Blackmore Connects Private Equity Membership & Conference

Frequently asked questions:

Q: How much will I pay for your services as a non-member?
A: If you take full advantage of our services throughout the course of a single year, you will pay upwards of $20K.

Q: How much money will I save if I become a basic Bronze member and take advantage of all your services?
A: By investing $6,000 a year for Bronze membership and utilizing all of our services, you will save over $8,000! This is a program approach for executives who are thinking long term.

Q: How much money will I save if I choose to invest in Gold membership?
A: By investing $15,000 a year for the Gold membership, you will save a total of over $18,000!

Q: What does a Bronze membership include?
A: 

  1. Immediately upon registration, you will be assigned a Blackmore deal partner who will immediately provide support in the development of an investment thesis(An investment thesis is a unique idea or angle based upon your vast industry experience which private equity decision makers are unable to otherwise see from their 30,000 ft. viewpoint).
  2. Access to our proprietary webinar library featuring a full spectrum of topics from tutorials on how to correctly structure your resume to get the attention of private equity decision maerks to guest speakers from our current private equity partners on what they expect from an executive attempting to secure a role within a portfolio company.
  3. Access to our article library, which includes tools and templates that will significantly increase your outreach success to private equity decision makers.
  4. A general database of over 800 private equity contacts can be accessed 24/7 and used as a prime tool in growing your private equity network.
  5. A 35% discount on all auxiliary products, including conferences

Q: What does a Gold membership include?
A:

  1. Upon registration, you are assigned to one of our deal partners who immediately begin working with you to develop an investment thesis.
  2. Access to our proprietary webinar library which features a full range of topics from crafting your resume/LinkedIn profile to best get the attention of private equity decision makers to educational sessions with our private equity partners on what they expect from an executive who wishes to partner with their firm.
  3. Access to an article library, which includes tools and templates designed specifically to generate a response from private equity decision makers.
  4. A general database of over 800 private equity contacts available to you 24/7 to be used as a prime tool to grow your personal network of private equity contacts.
  5. Entrance into all six conferences during your term of membership for FREE(a $18K value!). This is your most time- and cost-effective method for growing out your personal network of private equity contacts.
  6. In between conferences we will run tailored marketing campaigns based off of your investment thesis to 100-150 private equity firms and set up 15-minute phone calls for you.
  7. We have recently invested $40k in acquiring PitchBook, the world’s most comprehensive private equity/venture capital database. We will conduct monthly searches of relevant private equity firms based off of your specific criteria(up to 50 results per month).

 

Q: Can you describe the typical Bronze member?

A: The typical Bronze member is an executive that wants an introduction to private equity. They have a desire secure a C-level position within a portfolio company or funding for an investment idea, but they are unaware of the necessary steps to leverage their deep domain expertise to attract private equity decision makers.

Q: Can you describe the typical Gold member?
A: The typical Gold member is an executive that has made the decision to enter the private equity space. Perhaps they began as a Bronze member. After attending multiple conferences, realized the true value of one-on-one meetings, where upwards of 100 private equity decision makers meet in one location, and chose to make the investment that will secure a role within a portfolio company!

Q: Why should I attend your conference?
A: Participation in our events is the most time- and cost-effective method to successfully market yourself to private equity decision makers. Attending just one of our events will save you over $20,000 and hundreds of hours trying to schedule meetings with private equity decision makers. Because these decision makers need to meet executives in person, we bring the decision makers to meet YOU. This event is designed specifically to save you time and energy because we give you access to as many as 100 private equity decision makers(depending upon your level of membership).

Q: Who are the conference and networking events geared towards?
A: Executives who have P&L experience(>$50M) and are interested in meeting private equity decision makers and securing a role within a portfolio company and/or funding for an investment idea.

Q: What do I need to have done in order to be prepared for your conference?
A: You will need to come with a deal thesis that is designed to get the attention of private equity decision makers. We will help you formulate your deal thesis in our one-to-one coaching sessions. A final version of your deal thesis will be due approximately one week before the conference. Preparation is also provided through our live coaching webinars.

Q: What is the cost to attend?
A: The retail price of any single event is $2,999.

Q: Where are the events held?
A: All of our events are held in Chicago, IL at The University Club of Chicago.

Q: How many executives can attend a single event?
A: There is a limit of 30 executives at any single event.

Q: How many private equity firms will I have access to if I attend?
A: You will have the opportunity to meet with 6 – 12 private equity decision makers at any single event.

Q: How often do these events occur?
A: Our events take place six times per year. The dates for 2019 are as follows: February 7, 2019. April 17th, June 12, Aug. 14th, Oct 16th, Dec. 12th.

Q: What do I get if I just want to attend the conference and not invest in membership?
A: You will be provided all of the support you require leading up to the event(one-on-one coaching and access to specialized webinars).

Q: But what if I don’t have an investment idea or deal thesis when I become a member?
A: Having an investment idea or deal thesis prior to membership is not a requirement. Immediately upon registration, you will be assigned to one of our deal partners who will support you in the development of a deal thesis.

Q: What is your efficacy in getting executives placed in a private equity role?
A: If you are wanting to be ‘placed’ in a role, then you are definitely not ready to venture into the private equity world. We do not ‘place’ executives. We work alongside executives to develop a unique idea or angle and leverage their experience, to monetize their background, and secure funding from a sponsor.

Q: What if I am a Gold Member and I am unable to attend all six conferences during the course of one year? Does my free attendance roll over into the next year?
A: No, each yearly membership encompasses six events only.

Q: What other private equity conferences would you recommend and what are the associated costs?

A:We also recommend the following industry conferences:

  • Buyouts(PartnerConnect) – $2,999;
  • ACG – $999 – $3,000 + annual membership;
  • AMAA – $1,500 – $2,000 x 2 per year;
  • iGlobal – $1,600
  •  

Q: Why is it so difficult to get the attention of private equity decision makers?
A: Throughout the course of a year, a private equity decision maker will receive upwards of 2,500 executive resumes. Time is a commodity these individuals simply do not possess. Since lower-middle market firms lack the resources to thoroughly research the thousands of resumes submitted, they focus solely on those executives whose theses are the most qualified.

Q: When can I get the best investment deal on the conferences?
A: Invest in the BronzePlus+ package. For $10,000 you become an association member and are given the opportunity to attend any single event during the term of membership for FREE(a $2,999 value!). Not only do you get a free conference, but also have access to PitchBook, the world’s largest and most comprehensive private equity database, which can be utilized to identify the most relevant capital providers as they relate to your experience/deep domain expertise. We also run tailored campaigns to get your investment thesis in front of these capital providers. 

Q: I’m interested in Gold membership, but hesitant to pull the trigger. What if I want to come to a conference first?
A: You should! We recommend you register as early as possible. However, we cannot credit a conference towards a Gold membership because the real value is found within our customized database, that if you were to acquire on your own (think MorningStar’s PitchBook or Bloomberg PE) would cost you between $15 – 25k per year.

Q: When should I begin my search to secure a role within private equity?
A: No matter if you’re currently employed or in a transition period, you need to begin your search right now. Private Equity requires an investment – there’s simply no way around it. But, within private equity, you can create your own future if you’re being proactive and using BlackmoreConnects™.

Q: If I want to get into private equity on my own, what type of investment can I expect to make?
A: Depending on how proactive you intend to be, you can expect to invest anywhere between $20 – $40k per year by going the solo route. Private equity is a different animal entirely. It’s a different type of job(think private vs. public positions). Using a recruiting firm is the passive route(which usually ends in failure to secure a position) while Blackmore Partners, a trusted brand, operates proactively and aggressively to help you secure sponsorship.