Sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sarene Yablonsky at 646-895-7474, or Syablonsky@iirusa.com.
For Exhibition opportunities, please contact Jeffrey Dubs at 646-895-7477, or JDubs@iirusa.com.