ELLICOTT CITY, Md., Nov. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Investment Program Association (IPA), a trade association for non-listed direct investment vehicles, held its 2013 Fall Conference for members this week, from November 5-7, in Dallas. The theme of the conference, "A New World of Investment Opportunities," echoed the myriad of new opportunities available to investors and financial advisors, and the industry's evolving landscape. This includes recent record-breaking direct investment fund raising, product innovation, changing regulations, and a dynamic market environment, all of which were discussed at length throughout the three-day gathering. Some 362 members from 132 companies, including American Realty Capital, W. P. Carey, Inc., LPL Financial, Ameriprise Financial, Advisor Group, CNL Financial Group, Behringer Harvard, Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation, Cetera Financial Group and others assembled for the event.
"The Investment Program Association is proud to be the leading source of direct investment industry education, advocacy, mentorship and best practices," said Kevin M. Hogan, President and CEO of the IPA. "We had a terrific turnout for this year's Fall Conference with sessions led by high-profile guest speakers, industry leaders, regulators and educational practitioners, along with networking opportunities for members."
"The direct investment industry has witnessed spectacular growth in the past year in both fund raising and liquidity events, making this year's Fall Conference one of the IPA's most significant gatherings in the association's history," said Frank McCarthy, Chairman of the IPA. "With over $90 billion in assets, it's an opportune time to reflect on the state of our industry and how to take it to the next level," he added.
Robust attendance at the conference echoed the strong interest in direct investment vehicles from investors and financial advisors alike. Data developed in September by Robert A. Stanger & Co., an independent investment banking firm that specializes in direct investment securities, show a 79% year-over-year increase in equity capital flows to direct investments so far in 2013, reaching nearly $16 billion, compared to $8.9 billion in the same period of 2012.
Featured keynote speakers included George Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for The Washington Post and FOX News commentator, and Roger Staubach, Heisman Trophy winner and Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame football star.
A panel was held on the anatomy of a non-traded REIT listing and preparing sponsors for liquidity events, with Brian Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, American Realty Capital; John Park, Managing Director, W. P. Carey, Inc.; and Randy Williamson, Managing Director, Eastdil Secured LLC, a Wells Fargo company; moderated by Peter Fass, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP.
Other panels drawing particular interest included: "BDCs: Investment Managers Dissect a New Alternative Investment Strategy," "Dealing with New Product Structures and Regulatory Packaging," "Mitigating Risks with Private Placements," and "E&O Insurance: A Changing Environment." Additional highlights were sessions with real estate investment experts on new product structures, a forum on the impact of recent regulatory changes, and first-hand insight from broker-dealer senior executives on the keys to growing their business.
Kevin Hogan presented the IPA's "Outstanding Service Award" to Nathan Headrick, General Counsel of Triloma Capital, for his contributions in creating and organizing the Association's advocacy efforts. These included the IPA's first Day-on-the-Hill meetings with members of Congress and ongoing efforts to work with regulators in shaping rules and regulations that affect Association members.
To request more information about any of the IPA 2013 Fall Conference speaker presentations, please contact Marisha Chinsky at mchinsky@makovsky.com.
To see video on the IPA and videos from this conference, visit http://bit.ly/1bWeAws.
About The Investment Program Association
The Investment Program Association (IPA) was formed in 1985 to provide effective national leadership for the direct investment industry. The IPA supports individual investor access to a variety of asset classes not correlated to the traded markets and historically available only to institutional investors. These investments include public non-listed REITs (NLREITs) and Business Development Companies (BDCs), Energy and Equipment Leasing Programs, and private equity offerings. For the last 28 years, the IPA has successfully championed the growth of such products, which have increased in popularity with financial professionals and investors alike. Direct investments are held in the accounts of more than 2 million individual investors. The mission of the IPA is advocating direct investments through education. Access the wealth of IPA educational materials here, or visit the IPA online for more information about becoming a member.
To stay up-to-date with IPA news, follow @IPADirectInvest on Twitter.